**NOTE: Almost a Bride is Book 4 in the Bride Ships series but can be read as a standalone novel.Always close, but never a bride.Longing to find true love, Kate Millington arrives in British Columbia on a bride ship. With countless men waiting to snag a bride, Kate has no trouble getting engaged. It’s staying engaged that’s the problem. After traveling to the remote mining town of Williamsville … the remote mining town of Williamsville to marry her newest fiancé, she finds herself single again.
As the prosperous owner of a gold mine, Zeke Hart has everything he’s ever wanted except for a wife. At Kate’s arrival, he takes it upon himself to protect his childhood friend from the men clamoring to court her. The more he renews her friendship, the more he wants to win her for himself. But as much as Kate admires Zeke, she’s resolved not to marry someone who doesn’t share her faith.
When Zeke begins receiving anonymous threats, he unwittingly puts them both in grave danger. In the midst of peril, the past rises up to haunt them both, and Zeke realizes the fight for Kate’s affection may be his biggest challenge yet.
“This excellent series launch will leave fans eager for the next entry.”–Publishers Weekly starred review
The Bride Ships Series
Book 1: A Reluctant Bride
Book 2: The Runaway Bride
Book 3: A Bride of Convenience
Book 4: Almost a Bride
Other books by Jody Hedlund:
The Orphan Train Series
Prequel Novella: An Awakened Heart
Book 1: With You Always
Book 2: Together Forever
Book 3: Searching for You
The Beacons of Hope Series
Prequel Novella: Out of the Storm
Book 1: Love Unexpected
Book 2: Hearts Made Whole
Book 3: Undaunted Hope
Book 4: Forever Safe
Book 5: Never Forget
The Michigan Brides Collection
Unending Devotion
A Noble Groom
Captured by Love
The Hearts of Faith Collection
The Preacher’s Bride
The Doctor’s Lady
Rebellious Heart
Historical
Luther and Katharina
Newton and Polly
For a complete list of Jody’s novels, visit her Amazon page or website – jodyhedlund.com
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I’m always excited to get my hands on one of Jody Hedlund’s books, because I know that I’m in for adventure, romance, a dash of mystery, and delightful characters that invite me into the story. You don’t simply read a Jody Hedlund book, you experience it! This story, while a little shorter than the earlier books in this series, delivers on all accounts. Each story can stand on it’s own, but trust me when I say that you won’t want to miss out on any of them!
Kate is artistic and free-spirited. A deep wound from her past is holding her back and keeping her from trusting in a lasting relationship. Will she be able to let go of the past in order to take hold of her future and all that life has to offer?
Charming and a bit mischievous, Zeke has a big heart for the community. He wants to gain community support to build a hospital, and see this community that he calls home thrive. Zeke may have made a home for himself in Brittish Columbia, but he is still running from his past. When Kate stumbles back into his life, his past comes rushing back. Will he be able to forgive himself and move forward?
I absolutely loved everything about this story! Fully immersive, with charming characters that have won a place in my heart. This story will stay with me for a long time! Pick-up a copy today and settle in for a delightful journey!
(I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I am not required to write a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Almost a Bride, by Jody Hedlund, is the fourth book in The Bride Ships series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. Replete with thoughtful details and compelling drama, this story is truly engaging and memorable. With just the right amount of history, mystery, suspense, and romance this novel is utterly enjoyable. Its detailed settings, authentic characters, and gripping plot ensure that this book is a joy to read.
Over and over again, Ms. Hedlund’s confirms that she is a skilled storyteller. From the dust and mud of a small mining town in the late nineteen century, to the damp darkness of a gold mine, to the alpine nature of northwest Canada, Ms. Hedlund’s writing draws the reader into a fully developed literary world. Within this world, Ms. Hedlund’s characters add depth and heart to the story. They are genuinely believable, sympathetic, and intriguing. Their fears, desires, insecurities, and motivations are meaningful and important. And it is through these characters that the plot flows easily, sweeping the reader along on a satisfying journey of danger, doubt, faith, and new beginnings.
