About the Book
Book: Married to a Stranger
Author: Laura V. Hilton
Genre: Christian Amish Romance Fiction
Release date: July 2, 2019
He marries her out of need. She marries him to escape. What does love have to do with it?
When her father falsely accuses a stranger of dishonoring her, Bethel Eicher finds herself promised in marriage to a man she’s never met. Not exactly a dream come true, but since she has spent several years caring for her handicapped mother, she’s already considered an old maid at twenty-five—and she longs to escape her lonely life as permanent caregiver.
When newly-called Amish preacher Gideon Kaiser learns he’s been accused of a dishonorable act, he’s horrified. But his wife died in childbirth and his baby needs a mother, so he figures marrying a woman he’s never met could be beneficial.
How can Bethel and Gideon possibly make their marriage work—especially when the truth behind the accusations is revealed?
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About the Author
A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Laura V. Hilton is a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with more than a thousand reviews published on the Internet.
Laura’s first series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Seymour, includes Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts, and Promised to Another. In 2012, A Harvest of Hearts received a Laurel Award, placing first in the Amish Genre Clash. Her second series, The Amish of Webster County, consists of Healing Love, Surrendered Love, and Awakened Love, followed by a stand-alone title, A White Christmas in Webster County. Laura’s last series, The Amish of Jamesport, includes The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Birdhouse. Prior to Married to a Stranger, Laura published Firestorm, Love by the Numbers, The Amish Firefighter, and The Amish Wanderer.
Previously, Laura published two novels with Treble Heart Books,
Hot Chocolate and
Shadows of the Past, as well as several devotionals.
A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Laura earned a business degree from Ozarka Technical College. She and her husband, Steve, have five children and make their home in Arkansas. To learn more about Laura, read her reviews, and find out about her upcoming releases, readers may visit her blog at http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/.
Excerpt from Married to a Stranger
He marries her out of need. She marries him to escape. What does love have to do with it?
He’s falsely accused of dishonoring her. She longs to escape her father’s household. Can they make their forced, arranged marriage work?
“Gideon, choose love. Not loss.” Lizzie gave a quiet sigh and then her eyes rolled back in her head.
“It’s a lie.” Bethel straightened. “Whoever he described has never touched me. Nobody has.”
Either he marry the woman who’d accused him of sexually assaulting her—a woman he had nein recollection of ever meeting, not to mention the fact that he had never touched any woman besides his beloved frau—or his name would be dragged through the mud for a sin he hadn’t committed, a sin for which he’d be forced to kneel and confess.
It wouldn’t do any gut to ask der Herr for this stranger—what was his name, anyway?—to be nice to her, because it seemed apparent Gott hadn’t heard one word of her endless prayers over the last few days. Either that, or He callously chose to disregard her requests.
It was probably the only wedding nacht in history during which the groom had hidden in the basement and raged, huddled upon and beneath a pile of blankets for warmth—warmth that never seemed to reach his core—before he cried himself into a fitful sleep.
At least, with this situation being handled directly between Gideon and both their fathers, with nein preacher or bishop involvement, none of the potentially damaging dirty laundry was hung out to dry.
The condemning stares from Gideon’s family members seemed to bore into Bethel’s back the entire time she prepared their breakfast and then washed the dishes.
She should’ve packed her bags and run away instead of going through with the wedding. Which was probably what her sister had done, kum to think of it.
He could see the hurt and bewilderment lingering in her eyes, as if she still didn’t fully realize how she’d gotten here, or why her father had chosen to believe an old widower over his own dochter.
Bethel’s first time changing Elam’s diaper didn’t go as badly as she’d feared. Lying on the changing table in his bedroom, the boppli waved his feet in the air and blew bubbles at her, completely winning her heart.
Married to a Stranger by Laura V.
Hilton takes readers to Mackinac County, Michigan. Bethel Eicher is shocked when her father accuses
her of being pregnant and that she is to marry the man who dishonored her. A week later, Bethel is married to Gideon
Kaiser a widower with a three month old son.
Gideon’s family looks at her with disdain and, in addition to normal
household chores, Bethel must care for an infant and Gideon’s mother who has
MS. Gideon was shocked when Bethel’s
father accused him of sullying his daughter and threatened to ruin his good
name if Gideon did not marry his daughter right away. As a new preacher with a family business and
an unmarried sister, the family cannot have its reputation in tatters. As his father points out, Gideon does need a wife
to care for his son, Elam. But Gideon is
still grieving for his wife, Lizzie who died giving birth to their child. Somehow the pair must make this marriage
work, but what happens when the truth behind the allegations is revealed?
I thought the premise to Married
to a Stranger was intriguing. Can you
imagine marrying a man you have never met? Married to a Stranger is the story
of a marriage of convenience and how the couple move forward after their
wedding. I thought the story was
well-written with realistic characters. Married
to a Stranger is an emotional story. The
characters emotions leap from the page.
Bethel Eicher does not understand why her father refused to believe her,
but she is grateful to have avoided Rodney who was pursuing her. Besides Rodney’s bad breath, the last few girls
he courted have disappeared including Bethel’s sister, Ruth. But it is awkward being married to a man you
have never met and living in a house with his family. Bethel now has a large home to clean plus the
laundry and cooking. She also must care
for Elam, Gideon’s son as well as Gideon’s mother, Reba who has multiple sclerosis.
Gideon has been lost since he his wife died in childbirth and now, he is
married to Bethel. The pair must find a
way to make their marriage a success. But
God throws a few curveballs their way. Bishop Miah is an insightful man. It is sweet how he watches over the community
and provides guidance (though, it can be a challenge to interpret sometimes). We follow Bethel and Gideon as the get to
know each other, but there is quite a bit happening in Married to a
Stranger. Naomi’s old beau returns to
town and her unhappiness is apparent to all.
I can understand since he broke up with her by sending a postcard. Naomi’s is a woman who speaks her mind which
at times had me laughing and other times had me groaning. Reba, Gideon’s mother, breaks her hip which
means big changes for the whole family.
Then there are those missing girls and Rodney. I loved all the action towards the end of the
book, but there was one big question left unanswered. The revelations were jaw dropping. I wish, though, that the mystery had been
present throughout the whole story. I do
recommend reading
Fire Storm and
The Amish Candy Maker prior to reading Married
to a Stranger. It will fill provide the background
on the community plus details a reader needs to know regarding Agatha, Isaac,
Kish, and Naomi. Faith is an integral
part of Bethel and Gideon’s lives as we see in the story. It is beautifully woven into the story
without coming across as preachy. I hope
there will be another book soon, so we find out what happens with Naomi and
Kish. Married to a Stranger is heartfelt
story with touching characters, challenging situations, yummy baked goods, and
one adorable baby.
To celebrate her tour, Laura is giving away a grand prize of a $20 Starbucks Card and a surprise book. Be sure to comment on the blog stops (schedule below) for nine extra entries into the giveaway. Click
here to enter and Good Luck! Married to a Stranger is available on
Amazon. I appreciate you stopping by today. I will feature
Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas tomorrow. I hope you have a blissful day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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