"A Bride of Convenience" by Jody Hedlund

Zoe Hart was a starving mill worker in Manchester, England, before joining a Bride Ship heading to British Columbia. Her dreams of an exciting new life are dashed when her good friend succumbs to illness only days after their arrival. While at the hospital, a baby of half-native heritage is dropped off by a drunken, grief-stricken father. Zoe falls in love with baby Violet and determines to care for her.

Pastor Abe has been serving as a missionary in the area for three years. He has a heart for the people around him, but his own heart belongs in England, where his sweetheart is waiting for him. When he receives a devastating letter from Lizzy on the same day he learns that his friend drank himself to death after passing his baby girl to Zoe, Abe offers to marry Zoe so they can become a ready-made family.

But trouble is brewing. Abe's bishop highly disapproves of his unconventional and sudden marriage. Zoe longs to travel north to find her brother who traveled to Canada a few months before she did. And Abe is drawn to Zoe but still recovering from the loss of the woman he thought he would marry. 

Can Abe and Zoe develop a relationship while ministering together in a remote hamlet? When the bishop presses, will Zoe be able to find another home for the baby she's come to love? What about the other orphans in town who need someone to care for them?

I enjoyed Zoe's big heart and the way she was not afraid of speaking her mind. Pastor Abe was kind and dedicated to his work, if a little dense where it comes to his new wife. I felt the middle of this book was a little slow, but the excitement picks up at the end with some unexpected sacrifices along the way. Although I would not recommend this for young readers, any adult who loves historical fiction should find something to enjoy here.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.