2021 Carol Award Finalists (and a Giveaway!): Jody Hedlund & The Runaway Bride

Hi, dear readers! Through September 11th (culminating with a list of winners), I have the privilege of chatting with all of the 2021 ACFW Carol Award Finalists! Today I’m continuing with Jody Hedlund and her historical romance Carol Award finalist book The Runaway Bride! You can check out a list of all the finalists HERE and you can follow along with the posts HERE.

FYI – There will be 2-3 posts per day, many of which are offering a giveaway, so make sure you catch them all!

THE RUNAWAY BRIDE
SERIES: The Bride Ships #2
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2020
PAGES: 384

Wealthy Arabella Lawrence flees to British Columbia on a bride ship still wearing the scars of past mistakes. One of the few single women in the boomtown, she immediately has suitors, but she is determined not to find herself trapped again by a poor choice.

Vying for her hand are two very different men. Lieutenant Richard Drummond is a gentleman in the Navy and is held in high esteem. Peter Kelly is the town’s baker and has worked hard to build a thriving business. He and Drummond not only compete for Arabella’s affections, but clash over their views of how the natives should be treated in the midst of a smallpox outbreak.

As Arabella begins to overcome her fears, she discovers someone in dire need–a starving girl abandoned by her tribe. Intent on helping the girl, Arabella leans on Peter’s advice and guidance. Will she have the wisdom to make the right decision or will seeking what’s right cost both her and Peter everything?

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I asked the author…

What do you most want readers to take away from The Runaway Bride?

In the Runaway Bride, the second book in the bride-ship series, my hope was to show the perspective of one of the wealthier brides who sailed halfway around the world in search of a husband. Believe it or not, gentlewomen in England at this particular time in history time had few choices for employment and marriage. Arabella’s story shows the excitement as well as the angst of a woman of her class finally getting to pursue her dreams in a place where the men are vying with one another to win a wife. I hope readers learn, along with Arabella, to break free from the world’s expectations and to find courage to embrace God’s expectations and plans.

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over thirty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award. Mother of five, she lives in central Michigan with her husband and busy family. Visit her at jodyhedlund.com

Jody Hedlund is offering a print copy of The Runaway Bride to one of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read the historical romance Carol Award finalist The Runaway Bride by Jody Hedlund? Or, if you’ve read it already, what did you love about it?