Marry in haste, repent in leisure–Mrs. Hale is about to find out how painful that repentance can truly be. Julia Hale ran off to be married in Gretna Green, following romance instead of common sense. But her tale isn’t turning into a happily ever after. Her new husband is gone and she doesn’t know where–or if he’s ever coming back. Julia has no option but to head home to the family she … she betrayed by eloping and to hope they’ll forgive her. Especially now that she might be carrying a baby from her brief marriage.
Carolyn Miller’s clean and wholesome Regency romances continue with The Making of Mrs. Hale, following familiar characters as they learn how restoration can occur by finding hope and healing through a deep relationship with God. Full of rich historical details and witty banter, this series continues to draw in fans of Jane Austen, Sarah Ladd, and Julie Klassen.
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The Making of Mrs. Hale by Carolyn Miller is the third book in the Regency Bride’s series. The book has many characters from Mrs. Miller’s previous books, but you do not have to have read them to enjoy this story. (But, I can’t imagine why you would not want to read them because they are fabulous! )
This story follows Julia Hale and her husband, Major Thomas Hale, after they have run off to Gretna Green to be married. The quote, “ Marry in haste, and repent in leisure,” sums up their story. Their story starts off far from a happily ever after. However with God reconciliation and true love become a possibility.
I am a huge Carolyn Miller fan, and this a wonderful story of romance, mystery, happy endings and faith. I loved Julia Hale as a heroine. She is spunky and is trying so hard to support her husband and be kind to her family. I loved reading the parts of the story from her point of view. She has a beautiful heart. Our hero, Thomas Hale, is a man who is open to changing and becomes a hero you will love.
I highly recommend The Making of Mrs. Hale. You will not be disappointed by this wonderful regency read. I was given this book by the publisher and not required to write a review.
There is so much substance to this book that I could go on and on and on. Julia and Thomas thought running away to get married was good idea at first. But allegiances gone awry, bad decisions and terrible happenstance occur putting their marriage at risk. Only when they turn to God for forgiveness and realize one sin is not worse than the other, will repair their marriage and their relationship with Julia’s mother and brother. Enemies will be brought to light and justice will be served. I am voluntarily reviewing an advanced copy of this book.
My favorite book by Carolyn Miller, as it had meat to sink your teeth into. This book is more gritty and the characters more real, as life isn’t always a pretty picture. Circumstances and choices dictate our destiny but with Christ we can overcome all things through His power. There is always hope through the grace and mercy of Christ. I loved the Authors Note at the end explaining elopements for that time period. I felt it was well researched and gave a new spin to Regency Romance. A wonderful conclusion to the Regency Brides A Promise Of Hope Series.
I received a complimentary copy from the author/publisher. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
This is the final book of the Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series and it is a wonderful way to wrap the series up. As I read this story I was struck with the thought “the more things change the more they stay the same”. It is 1818 in Regency England and two young people elope to a small village in Scotland that is known for quickie marriages. This is what Julia and Thomas did in the nineteenth century and this is what young couples are still doing today, two centuries later. The hopes are always the same: being together and living happily ever after but this doesn’t always happen. At the beginning of The Making of Mrs. Hale we find Julia alone, poor, and hungry because Thomas is missing and she doesn’t even know if he is alive! Her family was very much against this marriage and Julia is forced to go home to face them alone. Soon after, Thomas returns home and Julia forgives him; and then, he disappears again and she must once again deal with her mother and brother’s disapproval. They can’t understand why she allowed him back into her life in the first place and when they learn that Thomas has been accused of adultery while being held prisoner in a Spanish jail their mistrust seems to have been justified. Julia’s mother suggests that she should get a divorce and finally be free of Thomas Hale and we see Julia’s anguish as she wrestles between defending her husband and wondering if he really could be capable of being with another woman.
“Betrayal. She had never realized just how powerful that word was, just how poignant that word could be, until the last two days….How could he have loved her, if he had betrayed his vows, by being with another?” (p. 207) Yes, she knew that he had left her more than once so was he unfaithful? Could she ever completely trust him again?
The Making of Mrs. Hale shows Julia’s growth as she faced all of these obstacles and conquered them. Through the worst times she continued to hope and she continued to have faith. Thomas returns and begins to prove that he has changed. He works to regain Julia’s trust and we watch as they both try to strengthen their marriage and convince others that their elopement wasn’t a huge mistake. Is it possible for Julia to truly trust? Is unfaithfulness forgivable? Can Thomas ever be the loving and faithful husband that Julia deserves?
