Shannon here. Laura V. Hilton shares an excerpt from her latest Amish Romance, Married to a Stranger. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for a copy. Deadline: July 20th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Laura:
Excerpt from Married to a Stranger by Laura V. Hilton:
“Gideon, choose love. Not loss.” Lizzie gave a quiet sigh and then her eyes rolled back in her head.
“It’s a lie.” Bethel straightened. “Whoever he described has never touched me. Nobody has.”
Either he marry the woman who’d accused him of sexually assaulting her—a woman he had nein recollection of ever meeting, not to mention the fact that he had never touched any woman besides his beloved frau—or his name would be dragged through the mud for a sin he hadn’t committed, a sin for which he’d be forced to kneel and confess.
It wouldn’t do any gut to ask der Herr for this stranger—what was his name, anyway?—to be nice to her, because it seemed apparent Gott hadn’t heard one word of her endless prayers over the last few days. Either that, or He callously chose to disregard her requests.
It was probably the only wedding nacht in history during which the groom had hidden in the basement and raged, huddled upon and beneath a pile of blankets for warmth—warmth that never seemed to reach his core—before he cried himself into a fitful sleep.
At least, with this situation being handled directly between Gideon and both their fathers, with nein preacher or bishop involvement, none of the potentially damaging dirty laundry was hung out to dry.
The condemning stares from Gideon’s family members seemed to bore into Bethel’s back the entire time she prepared their breakfast and then washed the dishes.
She should’ve packed her bags and run away instead of going through with the wedding. Which was probably what her sister had done, kum to think of it.
He could see the hurt and bewilderment lingering in her eyes, as if she still didn’t fully realize how she’d gotten here, or why her father had chosen to believe an old widower over his own dochter.
Bethel’s first time changing Elam’s diaper didn’t go as badly as she’d feared. Lying on the changing table in his bedroom, the boppli waved his feet in the air and blew bubbles at her, completely winning her heart.
About Laura: Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with thirty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs. Her most recent series is set in Mackinac County, Michigan, and includes Firestorm, The Amish Candymaker, and Married to a Stranger (July 2019).
Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.
When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas. Learn more and connect:
Laura’s Blog Laura’s Twitter Laura’s Facebook Laura’s Pinterest
About the book – Married to a Stanger:
He marries her out of need. She marries him to escape. What does love have to do with it?
When her father falsely accuses a stranger of dishonoring her, Bethel Eicher finds herself promised in marriage to a man she’s never met. Not exactly what Bethel has dreamed of, but since she spent several years caring for her handicapped mother, the good guys were all taken and she’s considered an old maid at twenty-five. The alternative to marrying an unknown man is a steady barrage of older widowers, and none of them appeal to her. This marriage, while unappealing, might be the perfect escape.
When newly-called Preacher Gideon Kaiser learns he’s been accused of a dishonorable act toward an Amish woman, he is horrified and the community is thrown into a tizzy. A young widower whose wife died in childbirth, Gideon is practical enough to realize the necessity of another woman in his life. While he lives with his parents, his mother suffers from multiple sclerosis, and he has an infant. With Bethel to manage the household and care for their family, Gideon and his father would be able to run the Amish grocery store and deliver messages of hope to the Amish in the small district still reeling from a catastrophic fire. But marry a woman he’s never met? One he doesn’t love? The very thought strikes him as being unfaithful to his late wife. Still, he needs her, and does the honorable thing—agrees to marry her.
When Bethel exchanges the parade of unwelcome proposals for a position as a glorified nurse-maid and Gideon agrees to demands based on a lie, how can they possibly make a marriage work? When the truth behind the accusations is revealed, will it destroy everything? When love is as hidden as the ground buried under the snow, will they discover lasting treasure?
Can’t wait for the drawing or worried you won’t win? Get your copy now!
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Question for Readers: What is it about Amish Fiction that you love?
Come back July 12th for Janet Ferguson!
love their faithfulness and simple life!
I enjoy the simple faith and strong community that is presented.
Their simple life and faith and always helping each other when they are needed I just Love reading Amish books !
Love the way they have fellowship with others like they are part of their family. The simple way they do things and they treasure everything and every moment.
I love their simple lifestyle and their interactions within their community. Growing up I lived in a small community like that. When someone needed help, everyone would pull together and help. And we visited each other. All of the time. That’s missing in most places today.
I love that they are always there for one another, the loyalty and faith that is always there.
wfnren at aol dot com
I love the simple lifestyle and their faith to God. The Amish live life with less, work hard and slowly. Where the English have more than they can handle, some work hard but not all and they always seem to hurry through the days. Reading Amish fiction is calming and relaxing.
me too
We have visited Amish settlements and I just love to read about the Amish. The people are all so nice!
I like reading books that make me think. Amish fiction usually teaches me something!
I love the strong faith, simple lifestyle and great love of family in reading Amish fiction books.
I have a winner! Keren H. Lyles won the drawing. I appreciate Laura for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.