A Bride of Convenience
(The Bride Ships #3)
Pastor to miners in the mountains, Abe Merivale discovers an abandoned baby during a routine visit to Victoria and joins efforts with Zoe, one of the newly arrived bride-ship women, to care for the infant. While there, he's devastated by the news from his fiancee in England that she's marrying another man.
With mounting pressure to find the baby a home, Zoe accepts a proposal from a miner of questionable character after he promises to help her locate her brother. Intent on protecting Zoe and frustrated by his failed engagement, Abe offers his own hand as groom. After a hasty wedding, they soon realize their marriage of convenience is not so convenient after all.
My Review: 6.5/10
This story shared a unique perspective for this genre (a man
struggling with lust), however it really rendered the celibate aspect
unbelievable. Marriages of convenience were not uncommon, but rather the
norm. Keeping the relationship chaste after marriage was unusual (and
yet that's 99% of the representations I read). I could see a man giving
his new bride a week or two to adjust and be more comfortable, but
that's about it, and even that would be the exception. So again,
considering everything, I found this premise unrealistic.
Zoe is a
strong woman with a natural pull toward abandoned children. She's
forthright and outspoken. Abe was a little less admirable, as he tries
to serve two masters, but I found that relatable; it's easy to think
you're serving God when trying to please/obey religious leaders, but Zoe
makes an excellent point, reminding him that no man has the power to
truly take away what God wills. And though the Bishop is set up as an
obstacle, I appreciated his character. It was easy to see what drove him
and why he said/did what he did and I thought he was well represented.
The
plot (confrontations and declarations) became a bit dramatic and
predictable toward the end, but it was an enjoyable read overall.
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