Book Review: Saved by The Matchmaker

Book Title: Saved By the Matchmaker
Author: Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Bethany House.
Publisher Date: 2024-8-6 (352, Pages, E-book)
Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Christian Fiction
Series: A Shanahan Match # 2

After her annulment is finalized, Enya Shanahan finds herself caught in a web of scandal and obligation while carrying a secret that threatens to shatter her family's reputation. Determined to find a suitable marriage for Enya, her father turns to a wily matchmaker to save them from their circumstances.

Sullivan O'Brien, a steamboat captain committed to aiding enslaved people on their path to freedom, is faced with an ultimatum from his father. Forced to marry or lose his livelihood, a marriage of convenience seems to be the only solution. As he and Enya face the trials of their pasts and a city consumed by fire, they must confront their deepest fears and learn to trust in love, even when darkness threatens to engulf them.

Disclaimer: I received this book from LibraryThing Early Readers and this is my own honest review.

Want To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bam | Bookbub |
Add To: Goodreads

Upon discovering this book, I was immediately drawn to its description. I have a penchant for history, especially when it's presented in a way that's not overly serious but still retains a hint of fiction. Having enjoyed the author's previous works, I was eager to delve into Saved by Matchmaker, fully anticipating the same level of personal enjoyment from her unique writing style that I've experienced before.

It is the way it starts, and we meet a daughter named Enya, her father, and her brother. However, when Enya mentions that she is holding a secret that will harm her family's reputation, things get pulled into action when her brother rushes to meet the matchmaker named Bellemy.

We are also introduced to Sullivan O'Brien and his livelihood. Will Sullivan take his father's ultimatum and lose his life? Will I love Enya, and will they indeed find love with each other? Will Enya learn to trust Sullivan, or will she fall back when she compares her new husband to Brian? Will he overcome her trust issues and fall in love with Sullivan?

We see that Sullivan loves to free enslaved people, but will the enslaved person catch him captured? Enya seems to see and want to help her husband, or she has found an enslaved person while on her way back from New Orleans.

There was a fire that caused some boats to be lost. But will Sullivan save him and the enslaved person, or will he be lost to see when he daringly moves to have his boat floating away from other boats? Will he help save another boat so the fire does not spread, or was it someone who started fires? Was it an act of nature?

What does the matchmaker see in Enya? Why does he think Sullivan is a good match for Enya? There seems to be something Belmy sees in Enya, and she is able to see Sullivan as a match. Will it work? Belmy appears to have a knack for matchmaking to have them marry and fall in love.

 

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Book Review: Beholden by Jody Hedlund

Book Title: Beholden
Author: Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Northern Lights Press
Publisher Date: September 22, 2020 (193 Pages, ARC E-book)
Genres: Young Adult, Teens, Fairytales, Fairytale Retelling
Series: The Fairest Maidens #1

In a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .

A beautiful noblewoman with a terrible secret, and a prince subjected to slavery.

Upon the death of her wealthy father, Lady Gabriella is condemned to work in Warwick’s gem mine. As she struggles to survive the dangerous conditions, her kindness and beauty shine as brightly as the jewels the slaves excavate. While laboring, Gabriella plots how to avenge her father’s death and stop Queen Margery’s cruelty.

Prince Vilmar of Scania enslaves himself in Warwick’s gem mine as part of a royal test to prove himself the most worthy of three brothers to become the king’s successor. Amidst the hardships, he doesn’t anticipate his growing compassion for the other slaves, especially tenderhearted Gabriella.

As the annual summer ball looms nearer, Gabriella sets into motion her plan to end Queen Margery’s evil. When Vilmar learns of Gabriella’s intentions, he resolves to come to her aid and fight against Warwick’s queen. But doing so may require him to give up his chance of becoming Scania’s next king, perhaps even cost him his life.

The real Cinderella story.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher/author for an honest review and for being on her review crew.
Want to Buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble |

Are you looking for a good clean romance for your teens or young adults? Well, Beholden is good for them. It deals with princes and knights. It also has a sweet story about beauty. What a way to have action and adventures. The heroes have to work together.

I enjoyed learning about the gem mines and the slaves. We get a bit of an evil queen and slavery. It seems it is a modern-day fairy tale of Cinderella. Jody does well with the plot and storyline. What a way to pull into the story. It keeps you wanting to turn the pages once the action starts to pick up.