Carolyn Miller’s reputation as an author of clean and wholesome Regency romance continues to grow and she certainly doesn’t disappoint with this book. She always writes of the moral values of this era but this book features some subjects that are often glossed over and many characters who are flawed. These only prove that humans make mistakes, redemption is possible and that God always offers forgiveness. Ms. Miller never fails to remind us that it is our duty to offer others the same love and forgiveness that we ourselves have been granted from God our Father.
The Making of Mrs. Hale can be read as a standalone book but people who’ve read the first two books of the Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series will enjoy seeing how some previous characters are mentioned in this story. I recommend this book to all who enjoy Christian fiction set in the Regency era and I look forward to what Carolyn Miller has planned for her future works.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to write a review. All opinions are my own.
Carolyn Miller continues to excel in writing outstanding Regency historical romance novels. In The Making of Mrs. Hale, Ms. Miller spins a story that deals with some sensitive issues with grit and grace. This book is unusual in that Julia and Thomas are already married. However, the couple are separated through a series of circumstances as Thomas’s past continues to haunt him. The story switches POV between Julia and Thomas in this heartrending tale. Can they redeem a marriage that had such a fragile beginning? Our hero and heroine have both made poor decisions in their past, yet in spite of their flaws, the reader cannot help but hope for a happy ending. There is plenty of subterfuge, danger and romance in this page-turner, but it is the spiritual message of forgiveness that spoke to this reader’s heart. Ms. Miller deftly paints a picture of how we should reflect the grace and forgiveness to others that God has shown us.
Fans of Jane Austen, Julie Klassen, Sarah Ladd and Michele Griep will find her a must read. Ever since I read her first book, Carolyn Miller has become one of the authors I will return to again and again.
A few of my favorite quotes:
“Unforgiveness is a poison that shrivels the heart. It means a person cannot truly live in the present as they’re always thinking about the past.”
“A shepherd’s role was what he should have assumed, someone guarding his precious lamb, protecting her from the storms of life, guiding her to shelter.”
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Making of Mrs Hale is the third in the Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope Series. Julia appears in the first book, Winning Miss Winthrop. I suggest reading that and Miss Serena’s Secret before reading this book. There are a number of characters that have appeared in previous books. Some characters are even from Carolyn Miller’s other series Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace. I loved The Elusive Miss Ellison and really enjoyed seeing those characters again.
This book is more raw and serious than most books I tend to read. This is a story about forgiving others and forgiving yourself. And most importantly we need to seek forgiveness from God.
I often have a hard time sympathizing with heroes in the rake to redemption story-lines. Especially if they continue to struggle with their problems. While reading this story I was wishing that Julia’s brother Jon would have a talk with his friend Nicholas to get a better perspective. I understand Jon wanting to protect his sister, but he really needed to adjust his attitude to be more Christian like. This reminded me that I needed to work on my attitude on forgiving people as well.
I liked seeing the different stages of Christianity. Nicholas seemed to be very strong in his faith and able to help others. Julia and Thomas were still learning their way. Thomas’ father had a mindset that turned people away from God. He was a preacher yet he was always telling people what they did wrong in a very unloving way and telling them that they would never be good enough.
Sections of the book switched between the present and the past. There were a lot of unexpected elements and I liked that I didn’t know what was coming next. Though it did seem like everyone wanted to kick Thomas while he was down.
There are often stories that involve a character running off to get married at Gretna Green but we don’t often get to hear what happens after the marriage. While I enjoy reading a light-hearted funny story, I think it is also important to read stories like this. I feel that by reading about the person behind the sin it helps us to be more forgiving and understanding.
I think this might be Carolyn Miller’s best book yet! It deals with real and raw topics, but teaches a very important lesson. Forgiveness. This book gives the reader hope and a lesson on forgiveness. There is a great message on how God has forgiven our sins, so we should forgive others that have wronged us, lest we poison ourselves with bitterness. It’s not preachy at all. The story is fantastic. I’m sad to see this series end, but I’m definitely looking forward to what is coming next. I highly recommend this book! Readers of Julie Klassen, Sarah Ladd, and Michelle Griep will enjoy this book!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.