Starred review from March 15, 2020
Having finally arrived on Vancouver Island after months aboard the bride ship Tynemouth, Arabella Lawrence has one goal, to find a husband before the violent man she is betrothed to in England finds her. Her attempts at securing a gentleman to wed are interrupted by the flirtatious, bold, and compassionate Peter Kelly, a lowly baker with a rebellious past. Pete invites Arabella to work for him while the local lieutenant courts her, but what begins as an interim business venture sizzles into an uncertain romance. Pete's faith and encouragement unhinge Arabella's guarded heart and evoke doubt about her well-ordered life plan. The Runaway Bride is an uplifting and well-crafted second installment in Hedlund's Bride Ships series (A Reluctant Bride, 2019). Hedlund has a knack for creating unlikely yet alluring matches, and her portrayals of the conflicted natures of Arabella and Pete expertly embody the all-too-familiar dissonance of trying to live up to others' expectations versus summoning the courage to follow one's own passions in work and love. Period details, such as relations with local Native Americans and a smallpox epidemic, help immerse readers in the story's 1862 world of cultural, class, and gender injustices. Tender moments of light sensuality infuse this inspirational romance with delectable heat.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)