Well-written and thought-provoking page after page, Almost a Bride is a wonderful conclusion to The Bride Ships series. I enjoyed reading it just as much as I enjoyed reading the other books in the series. It is a relevant and uplifting novel that entertains even while it reflects on the value of family and forgiveness. I sincerely recommend this novel to all readers.
*I was given a copy of this book from the author/publisher. A review was not required. The review I have written is voluntary and contains opinions that are entirely my own.
*4.5 stars*
Mail-order brides meets Runaway Bride, I truly enjoyed this conclusion to the author’s Bride Ships series. At only 184 pages long it was significantly shorter than the other reads in this series. This made the pace also feel remarkably faster. Out of any of the other installments I felt like this one was the most important to have read the book prior because it gave Zeke’s backstory which held significance in this one especially since he was the hero. The characters were easily likable and fast pace kept the pages turning. Now I’m only sad because the series has concluded, but I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!
*I received a copy of this book from Northern Lights Press. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
I really liked this whole series of The Bride Ships by Jody Hedlund. It was interesting to imagine these ladies lives and why they chose to become brides to men in Canada. You can’t beat Ms. Hedlund for historical Christian Fiction. I wanted to like this last story, Almost a Bride, but I did not warm up to Kate. To me she was shallow and wishy washy in her faith. I know she was supposed to have deep seated fears but she just seemed immature. I also did not care for the level of passion portrayed. The author was showing that people struggle with ardor but I was not comfortable with this aspect.
I liked many things about this story, among them was the growth of the characters and the strong faith thread that was shown. Quote from Kate to Zeke: *We live in a sinful, broken world. Bad things happen to us and to those we love. But through it all, we cannot give up hope, because ultimately, someday, we will get our happy ending- If not in this life, then in the next.*
Ms. Hedlund populates her story with interesting characters. I especially liked cook/butler Mr. Peabody and his calculations loving grandson, Wendell. Companion to Kate, Becca was a real heart winner, too. The scenes in the mine were some of the best. They revealed the true feelings of Zeke and Kate as they were forced to evaluate the things they had held on to from childhood.
I would still recommend this whole series. Ms. Hedlund is an excellent writer and has expanded my horizons about ladies who would go on such adventures.
* I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*
Book 4 in the Bride Ship series, this could be read as a stand alone, however I recommend reading the first three in order as some of the same characters are threaded throughout.
The characters in this story will draw you in. You’ll feel bad for Kate, who can’t follow through with an engagement. A woman of faith, she won’t settle for less. Zeke is running and I so badly wanted him to face his fears. Will they receive the healing they need?
Set in the Canadian wilderness, it was interesting to see what it took to build a life there. Author Jody Hedlund did a really good job of describing life during that time period, and describing the settings so that the reader feels as if they are right there.
Historical fiction with a mysterious twist, I highly recommend it. My only complaint is that there isn’t a book five. I’d love to see more of Mr. Peabody’s story. Nonetheless, get a copy of this and enjoy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
Jody Hedlund’s Bride Ships series has been fun and fascinating, as it’s based on historical facts and events. Following the journey of women who traveled by ship from England to Victoria for the chance to start over for various reasons by marrying strangers, the series has looked at woman from various walks of life to see what this might have been like for them.
The final book in the series, Almost a Bride, is interesting in that Kate Millington has a problem committing due to her own father leaving her family when she was young. Afraid to be abandoned like her own mother, she has trouble trusting that her betrothed will do what they promise they will do. One thing she does know, however, is that she wants her husband to share her faith. Unfortunately, this is something that Zeke Hart is unwilling to do, not matter how much their rekindled friendship begs to become more than that. I appreciated this struggle between them, as well as his unwillingness to make an insincere change for her in order to get married.
