The PREACHER's BRIDE by Jody Hedlund

This is Jody Hedlunds debut story and she did a great job. She takes history and heroes of the faith and pens a moving portrayal of how the Puritan people in the 1650's, in England, faced the hardships of their times. It had love, hardship, persecution and romance all rolled into one.
Elizabeth Whitbread feels it is her calling to help out John Costin who has just lost his wife shortly after delivering their 4th child into the world. Although John doesn't want her help, she refuses to back down and takes over the running of the household for him. John is a tinker by trade, but a preacher by God's calling. His preaching though during this time in history makes him a target of political and religious leaders. Elizabeth gets caught up in this intrigue and finds herself in alot of danger by helping out John. She is willing to stand by John and his family, but at what cost? And can John ever truly love her as she finds herself loving him? She faces alot of hardship throughout this story and the best part of the book was the quote a good friend of hers gives to her, "hardships are the Lord's greatest blessing to the believer. Without them we would love the Lord only for what He does for us. Our troubles teach us to love Him for who He is." I recommend this book, especially if you are interested in history and the Puritans. And be sure to read the Author's Notes after you read the story, as it will tell you what great hero of the faith she was writing about!
A special thanks to LibraryThings Early Reviewers for sending me this copy for review.