Loving a Wild Stranger

Wilkins (Trust with Hearts) has created a wonderfully sweet romance (first published in 2014 as Wilderness Bride) set in a small town in the Michigan Territory in 1823. Kathleen Stanton, on the run from her past with nowhere to go, ends up in the town of Ranford. After encountering a handsome stranger and overhearing his conversation, she makes the desperate decision to claim to be his mail-order bride. Luther Dubois sent off for a wife a year prior, since no woman in Ranford wanted to marry a man who was part Ojibwa, and is shocked when Kathleen claims to be his. On Luther’s homestead, Kathleen struggles with her new life, so very different than the one she had in New York, while Luther’s quiet strength belies his troubled past. Kathleen’s lack of trust in men, thanks to her ex-fiancé, and Luther’s discomfort with his heritage make it hard for them to love each other; meanwhile, there’s growing danger to them both from outside forces. The fantastic tension between the two characters as they grapple with their sudden newlywed status and the awkwardness that comes with marrying a perfect stranger keeps this story emotional and realistic as they fall in love. The story flows nicely and does not rush the romance. A few too many story lines crowd the novel, but Wilkins keeps readers interested with strong, complex characters. Fans of pioneer romances will enjoy this one. (BookLife)