My favorite details are those that describe the remote mining town, as well as the mine itself. I enjoyed the secondary characters as well, with Mr. Peabody and Wendell coming in as my favorites. There is a bit of an element of mystery as well as some tension-filled scenes that made for fun and easy reading.
Fans of historical romance should definitely consider picking up this series. While I do think this could be enjoyed on its own, starting from the beginning always enriches the experience, in my opinion. I received an advanced complimentary copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review, and these are my honest thoughts and opinions.
“Almost a Bride” by Jody Hedlund narrator: Esther Wane
I enjoyed listening to this story. It was worth the wait. You see, I had to wait for my turn to download this book from my state library. It is just a bit over a 7 hour listen. The only bad thing about a good listen, is, since you don’t need to focus your eyes, thus you can stay up way later reading the story.. and really, that isn’t really such a bad thing at all. This is a good clean romance story with realistic descriptions of life 150 years ago in the British Columbia corner of the world. It is book 4 of “The Bride Ship” series. It is a stand alone read. But if you read that series you will have an even better understanding of that time period and location.
Happy Reading ! !
Any Jody Hedlund book is worth reading. This story describes a time in history when there were few women on the frontier so there was great competition for them. The primary female character had her transportation to British Columbia paid by one man, but didn’t want to marry him when she met him. Others vied for her attention, but she had to decide quickly who to choose to be her life’s partner. This was a very daunting decision to make. Who would she choose? Main characters were well-developed. Marriage was addressed as an important decision, not something to be undertaken lightly.
I was happy to see Zeke get his own book in Jody Hedlund’s Bride Ships series. Readers who have been following the series met him in the previous book (A Bride of Convenience) and learned a little of his backstory there. But not to worry is you haven’t read it, Almost a Bride does stand on its own.
Zeke and Kate are a good match. They know they are a good match, but they fight it for different reasons—some valid, some not so much. But they’re a great couple to end the series with.
While this book is shorter than the previous book, Hedlund still manages to include plenty of history and enough conflict outside of the romance to make it feel like an even quicker read.
Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Almost a Bride by Jody Hedlund is the last book in The Bride Ships series and definitely worth reading if you love inspirational historical romance.
Kate arrives in town, but finds that she doesn’t want to marry her intended and with no other plan or a place to stay her childhood friend Zeke offers for her to stay at his home. They soon realize they have feelings for each other, but Zeke doesn’t seem to share in her faith and that is going to be a deal breaker for Kate.
I really enjoyed this series and I’m going to miss it, but I look forward to reading more books by Jody Hedlund in the future.
I was given an ARC from the author/publisher and all conclusions are mine and mine alone.
Isn’t it wonderful to get far more out of a book than you expected? That is exactly how I felt about Jody Hedlund’s entire Bride Ship series. The author took a rather obscure piece of history, brought it to life and interlaced it with the bindings of strong Christian faith. Of the series, this book took me the longest to become engaged in. Early in the story, Kate seemed to lack the conviction that was so strong in the heroines of the other books in the series. This book, however, held more of an air of mystery and this intrigue was well developed.
Because her books include well researched historical bases, fully developed characters and genuine faith, Jody Hedlund has become one of my favorite authors. I look forward to reading her next series. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and am willingly offering this review.
Almost a Bride is the conclusion of Jody Hedlund’s Bride Ship Series. I enjoyed reading this series as a whole, however unfortunately I never warmed up to Kate and had a hard time deciding how to rate this one by one of my favorite Christian Fiction authors. For the first time, I decided that the only way to rate Almost a Bride was to break down my likes and dislikes.
