Barbara L. (Barbllm) reviewed Groom by Arrangement (Love Inspired Historical, No 174) on + 241 more book reviews
Eliza Kelly is mortified that her close friend, Hannah, has advertised for a mail order groom for her. Shes even more mortified when she goes to meet the groom at the railroad station and picks the wrong man: she takes blacksmith Jackson Hart instead of the milquetoast Miles Thatcher home with her. Naturally, gossip around town begins and Elizas reputation is at stake, so Jackson offers her a marriage of convenience.
The marriage of convenience trope is really tiresome. Eliza has been a widow for five years and still misses her husband Charlie. Why her close friends Hannah and Rebecca dont leave her alone to live her own life is beyond me. Eliza is also tormented by the fact that a doctor has told her that she can never have children, which is what both she and Charlie wanted.
They leave Durango, Colorado, for Cottonwood Springs, New Mexico, where Jackson hopes to find his father. Jackson and Eliza adopt an orphan, Pete, who comes into town after being abandoned by his family. And Jackson runs into his hate-filled mother, who is one of the best villains in this series. Ida Hart is a bitter, angry woman who has lived over half her life with a man she didnt love (Jacksons father) while carrying on an affair with another man. She poisoned Jacksons mind against his father. She goes on a rant to Jackson at one point that begins with: Because I hated you. I hated that your father loved you enough to leave money to take care of you. Did you know you look just like him? I wanted you to suffer like I suffered. Ida is a psychopath who later reveals that shes marrying a man, Jasper, who mentored Jackson in blacksmithing when Jackson was a child.
The book reads more like a Greek tragedy than a romance. Eliza is betrayed by her friends Hannah and Rebecca (who advertise for a groom), Millie (who has accidentally burned her place of work down), and Miles (who describes her as a fallen woman, leading to gossip). Jackson is betrayed by his mother, Ida (who is a raging psychopath) and Jasper (who secretly had an affair with his mother). Their adopted orphan also gets into trouble with another child, putting them both in mortal danger. Still, its a good story that deals with forgiveness and putting the past behind you and focusing on the present and future. Recommended.
The marriage of convenience trope is really tiresome. Eliza has been a widow for five years and still misses her husband Charlie. Why her close friends Hannah and Rebecca dont leave her alone to live her own life is beyond me. Eliza is also tormented by the fact that a doctor has told her that she can never have children, which is what both she and Charlie wanted.
They leave Durango, Colorado, for Cottonwood Springs, New Mexico, where Jackson hopes to find his father. Jackson and Eliza adopt an orphan, Pete, who comes into town after being abandoned by his family. And Jackson runs into his hate-filled mother, who is one of the best villains in this series. Ida Hart is a bitter, angry woman who has lived over half her life with a man she didnt love (Jacksons father) while carrying on an affair with another man. She poisoned Jacksons mind against his father. She goes on a rant to Jackson at one point that begins with: Because I hated you. I hated that your father loved you enough to leave money to take care of you. Did you know you look just like him? I wanted you to suffer like I suffered. Ida is a psychopath who later reveals that shes marrying a man, Jasper, who mentored Jackson in blacksmithing when Jackson was a child.
The book reads more like a Greek tragedy than a romance. Eliza is betrayed by her friends Hannah and Rebecca (who advertise for a groom), Millie (who has accidentally burned her place of work down), and Miles (who describes her as a fallen woman, leading to gossip). Jackson is betrayed by his mother, Ida (who is a raging psychopath) and Jasper (who secretly had an affair with his mother). Their adopted orphan also gets into trouble with another child, putting them both in mortal danger. Still, its a good story that deals with forgiveness and putting the past behind you and focusing on the present and future. Recommended.
