Christian Historical Romance Book Review: Gwendolyn’s Groom by Janice Cole Hopkins

There’s something especially powerful about a historical romance that doesn’t shy away from hard truths. When faith is tested, prejudice is confronted, and love must rise above fear, the result can be deeply moving, and that’s exactly what I found in Gwendolyn’s Groom by Janice Cole Hopkins.

Set against the rugged backdrop of frontier life, this story weaves faith, family duty, and the longing to belong into a romance that feels both tender and thought-provoking.

Title: Gwendolyn’s Groom

Author: Janice Cole Hopkins

Series: Westward Home and Hearts Mail-Order Brides

Genre: Historical Romance, Frontier Life, Marriage of Convenience

Rating: 5 out of 5 ⭐

Disclaimer

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I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

My Thoughts:

I was really impressed with this story. River and Gwendolyn steal the stage in this deeply emotional portrayal of love found in the least expected of places.

River is part Crow Nation (half-Native), and his parents died on the reservation when he was very young. Living most of his life with his non-native grandparents off the reservation, he’s more English gentleman than anything else. But prejudice runs deep in the frontier and River has a difficult time just fitting into society. His grandmother’s dying wish is that he get married and find love.

This leads him to be matched with Gwendolyn. Her father is dying and really wants to see his daughter married before he’s gone and find a respectable man to help her run their horse ranch. It’s a perfect fit for two people who are deeply in love with raising horses.

I felt so sad for River much of the time. He’s a super sweet young man just trying to share his light with the world and most everyone shuns him because of his ancestry. Even Gwendolyn struggles for a very long time before her eyes are finally opened and she sees that he’s so much more than the blood that runs through his veins. He’s a devout Christian, living the message more than others around them.

He’s an inspiration to the entire ranch and Gwendolyn finds herself falling deeply in love with him. This story was emotional and a great reminder that love finds us when we need it most. To keep our hearts open and remember that God loves us all. Not just some of us.

Publisher’s Blurb:

Two very different hearts and one impossible bargain. What will the future hold?

Gwendolyn Corbett never imagined her father would contact a matchmaker on her behalf. She was even more stunned to learn that her potential groom’s mother came from the Crow reservation. With the doctor warning that any stress could hasten her father’s demise from a weakening heart, Gwendolyn faces an impossible choice: marry a stranger or defy her father’s wishes and risk losing him.

River Donahue longs for a place to belong and a family to share it with. Since his grandmother’s passing, he’s left with a bitter, unloving grandfather and a heritage that makes landowners unwilling to sell to him and it impossible to find a good job. When the matchmaker his grandmother trusted sends him to a dying rancher, the man makes an unusual offer. If River marries his daughter, he will inherit the ranch. Are River’s dreams finally coming true, or are his troubles just escalating?