The adventures begin to heighten up once Gabriella is released from the mines. Who will win? The princes are to do testing to see if they are worth the kingship. The princes are given a phrase that is different for each prince.

I wonder what each means and for that prince. Slave for all what can that mean. You will be trying to figure it out along with Vilmar. What is Gabriella's plan? Can Vilmar find the true meaning to Slave to all and find help from the slaves and Gabriella?

My rating for this book is 4.5 stars (Moons) on my rating system. Which make my rating system will have it marked 4 stars (Moons). This book good for teens and young adults. It got romance and fantasy. If your teen or young adult enjoy fairy tales, this book has it and more.

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Hearts Made Whole by Jody Hedlund

Book Title: Hearts Made Whole
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Series, Historical Romance, 1860-1865 Civil War, 1866-1877 Reconstruction
Series: Beacons of Hope #2
Publisher: Bethany House
Publish Date: June 2, 2015 (384 Pages, Paperback)
Where to Buy: Author Website
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from +Litfuse Publicity Group for an honest review that in a book tour
Description: After her father's death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren't supposed to have such roles, so it's only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper---even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her.

Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He's secured the position of lighthouse keeper mostly for the isolation---the chance to hide from his past is appealing. He's not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who's angry with him for taking her job and for his inability to properly run the light. When his failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he's in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he's unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Caroline feels drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope...and possibly love?

We meet Caroline Taylor and her family. What a story this. We see Ryan Chamber who has gotten the cross from his sister, Emma in the first book called "Love Unexpected".

We learn about how Caroline Taylor deals with her loss of her father. We see how she deals with raising her siblings. Caroline finds out from the lighthouse inspector that he hired a man for the job of the lighthouse keeper.

Then we meet up with Ryan Chambers at the Roadside Inn. He asks for directions to the Windmill Point Lighthouse. The story get better has you turn the page. Things start getting worse for them. What is going on in this community and at the Windmill Point Light?

There seems to be action at every turn. Mr. Simmons and Mr. Finich seems to want Caroline out of the lighthouse but why. We meet Arnie Simmons and seem eager to want Caroline Taylor. Will Arnie stop at nothing to get Caroline Taylor? Surprises await them all. Can Ryan and Caroline learn to trust in faith, hope and forgiveness?

The author writes another fastening story. I can not wait to continue on with the next book. Want to learn about Emma and her brother Ryan prior to Ryan getting the cross or how he had the cross? You can read my review to "Love Unexpected" to find the answer.

 Don't miss Jody Hedlund's new book, Hearts Made Whole, a story of loss, forgiveness, hope, and true love set in 1865 Michigan. When Ryan's failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he’s in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he’s unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Can Caroline forgive the hurting man who costs her the role she loves?

Celebrate the release of Hearts Made Whole by entering to win an Afternoon at the Beach prize pack and RSVPing to Jody's June 23rd author chat party!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Hearts Made Whole
• A picnic basket set
• A beach bag
• Flip flops
• A beach towel

One second-place winner will receive:

• A copy of Hearts Made Whole
• A lighthouse journal

One third-place winner will receive:

• A copy of Hearts Made Whole
• A lighthouse necklace

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 23rd.Winner will be announced June 23rd at Jody's Facebook party. RSVP here!

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling historical fiction author. She won the 2011 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, the 2011 Award of Excellence from the Colorado Romance Writers and was a finalist for Best Debut Novel in the 2011 ACFW Carol Awards. Currently she makes her home in central Michigan, with her husband and five busy children. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog.

Find Jody online: website, Twitter, Facebook



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Sunday Post #3 1st Edition of 2015

This post is about the past week that you did on your blog and what is going on around the blogspeare. What arrived in your mailbox or inbox. This post is created by Kimba @Caffeinated Book Reviewer. If you want to rules or information on this meme you can get it here at Sunday Post.

The Past week went by fast. We welcomed in 2015 in with short order. I am happy to say it was just a good week and quiet. It good to get a fresh start out and look forward to what 2015 has to give us. I am using this past week to catch up on some backlog of Book Reviews, and many other things. I hope you all had good New Years. You are welcome to tell me your New Year Revolutions for 2015.