Likes:
Zeke’s battle with faith
Becca, Kate’s friend and guardian. I wanted to know her story
Mr. Peabody, Zeke’s housekeeper, utterly entertaining. A romantic at
heart, both crotchety and amiable
Author’s description of town and the mines
The powerful message throughout, God heals all things if we let him
Dislikes:
Book read like a YA
Kate’s wishy washy decision making made her seem too immature
throughout the entire story
Zeke’s manipulation of Kate
Heavy on the lust compared to books 1-3, Borderline R for me
Overall the likes outweighed the dislikes. However, since the dislikes were so strong I decided to rate Almost a Bride 3 out of 5 stars. Almost a Bride is self-published by the author unlike the first three in the series which were published by Bethany House Publishers. I received an e-copy from Jody Hedlund via BookFunnel as a member of her release crew. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
“Almost a Bride” is the 4th book in the Bride Ships series but could be read as a standalone. Some of the characters from the other books are mentioned, especially from the 3rd book (A Bride of Convenience) as it was about Zeke’s twin sister. I think that the first 2 books were more closely tied together and the then the last 2 books. I enjoyed reading this series and the history behind the bride ships Thus book did not have anything from on the ship itself unlike the other books. Biblical faith played a big roll in this story and there was nice character growth. The characters don’t do anything more than kissing, but the kisses at times were quite passionate. I look forward to reading more books by Jody Hedlund.
I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review
Zeke and Kate are the perfect couple for the last installment of The Bride Ship Series. Both with burdens from the past, they need to understand how to deal with the past so they can have a better today. This was not at all what I expected for the last book either – past friends thrown together, and thus begins feelings for each other.
Hedlund brings so much history to this book, well this series actually. It’s been so fun to learn about Bride Ships! But even better is learning about the characters and the town they are in. Hedlund’s ability to bring stories to life vividly in my mind is uncanny. You feel like you are right here with the characters, close enough to give them a hug!
While I’m sorry to see this series go, I know there’s more great things ahead from Hedlund. Looking forward to the next series she brings us! I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was definitely a wonderful conclusion to this series. Loved both Zeke and Kate. I also enjoyed the premise of the story. I love that Kate was willing to stick to her principles of bit being unequally yoked no matter how much she loved Zeke but I must confess I did find her a tad but flighty sometimes. I understood her fears which were rooted in the past and she needed to overcome them to fully love Zeke without reservations.
Zeke was a wonderful hero too. He had his flaws and he definitely struggled but I was grateful that he was ready to change. He struggled, he had his flaws but I enjoyed his journey to faith and the fact that he was ready to let go of his desires to be a better human for Kate. It was fun to see some old friends too and I’d definitely miss this bunch of strong women who were ready to make a new life for themselves in a new environment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed are solely mine
When I end a book in tears I know it’s a good one! I’ve read all the Bride Ship series and Almost a Bride was just as engaging as the first three.
I loved the sweet romance between Zeke and Kate who knew each other years ago back home in England and who now meet again in British Columbia. Their biggest struggle now is that Kate is a Christian but because of past circumstances, Zeke has lost his faith in God. Through struggles and adventures you will love watching both Kate and Zeke grow and change and come to realize what they both need to do.
Jody Hedlund is a must read for me – she’s definitely in my top 10 favorite Christian fiction authors.
Almost a Bride is the fourth installment from Jody Hedlund’s The Bride Ships series. Even though it is part of a series, I believe it can be read as a stand alone. However, I do highly recommend to read the previous books. I have loved this series and this one is among my favorite of the four. Kate and Zeke’s story was wonderful to read. I understood their struggles. I liked the mystery and suspense added that kept me engaged throughout.
I am giving Almost a Bride a very well deserved five plus stars. I recommend it for readers who enjoy clean historical romance.
I received Almost a Bride from the author, but was not required to write a review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
I have really enjoyed the first three books in this series, and I was so happy that Zeke was getting his own story!
This book started out with me feeling a little disconnected from the main characters. It’s hard to narrow down why, but it just felt rushed in a way.
However the author did draw me in.
I think that this book was the lightest of the history feel of the series. This book is all about the growth of character and the relationship between the two main characters.
I had a bit of trouble catching on to the “instant love ” angle. I was wondering where the story was going, and I was really happy with how the story played out in the end. Jody Hedlund always writes the on page chemistry that you can feel! And I love that in a romance.
