She didn’t know which was colder, an Arctic winter or her new husband’s heart. Hallie Russell believes life should be lived to the fullest. For that reason, she sails to the gold rush town of Nome, Alaska to take her cousin’s place as a mail-order bride. But when her aloof husband’s wedding-night announcement rocks her plans for their marriage, Hallie sees her desire for a family to call her own … sees her desire for a family to call her own vanish as quickly as the dreams of hopeful miners.
Tragedy led Rance Preston to repent of his rowdy ways and open a general store for the miners in Nome. He’s content as a bachelor, but his two orphaned nephews deserve a proper and serious-minded mother. Duped once by a vivacious female, he’s determined to never again let his heart overrule his head…until the high spirits of his new bride threaten his resolve to keep theirs a marriage of convenience.
How can they possibly discover the treasure of a lifetime when the gale force winds of insecurity threaten to destroy what they each need most?
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Hallie Russell has arrived in Nome, Alaska, in the middle of the 1900 gold rush, to replace her cousin as a mail order bride. She’s marrying Rance Preston, who needs a wife to take care of his two orphaned nephews while he manages the family store. Rance doesn’t want a wife, something Hallie finds difficult to accept … especially once she starts developing feelings for Rance.
Its an intriguing premise in a fascinating time and place.
Personally, I love the concept of Alaska but I don’t think I’d cope well with the endless cold, or the long weeks of winter darkness. So I have a lot of admiration for Hallie, who is prepared to give up life in Seattle to travel north to marry a man she’s never met and only knows through his letters to her cousin.
Rance is a honourable man, but he has trust issues. He’s determined this won’t be a proper marriage, and this is frustrating at first, until we (and Hallie) understand the reason behind his trust issues. Then it’s awkward, because we know a secret he doesn’t know …
A Love Most Worthy is a solid romance, recommended for those who enjoy mail order bride stories, and those looking for historical fiction in an Alaskan setting.
Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.
This was a new to me author. I was excited to read this book as it was set in Alaska and I am always intrigued by that setting. I enjoyed the book. It was well wrote and had great descriptions. I would read another book by this author.
After drooling over the cover on Twitter, I had to purchase this gem. A Love Most Worthy is my first book by Sandra Ardoin and it certainly won’t be my last. This book was also my first mail-order bride story and I loved it. Historical romance isn’t normally my go to genre, but I got lost in the story and the gorgeous setting. The characters are well-developed and the combination of suspense and conflict kept me turning the pages.
The hero’s angst in the first few lines drew me into this story immediately! Now a committed guardian of his two young nephews, Rance Preston waits on the beach for the mail order bride who would care for the youngsters while he manages the store. Romance isn’t part of his marriage agenda (You can read the book to find out why!) unlike the heroine who craves a proper family. The author did a fabulous job of showing the hero’s mixture of dread and acceptance and the heroine’s determination and grit to love her husband and his nephews before she steps a foot on shore in Nome, Alaska. Rance’s doubt almost cost them everything but considering his past experience, f found his reactions understandable. Besides, how could I not admire and respect him? He gave up much to care for these two boys and only wanted what was best for them. If I had lived during that time period, I would’ve wanted Hallie for a best friend. The setting on the pages came alive, and I got a real sense of the mixture of excitement and desperation of the gold panners.
Normally, I lose interest in historicals because of the voluminous page count but A Love Most Worthy was short enough to hold my interest, yet long enough to satisfy. The plot, combined with a natural faith element that weaved organically through the story, kept me turning pages. Overall, I’m thrilled that this particular book kicked off my reading this year!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of A Love Most Worthy from the author without any mention or expectation of a review. Other than the free copy of this ebook, I was not compensated, and this review represents my fair and unbiased opinion.
I just discovered this author by accident and I’m glad I did. This is a fast, clean, inspirational book. I enjoyed reading about Rance ( love his name) and Hallie.
When I read the part where Hallie heard her husband to be call her Hattie and she quickly set him straight I knew I was going to love her. Lol
I love marriage of convenience stories so much!
Without a doubt, A Love Most Worthy is one of the best novellas I have ever read. The setting of Nome, Alaska is captivating. The characters are well-written and both Hallie and Rance have interesting backstories, leaving the reader hoping that they can overcome what is behind them and forge a future together.
I love the situation that Rance and Hallie find themselves in. There is great tension between these two characters as they live life in a marriage of convenience for the sake of Rance’s orphaned nephews. The attraction between Rance and Hallie definitely builds throughout the story. But Rance has some serious trust issues involving women, as well as a huge burden of guilt that he carries with him. This ramps up this tension even more between the two characters and makes for a book that I couldn’t devour fast enough!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.