I love children (obviously) but I don’t think my love for them would make me want to jump to their aid and marry a man I did not know and who also happened to be their father. Marriage is a life long commitment. But Ingrid did just that in A Promise to Love by Serena B. Miller. It is a heart-warming story of how a kind, loving young girl offers to marry a man named Joshua Hunter, whom she only met once. She does it for the sake of his children, and her initial attraction to him after he saved her from a difficult situation.

Ingrid and her family lived and worked on a farm, so of course I loved the farming aspect of the book because of my own interest.

I bawled like a baby at Ingrid’s child-like ways, like at the dance on page 219 and when she received her gifts. In many ways she’s unassuming, yet she was definitely working hard to capture Joshua’s attention and love. It was very easy to feel Ingrid’s emotions of pain, rejection and anger as Joshua sorted through his own issues. It was heart-wrenching at times to read the beginning account of their marriage.

I loved this story and the grit Ingrid showed and the intertwining of I Corinthians 13. This story is based on the author’s grandmother’s life, which makes is that much more compelling knowing the details are based on real events.

It was interesting how Serena interwove how prevalent abortion was in the 1800’s. So often life for wives and mothers during that time period is painted at “rosey” and hunky-dory. Women were very hard working and the struggles they faced were anything but rosey. A Promise of Love shows the struggle of one woman who had dealt with many losses in her family, which led to emotional disconnect with other people in her life. And it showed the character and strength of yet a completely different woman. It was a striking contrast to how women are usually portrayed in that time period.

A Promise of Love was a refreshing read for me and gets two thumbs up, as it is probably going to be read again and again.

“Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.