Katherine's Arrangement by Blossom Turner (Shenandoah Brides Book 1)

About the Book: 

Marrying him is her only choice to save her family, but Josiah Richardson isn’t at all the man she expected.

Katherine Williams’s family was left destitute when their home was burned to the ground by Yankee soldiers, so the ready solution presented by the prominent Mr. Josiah Richardson seems almost too good to believe. He’ll provide a home, work for her pa, and a new beginning for her family...if only Katherine will accept his proposal. A marriage of convenience is the last thing she wants, but there doesn’t seem to be a better option for her family or herself. Setting aside her dreams of love, Katherine agrees to the arrangement.

The gentleman in Josiah Richardson can no more force his frightened bride into his bed, than he can force her into loving him, so he sets out to gently woo her. He works hard to befriend her, to earn her trust and win her love.

Katherine is pleasantly surprised to find herself drawn to the man she thought she would never love, until an unexpected friendship tears apart all they’ve worked for. Where once the promise of love had budded between Josiah and Katherine, now they wonder what to do with their so-called marriage. Is love strong enough to weave its healing power through two broken hearts?

My Review: 

This is the first book I have read by this author. The current cover doesn't come close to this book's content. In that regard, it's a sleeper. I didn't want to put it down, but why is the important part. It's real, it's alive, it's realistic. The characters captured my attention and the romance isn't dead. I'm so thankful for a book with real issues and a real romance. Katherine marries a man she doesn't love, to save her family. The Yankees have destroyed her home and her livelihood, so there aren't really any other options left. Josiah now has a bride who doesn't have a connection to him. It's now his job to win her heart. I absolutely loved this, because that's how real Christ-like marriages are supposed to work. 

While secrets bubbled up to the surface, a steady thread of God's love and grace prevailed through the entire story. While being period correct, it also showed the good side that gets so much less attention. All plantations were not bad to their people and Deliah and her role in Josiah's life is true to the lives of people I actually know. 

If it's possible to have become a fan after reading only one book by an author, then you can write me down as one. I can't wait to read the rest of this series! 

5 MASSIVE Stars! 

Get your copy  HERE!  (I'm personally planning on a print copy in the near future!) 

About the Author:

Blossom Turner is a free-lance writer published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, former newspaper columnist on health and fitness, and an avid blogger. She lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband, David, of thirty-six years. A former business woman, personal trainer, and mother of two grown children she is now pursuing her lifelong dream of writing full-time.

A hopeless romantic at heart, she believes all story should give the reader significant entertainment value. However, her writing embodies the struggles of real life. She infuses the reality of suffering with the hope of Christ to give a healthy dose of relatable encouragement to her reader. Her desire is to leave the reader with a yearning to live for Christ on a deeper level, or at the very least, create a hunger to seek for more.

She is an avid blogger who has contributed to the Mount Hermon Blog, Christian Devotions blog, and writes a weekly devotional blog on the names of God. Read more at blossomturner.com.

Her authenticity comes from the crucible of suffering having undergone years of child abuse, infidelity in her marriage and brokenness of spirit. Through understanding the restorative power of God's forgiveness when humanity fails, she could write Anna's Secret in a way that grips the reader on a profound level. A strong thread of hope is woven through this compelling novel where failure, love and romance collide.