A BRIDE MOST BEGRUDGING

Author: Deeanne Gist ISBN: 0764200720 7/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: BETHANY HOUSE
Time Period: 1640'S

Any ship arriving from England means good news for Virginia colony farmers. The “tobacco brides” would be on board—eligible women seeking a better life in America, bartered for with barrels of tobacco from the fields. Drew O’Connor isn’t stirred by news of a ship full of brides. Still broken-hearted from the loss of his beloved, he only wants a maid to tend his house and care for his young sister. What he ends up with is a wife—a feisty redhead who claims she is Lady Constance Morrow, daughter of an Earl, brought to America against her will. And she want to go straight back to England as soon as she possibly can. She hasn’t the foggiest notion how to cook, she dares to argue with her poor husband, and spends more time working on mathematical equations than housework. What kind of a wife is that? Drew’s Christian forbearance is in for some testing. Headstrong and intelligent, deeply moral but incredibly enticing, Constance turns what was supposed to be a marriage of convenience into something most inconvenient, indeed.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

A BRIDE MOST BEGRUDGING is a beautiful and poignant romance. It is obvious that Deeanne Gist put her heart and soul into writing this novel, and the result is really beyond words. This is an incredible novel.

The heroine, Lady Constance Morrow, seems to find trouble wherever she goes. Due to a wrong place at the wrong time scenario, Constance finds herself on a ship bound for America, and upon reaching the Virginia Colony, she is sold as a tobacco bride to the handsome tobacco farmer Drew O'Connor. Drew really has no intention of marrying Constance, but the situation gets a bit out of control, and Constance and Drew find themselves married in name only and battling their strong like and dislike of one another.

Deeanne Gist has created a beautiful story that tells of many of the hardships endured by settlers in the 1640s, from disease to battle with Native Americans. God is a strong presence throughout the novel, and it is evident that the faith of Constance and Drew is what keeps them going. Constance and Drew are well rounded characters, as are many of the supporting characters who I hope we get to read about in Gists's next novel! Sally, Drew's little sister, and Josh, Drew's brother both added a lot to the story. I couldn't put this novel down and stayed up nights until I finished it. I had to find out what happened to Constance and Drew, and Gist did not disappoint. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys reading, whether you are a fan of romance novels or not. I think this is one you will really enjoy.

Carrye Syma