A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

Book Details:
Title: A Noble Groom
Author: Jody Hedlund
2013, Bethany House
ISBN: 0764210475
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Book Summary:
Recently widowed Annalisa Werner has the feeling her husband was murdered but can't prove it. Alone with her young daughter in 1881 Michigan, she has six months left to finish raising the money needed to pay back the land contract her husband purchased, and the land is difficult to toil by herself. She needs a husband. With unmarried men scarce, her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom. 

For nobleman Carl von Reichert, the blade of the guillotine is his fate. He's been accused and convicted of a serious crime he didn't commit, and his only escape is to flee to a small German community in Michigan where he'll be safe. He secures a job on Annalisa's farm but bumbles through learning about farming and manual labor. 

Annalisa senses that Karl is harboring a secret about his past, yet she finds herself drawn to him anyway. He's gentle, kind, and romantic--unlike any of the men she's ever known. He begins to restore her faith in the ability to love--but her true groom is still on his way. And time is running out on them all.

My Review:
Another wonderful book by Jody Hedlund! I have loved every one of her books and this one was no exception!
 I especially love the time this author puts in to make her novels fairly historically accurate  I always appreciate the time spent to do all the research to make a historical novel... historical.
This book is about a German community that has settled in Michigan to get away from the oppression of German noblemen. In America, these hard-working, former peasants are able to build a life for themselves and even own their own land.
Annalisa Werner is one of these settlers. She lives a hard life and, like most of the other women, a loveless marriage to a man who can provide for her. But then he dies. How is she supposed to support herself, a baby on the way and her small daughter on a large farm alone? Let alone pay back the loan on the farm after the harvest? Her father sends away to the home country for a suitable groom.
Carl von Reichert narrowly escapes death after he's been framed for a crime he didn't commit. He's sent to America - with nothing but instructions on how to find the small community of German settlers - who used to work in his father's mines!
Carl starts working for Annalisa - helping her until her groom arrives. He has to learn to work - literally - and get to know these tough people. Annalisa and Carl suffer joys and hardships - but what's going to happen when her intended shows up expecting a wife and a farm? Will Carl be able to walk away or will the responsibility be too much to handle?

Wonderful examples of what a hard life these settlers endured to leave a life of almost slavery to carve out a better life for themselves and their families. Loved it!!