Mailbox Monday #15 (Meme, Discussion)

Rebel by Jill Williamson (Review)

  Happy New Year 2015

My List of Review Books (List)

First Book of 2015 - is a  Meme that is hosted by Shelia @ Book Journey  

Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund (Review)

An Amish Family Christmas by Marta Perry and Patricia Davids (Review)
Updated the A/Z Titles, Series review pages with links

Mailbox Monday #16 (Meme)

Boost It Tuesday (Meme)

Backyard Horse Tales 2: Frosty and the Nightstalker (Review)

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

Almost Perfect by Diane Daniels Manning  (Review, Book Tour) +Laura Fabiani iRead Book Tours 

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Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund

Book Title: Love Unexpected
Author: Jody Hedlund
Disclaimer: I received this book from Bethany House for an Honesty Review.
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publish Date: 12/2/14
Series: Beacons of Hope #1
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Christian Fiction, Historical

Description: A Perfect Blend of History and Romance, with a Whisper of Mystery
All she's ever wanted was a home. But stranded at Presque Isle port after their steamboat sank, Emma Chambers and her brother, Ryan, couldn't be farther away from security. While Ryan at least can find work, Emma can't even find a place to stay. An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper, who recently lost his wife and is struggling to raise his young son, arrives in town. A traveling preacher believes they might be the answer to each others' problems, and after a hasty marriage, Emma is headed back to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger.

But nothing in her wandering life has prepared her for suddenly being asked to raise a child and keep a house. Struggling at every turn, Emma also suspects Patrick may be keeping something hidden from her. In town she hears whispers about strange circumstances surrounding his previous wife's death, and it seems as though Emma's answered prayer for a home and family may actually be something much more dangerous.

What a sweet story this book is. Emma and her brother Ryan start out on a steamer boat. They are attack by pirates. Emma see that the steam boat catch fire. Emma and Ryan jump into the lake and are now trying to survive. Patrick see the steam boat catch fire. 

Things start to happen once they arrive to the island. Patrick is in need of a wife to watch over his son Joisah. There are secrets and a romance and a traveling preachers believe they may be answers to each other problems. Can they find the true meaningful word of wife and husband. Will Emma find her own home? Though for having faith you need to believe in god himself and not believe in people. You can not put all your faith in people you love to have all that you need. Does Patrick, Emma or Ryan find that faith? Do they find Joisah? To know these answer and more you need to read the book. Will Patrick get over his Past?

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Mailbox Monday #14

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

This week I got books in the mail. I still some that should be coming. This past week was just as busy in another way. I am getting ready for the holidays and things after.

Join in by adding your Mailbox Monday post to the linky below:




This week 12/15/14 - 12/21/14

 Book Title: Cloak o Shadows
Author: CK Dawn
Series: Netherwalker #1
Publish Date: 9/28/14
Disclaimer: I won in a giveaway through Black Friday Blog Hop and the author sent me a copy.
Description: What if all you've ever known of King Arthur's legend was a lie to mislead you from the truth? What if Camelot truly existed, but was destroyed to keep its secrets? What if there were descendants of the Knights of the Round Table defending us today from the creatures that lurk within the shadows? If the gloaming came looking for you would you answer its call?
Fourteen year old Abigail Thorne answered the gloaming and it turned her life upside down. Along with her mentor Lourdes Reese, a seasoned hunter in the King's Court, she now banishes the evil shadows while most dociles sleep in their beds.

Fighting hidden creatures that feed on humans, glimpsing fractures that lead to another world, and wielding magical weapons all before geometry? That's a normal day for Abbey now, and she loves every minute of it. But, she has no idea that being sent to Britain for her last hunter trial will unleash a chain of events that will change everything and everyone she loves forever.

A life will be lost, a life will be taken, and an unexpected new romance will emerge all while the fate of two worlds balances on the edge of a hunter's blade.

Book Title: When Mercy Rains
Author: Kim Vogel Sawyer
Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for books for an honesty review.
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Publish Date: 10/7/14
Series: The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy #1
Description: She left, heavily weighted with secrets.But God reveals all things, in His timing.
And He redeems them.
Suzanne Zimmerman was only seventeen and pregnant when her shamed mother quietly sent her away from their Old Order Mennonite community in Kansas. With her old home, family, and first love firmly behind her, Suzanne moved to Indiana, became a nurse, and raised a daughter, Alexa, on her own.
Now, nearly twenty years later, an unexpected letter arrives from Kansas. Her brother asks her to bring her nursing abilities home and care for their ailing mother. His request requires that Suzanne face a family that may not have forgiven her and a strict faith community. It also means seeing Paul Aldrich, her first love.
Paul, widowed with an eight-year-old son, is relieved to see Suzanne again, giving him the chance to beg her forgiveness for his past indiscretion. But when he meets Alexa, his guilt flickers in the glare of Suzanne's prolonged secret--one that changes everything.
Suzanne had let go of any expectation for forgiveness long ago. Does she dare hope in mercy-and how will her uncovered past affect the people she loves the most?

