Review of “Married to a Stranger” by Laura V. Hilton, a “Celebrate Lit” book tour blog stop

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?

Click here to purchase your copy.

My Review:

This unique and emotional Amish story by Lara V. Hilton has romance, drama, and faith, as well as a touch of mystery and suspense.  This marriage-of-convenience storyline has quite a twist: When this young couple marries, neither of them knows anything about the other until the marriage ceremony.  Gideon’s wife died four months earlier during childbirth and he needs a caretaker for his son.  Bethel has been falsely accused of immorality.  She is shocked when her father refuses to listen to her or believe her innocence, but she gives in to his insistence that she must marry this stranger to save both her reputation and that of their family.  Gideon is just as shocked to be accused of compromising Bethel when he has no idea who she is.  Their marriage definitely does not get off to a strong start, and it seems that they will need a miracle to be able to come together in as true and affectionate marriage as husband and wife.

I liked Bethel from the very beginning of this story and the more I read about her, the more invested I became in this book.  She has gladly given up years of her life to take care of her mother, and feels very lonely after her mother’s death.  She does want a loving husband and family, and even has her heart set on another young Amish man.  Both those dreams seem to come crashing down when she’s forced to marry Gideon.  Gideon is still grieving the death of his young wife, but finds himself drawn to Bethel’s kindness and beauty.  He does not always handle his conflicting emotions well, and does not always treat Bethel as well as she deserves.  There are a couple of more plot twists that further complicate this story.  At first I wondered where this storyline was going, but be assured that everything comes together in a somewhat suspenseful conclusion.  

Although this book as part of a series, I was still able to enjoy this book on its own.  I am now very interested in reading the other books by Laura V. Hilton in this series.  

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

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/.

Read an Excerpt 

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.

Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, July 2

Through the Lens of Scripture, July 2

Maureen’s Musings, July 3

Among the Reads, July 3

Emily Yager, July 3

Random Thoughts From a Bookworm, July 4

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, July 4

For The Love of Books, July 4

EmpowerMoms, July 5

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, July 5

Bigreadersite, July 6

Through the Fire Blogs, July 6

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 6

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 7

Life of a travelers Wife, July 7

Texas Book-aholic, July 7

Daysong Reflections, July 8

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, July 8

Mary Hake, July 8

Blossoms and Blessings, July 9

Britt Reads Fiction, July 9

janicesbookreviews, July 9

Carla Loves To Read, July 10

Reading Is My SuperPower, July 10

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, July 10

For Him and my Family, July 11

Moments, July 11

A Reader’s Brain, July 11

She Lives to Read, July 12

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 12

Older & Smarter?, July 13

Inspiration Clothesline, July 13

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 14

Pause for Tales,  July 14

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 15

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, July 15

Inklings and notions , July 15

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 for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.  https://promosimple.com/ps/e594/married-to-a-stranger-celebration-tour-giveaway