I enjoyed the way the plot never lagged. Jody hedlund always pulls me in with her stories, and this one was no different.
I loved the message of redemption. The story was wrapped up nicely it just wasn’t my favorite of the series, but still good.
I recieved a complementary copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions in my review are completely my own.
Wow, wow, WOW! I really thought that Jody Hedlund couldn’t make a book better than A Bride of Convenience, but this one was by far my FAVORITE!! So the story is about Kate Millington, who has accepted several marriage proposals, but hasn’t followed through with any of them, because she is afraid that she will make a huge mistake — you could say that she has been “almost a bride” several times. She actually came to Williamsville to marry Herb Frank, but she couldn’t go through with it and was rescued by her childhood crush, Zeke Hart. She starts to fall in love with Zeke again, but knows that she cannot have a relationship with him, because she cannot marry someone like her father. The rest of the story is AMAZING, but I don’t want to give any spoilers, so all I will say is that it’s a wonderful blend of romance, humor and suspense.
I absolutely loved how Kate would not go against her beliefs, even when it was apparent that it was breaking her heart. Another thing I loved reading was how Zeke’s character grew – how he was hunted by the guilt of his past, how he ran away from God but ultimately, how he found out that although he pushed God away, God didn’t (and wouldn’t) push him away. My FAVORITE part was the end of the story, When Zeke realizes just how he feels about Kate and his way of showing her is beyond sweet!! but I won’t say anymore then that. Overall, I LOVED this book and wish I could give it more then 5 stars (maybe 10?) Special thanks to Jody Hedlund, Bethany House Publishers and BookFunnel for letting me read and review this book – all opinions are my own.
It’s sad seeing this series come to an end. The best part was, having book 4 come out just a couple of months after book 2 was published! What reader could ask for more when it comes to a series of books?!
Unlike the first 3 books, this one doesn’t start off with the female main character on the ship. She’s entering Williamsville to marry Herbert Frank, but the moment she sees him (after already meeting him in British Columbia) she decides she can’t marry him! Turns out there’s been numerous men she hasn’t been able to stay committed to. I got a sense of Runaway Bride as we got to know her more. When it comes to men she’s a bit flighty. I really appreciated how she knew she couldn’t have more than a friendship with Zeke because of the fact that he’d rejected God.
Then there’s Zeke. He’s a rather controlling sort, but you can see it’s because deep inside he’s drawn to Kate as more than his friend’s little sister. While he sets himself up as the town’s liaison between Kate and any many who wants to court her, it’s clear no one else will be the right one for her. So, basically none of them stand a chance.
Kate is a bit flighty when it comes to men and being engaged to them. Seems she has a habit of agreeing to a relationship or engagement before she’s given it much thought. I was surprised at that revelation for the time period it was set in. It reminded me of Runaway Bride. lol She’s determined to marry a man who is also a believer and with Zeke being on the outs with God, that means he’s not in the running for becoming engaged to her. I think Kate had her priorities well mixed up because while she will only marry a Christian man, she seemed willing to marry just about any eligible fella who crossed her path. I think Zeke was needed to shake her up a bit!
In the meantime, the readers will fall for Mr. Peabody, Zeke’s chef. Actually, he reminded me of Alfred, Batman’s butler. He’s kind, caring, and wise. He turned out to be my favorite character. Oddly enough, I liked Wendell, too. He’s Mr. Peabody’s grandson and Zeke’s accountant. A quirky fellow, but one who gets things done. One at a time mind you. He can’t count time and talk at the same time. hahahaha
I liked the storyline overall. While Zeke and Kate figure out their relationship, someone is sabotaging Zeke’s mine. That added another layer to what was going on. The romance was rather steamy and when Zeke and Kate kiss… whew sparks were a’flyin’!
*I am part of Jody’s launch team. I was provided an ebook to assist in my review. This is my opinion.