Book Title: The Lady of Willow Grove Hall
Author: Sarah E. Ladd
Disclaimer: I received this book from Book Look Bloggers for an Honesty review.
Publisher: Tomas Nelson
Series: Whispers on the Moors #3
Publish Date: 10/7/14
Description: Willowgrove Hall is full of secrets, but soon everything hidden is brought to light.
Cecily Faire has a secret—and she intends to keep it. But when she arrives at Willowgrove Hall to serve as a lady’s companion, she comes face-to-face with the only person who knows the truth about her past.

As the steward of Willowgrove Hall, Nathaniel Stanton is dedicated to serving those around him. Nothing escapes his notice—including the beautiful new lady’s companion. He is certain the lovely Miss Faire is hiding something, and he determines to uncover it. But Nathaniel has a secret of his own: he is the illegitimate son of Willowgrove’s former master. Falling in love was not part of his plans . . . until he meets Cecily Faire.

When Willowgrove’s mistress dies, everything changes. Fear of exposure forces Cecily to leave under the cover of darkness, embarking on a journey to finally find her long-lost sister. When the will is read, Nathaniel’s inheritance makes him question his future plans. Cecily and Nathaniel are forced to make decisions that will change the course of their lives. Is their love strong enough to survive?

Book Title: Love Unexpected
Author: Jody Hedlund
Disclaimer: I received this book from Bethany House for an Honesty Review.
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publish Date: 12/2/14
Series: Beacons of Hope #1
Description: A Perfect Blend of History and Romance, with a Whisper of Mystery
All she's ever wanted was a home. But stranded at Presque Isle port after their steamboat sank, Emma Chambers and her brother, Ryan, couldn't be farther away from security. While Ryan at least can find work, Emma can't even find a place to stay. An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper, who recently lost his wife and is struggling to raise his young son, arrives in town. A traveling preacher believes they might be the answer to each others' problems, and after a hasty marriage, Emma is headed back to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger.

But nothing in her wandering life has prepared her for suddenly being asked to raise a child and keep a house. Struggling at every turn, Emma also suspects Patrick may be keeping something hidden from her. In town she hears whispers about strange circumstances surrounding his previous wife's death, and it seems as though Emma's answered prayer for a home and family may actually be something much more dangerous.

What come in your Mailbox/Inbox?

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Captured by Love

Book Title: Captured by Love

Author: Jody Hedlund

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance, Adventure, Woman Fiction, War,

Series: Michigan Brides #3

Disclaimer: I received this book from Bethany House for an honesty Review.

Description: It is 1814 and the British have taken hold of Mackinac Island and its fort, forcing American residents to swear an oath of loyalty to the British crown in order to retain their land. Pierre Durant is a voyageur–a fur trader who left his family home to find freedom and adventure. He’s been gone five years and when he returns, his family’s farm is at the mercy of the British invaders.
Torn between the life he’s grown used to and guilt over leaving his brother and mother, he’s drawn back into the loyalist fight against the British–and into a relationship with Angelique Mackenzie, a beautiful local girl who’s been befriended by the daughter of the British commander. As tensions mount and the threat of violence increases, both Angelique and Pierre must decide where their loyalties rest, how far they will go to find freedom, and how much they will risk to find love.

Publisher: Bethany House

Publish date: July 1, 2014

My Thoughts: Wonderful story about how life was kind of dealt with at that time. This story tell about the battle of 1812. There a lovely story about two people and their love. They have a few thing to go though. Their tail and error and you do learn about the fur trading and much more. It is really cool and fun way to see how the battle of 1812.There adventures in the book as well. It a book with leaves you wanting more. I so really would love to have read the other two books in series. I tend to do so at some point. Love history well this a book for you. Love American history this is a book for you as well. It has Romance in it as well. It’s a great book all around.