‘The Substitute Bride’ by Janet Dean – Book Review

One of the new friends I have made on Facebook is author Janet Dean.  She is an author, as well as a blogger.  I had the opportunity to read her latest book, ‘The Substitute Bride,’ the third book in her publishing career.  This book has an interesting premise.  Set in 1899, the main character, Elizabeth Manning, is fleeing her family home after her father ‘sold’ her to a smarmy (much older) man named Reginald Parks in payment for his gambling debt.  Elizabeth decided she would be better off leaving town!

At the train depot in her hometown of Chicago, she ran across a young woman who was having second thought about her arranged, mail order bride marriage to a farmer in New Harmony, Iowa.  Elizabeth decided her best chance at success was to take the place of Sally Rutgers, and to marry this stranger.  She accepted Sally’s gift of her train ticket, and was on her way to the farmlands of Iowa.

To Elizabeth’s surprise, this farmer gentleman, Ted Logan took her substitution as a sign from God, and married her that afternoon.  Thus began a period of extreme adjustments for all concerned – including Ted’s young children, Anna and toddler son, Henry.  Anna was having difficulty accepting Elizabeth as her mother, and Elizabeth was having difficulty accepting the loss of her single life and its independence.

Elizabeth had a brother back home, Robby, who always wanted to live on a farm.  With the loss of her father’s home (due to his gambling losses) looming, Elizabeth decided she needed to bring him along to be a part of this new family.

Ted is a godly man who was able to accept the Lord’s forgiveness after he had many years of sinful living (prior to his move to New Harmony).  His influence allowed Elizabeth to see Christ in action, and it drew her (and many other characters in the story) closer to the Lord. 

I found Janet’s writing style to be very engaging (no pun intended!).  I appreciated the detail that she included in this historical novel.  I also was excited to see how she showed God’s will prevailing at the end of the story.  I am anxious to see how Elizabeth’s and Ted’s life mesh even closer together and move forward if she decides to reprise these characters in future books.      

You can order this book here.

This book was generously provided to me by the author for review purposes.