A Noble Groom

Hedlund (Unending Devotion) crafts a historical romance set in the 1880s farmlands of Michigan. Her cast of German immigrants has come to America in search of a life free from the serfdom of their native country. Heroine Annalisa Werner toils under the cruelty of a foolhardy husband, but, when he dies and Annalisa discovers she is pregnant with her second child, a bad situation suddenly becomes exponentially worse. Her family’s swift and sole solution is to marry her off. With no suitable candidates in the immigrant community, her father beseeches his brother in Germany to send a potential husband. Carl von Reichart arrives in response to this request, but only to provide temporary assistance to Annalisa until the intended groom can secure passage. While Annalisa suspects Carl is hiding a dark secret, she is helpless to do anything but accept his assistance. Her circumstances grow more complicated as financial woes and devastating illness strike. Hedlund’s love story may be simple and predictable, but her characters and their situations are anything but, as they deal with the timeless issues of love, faith, and self-worth. (Apr.)