To Love a Stranger by Colleen Coble

I am an avid fan of Colleen Coble's work. When I was given the opportunity to read a book from her early works as an author I jumped at the chance. To Love a Stranger was previously published prior to me having ever read any of her work. I love it when publishers bring out books that are out of print, dust them off, and package them in pretty new covers.

Book Blurb from the Back

Traveling to a rugged country to meet her new husband for the first time, Bessie wonders, Can love truly conquer fear?

Bessie Randall is shocked to discover that, thanks to her sister's meddling, she is married by proxy to Jasper Mendenhall, a man she's never met. Believing she has no choice but to honor the marriage, Bessie travels from Boston to Jasper's military quarters in Fort Bridger, Utah Territory.

Jasper Mendenhall is equally shocked when he meets his wife at the stagecoach and realizes she is not the beauty from the picture he holds. But Jasper has orders to move to Arizona Territory, and he has no choice but to take Bessie with him.

Bessie and Jasper's mutual distrust is hard enough, but snakebites, Apache raids, and food shortages present even ore challenges as they head to the Southwest. A story of quiet commitment despite the odds, To Love a Stranger explores how love can grow in the most difficult land.

My Thoughts

I loved this book. It was simple yet it touched on so many feelings that it pulled me into the story and I felt like I was right there in Indian territory. I could smell the dust, hear the war cry of the Indians, feel the uncertainty Bessie and Jasper both felt of their situation. Ms. Coble has a true gift of creating characters that can draw the reader into their world and through that the reader is blessed.

I loved the spunk of Bessie and I cried when she cried about Ruthie (you'll have to read the book to find out who Ruthie is and what made Bessie cry). While most would think she was a frail young woman she proved that to be a false belief. She was strong when it counted. I loved her character.

As for Jasper, who doesn't love a man in uniform who chooses to do what is right even though his heart tells him otherwise. I truly loved his character as well. He has a sensitive side that is slowly revealed and I must say, there were times when I cried over him as well.

This is a wonderful book which let me see why I fell in love with Colleen Coble's writing. I would highly suggest this book to anyone wanting a good clean romance to read.

On a 5-Star scale = 4 1/2 Stars.

I would like to thank BookLook Bloggers and Thomas Nelson for my copy of To Love a Stranger. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review.


Smiles & Blessings,