A Marriage by the Sea by Jody Hedlund: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

The only thing standing between Marissa and her family's seaside farm is a ring--and the one man she was never supposed to love.

As the oldest of four sisters, Marissa Axton has spent her life trying to prove to her father that, even though she was not born a son, she can capably manage the family farm and blueberry business on Maine's Stony Ridge Island. Regardless of her success, her father insists she marry before he will give her the deed to the farm.

Despite the years he has spent away from the island, Felix Larock can't deny that he still has feelings for Marissa, his childhood best friend. Their friendship has been a secret since their fathers' long-standing feud began years ago. However, when he learns that Marissa needs a husband, he rashly proposes a marriage of convenience. But their feelings for each other are far from pretend, and their relationship begins to blossom--until family secrets unravel and threaten to tear them apart.

A clean, no-spice historical romance set on a picturesque island in Maine for fans of swoon-worthy reads, forbidden love, marriage of convenience, and friends to more.

The Author

Jody Hedlund is the bestselling author of more than seventy novels and is the winner of numerous awards. Jody lives in Michigan with her husband, busy family, and five spoiled cats. She writes sweet historical romances with plenty of sizzle. Visit her at JodyHedlund.com.

Book Review

A marriage of convenience + forbidden love... written by an author whose stories never fail to deliver? What more could you possibly ask for? Marissa and Felix intrigued me right from the start. She was such a great independent character who wanted to prove that she was capable of managing the family's blueberry farm, despite her father's insistence that she needed to be married to get the deed. Felix has the solution: a marriage of convenience! The problem? Their fathers' ongoing feud. I found myself drawn into their friendship, but even more so into what started this feud in the first place. The romance was swoon worthy and I loved these two together... but it was definitely all the family secrets that kept me wanting to see what was going to happen next. In the midst of all of the romance and family drama, there are also beautiful messages of faith and forgiveness that I really loved. This was the first book in a new series, and I find myself very much looking forward to getting to know all the Axton sisters in the books to come! If you enjoy Christian historical romance, don't miss this one! 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4zdRN09