Unlawfully Wedded Bride - Noelle Marchand

THE BOOK:

"We ordered a husband for you."

Kate O'Brien can't believe her ears. She's been married, by proxy, to a man she's never met, thanks to her young siblings' meddling! Kate offers her "groom" room and board at her farm until the annulment is granted—nothing more. After all, what else could this predicament be but a blunder that needs fixing?

Nathan Rutledge arrives on Kate's doorstep, seeking a fresh start—with a family that needs his help more than Kate will admit. The shadows in both their pasts will be no match for a bright new beginning. But first, he has to convince a woman frightened of love to throw caution to the Texas wind…

MY REVIEW:

Star Rating: *****

Often in a love story the size of Unlawfully Wedded Bride, the romance is not very realistic—at least, not realistic that the characters could become so ‘madly in love’ so quickly. But, delightfully, that was not the case in Noelle Marchand’s debut novel. Unlawfully Wedded Bride.

Kate, Nathan, Ellie, Sean, Lawson…they all made for a wonderful, fun, and endearing cast of characters. After the death of their parents, Kate takes on the responsibility of running their farm and caring for her siblings, Ellie and Sean. I could really feel the strain of growing up so quickly in how she acted and what she did. And I loved watching how Nathan, slowly but surely, helped her ease those burdens that weighted so heavily on her.

From the start, I am sure that other readers will take an instant liking to Nathan. There was just something about him, from that first scene written from his point of view, that I liked! And as the story continues, and as you learn more about his winsome ways, tender heart, and hardworking hands throughout the book, you begin to fall in love with him right alongside Kate. It isn’t long until I was saying, “Don’t get an annulment, Kate!” ;-)

The book moves along at a good pace and I found it easy to stay lost within the town of Peppin and the lives of Kate and Nathan. And the humorous moments that were included on occasion were so sweet and memorable. There was even a bit of action that I had not expected toward the end of the book! Once or twice the scene kinda jumped without my realizing it, and it threw me a bit, but not too much.

This historical read, while it might look like a small book, packs a wonderful, inspirational message within its pages. A book you do not want to miss out on! With Unlawfully Wedded Bride as an introduction to Noelle Marchand’s talent, I am sure I will be seeing more of her work in the future. 

I reviewed this book for the author. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.

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