Book Review: A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund
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Synopsis from back of book:
Annalisa Werner’s hope for a fairy-tale love is over. Her husband failed her in every way, and now his death has left her with few options to save the family farm. She needs a plentiful harvest. That, and a husband to help bring it in. Someone strong, dependable. That’ll be enough. A marriage for love…that’s something she’s given up on.
So her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.
Then a man appears: Carl Richards, from their home country of Germany, and a former schoolteacher — or so he says. He’s looking for work and will serve on the farm until her husband arrives.
With time running out, she accepts Carl’s help, but there’s more to this man than he’s admitting. He’s also gentle, kind, charming — unlike any man she’s ever known. But even as he is shining light into the darkness of Annalisa’s heart, she knows her true groom may arrive any day.
My review:
This is one of those books that kept me reading late into the night well past my bedtime. I just had to find out how Annalisa and Carl’s story would turn out. Just when I thought poor Annalisa couldn’t go through anymore, something else happened. This story had great characters, much to say about true love, and had me rooting for a happy ending right up to the end.
It is difficult for me, as an independent 21st century woman, to relate to the restrictions that women had during the time that Annalisa lives in (1880). I found myself feeling frustrated for her when she had no freedom to choose her own path, but had to rely on the men around her to decide for her. All that is good when you have a Godly man beside you, but what if you do not? This author reflected that in some of the characters and I found it intriguing and maddening at the same time. It made me grateful that I live in the time frame that I live in.
Annalisa was a beautiful, loyal, hard-working woman trying to raise her child in better circumstances than she grew up in. I really admired that about her. She deserved a man to truly love her and be a partner, not just a master.
Enter Carl. Oh, I liked him. Not quite at first, but when he meets Annalisa, he turns out to be quite a charmer. Even though he is secretive about his past, he has a good combination of gentleness and strength that made it easy to root for him to win Annalisa’s heart.
What I enjoyed most about this book:
Carl’s personality and the care that he showed for the people around him.
What I didn’t like about this book:
This author has a way of writing a wonderful story within the reality of life during the historical period. That is good, but it made my heart sad to think about the many women who actually lived the reality of masters for husbands rather than partners.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. I liked getting to know Carl and Annalisa and rooting for Annalisa to find true love instead of having to settle for less. I would also recommend that anyone reading this book also read the authors notes about the characters and historical background, which I found to be quite interesting. This is the second book in this series, but it is completely a standalone novel.
Where can I learn more about this author and their books?
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