Priscilla White knows she'll never be a wife or mother and feels God's call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Country only long enough to raise awareness of missions to the natives before heading out West once more. But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field.
Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs. Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God's leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts.
My Review:
5 ++ STARS (FAVORITE)
Jody Hedlund in a fairly new author but I must say she has got to be one of my favorite new authors I’ve been introduced to this year!! Her books are amazing and The Doctor’s Lady is no exception!! In fact, The Doctor’s Lady has just made my favorite Christian Historical book of 2011!!
Priscilla is a young lady who feels God is calling her to the mission field but is heart broken when the Board of Missions refuses to send her on a mission unless she is married. In steps Eli, Eli is young doctor who knows God is calling him to heal the physical and spiritual needs of the savages out in the West. Again, Eli is told her also must find a spouse before he can set up a Mission in the Oregon Country. After much convincing and back-and-forth Eli and Priscilla who’ve known each other for about a week decide to agree to a marriage of convenience only and decide to venture to the West as missionaries.
I fell completely and utterly in love with the characters in The Doctor’s Lady. Priscilla and Eli are characters that just tug on your soul and the depths that we are introduced to them are riveting! They aren’t perfect characters by any means but they are strong in their faith and strong in strength. If Priscilla makes it all the way to Oregon she’ll become the first women to ever survive the hard journey there.
Jody Hedlund has this magic about her writing that has you holding your breath with anticipation through the romantic scenes and feeling your heart breaking through the trials!! And of man is that romance exciting!! This entire book is about how Eli and Priscilla are only in a marriage of name only yet as they grow closer together there is no denying the strong connection and sparks that are flying!! I was rooting for things to work out for Eli and Priscilla all the way through the story and I was holding my breath hoping that they would survive this hard journey to their goal.
By the end of this book you feel things coming together and I felt like I could just explode in emotions and tears of joy and I was sad that it had to come to an end. This is one of those books that although you are satisfied with the ending, you are disappointed that you are done reading about the characters that moved your life!
Jody is a very talented author and I feel there is only more amazing things that are coming from her! I feel she is right up there with some of my other favorite Christian authors like Deeanne Gist!! Her characters are deep and evocative, her romance is exciting and emotional and the spiritual matter is subtle yet meaningful and I will enjoy reading this book again and again!
If you haven’t had a chance to read any books by Jody Hedlund yet, I say now is the time and The Doctor’s Lady is the book!!
Content: There is a lot of mentions of relationships between married couples and an instance or two of violence that wouldn't be suitable for teens. I feel this is for a mature audience only.
Thank you to Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own; I would not recommend this book if I didn't LOVE it!!
About Jody Hedlund:
Hi Courtney!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your wonderful review and your very kind words!! I'm honored to be among your favorite authors! Thanks for taking the time to read my book and to review it! I appreciate it so much!
Blessings!
Jody Hedlund
What a great review, Courtney. I'm Jody's critique partner and was privileged to read The Doctor's Lady twice in manuscript form and once in print. I saw firsthand how much work and heart Jody put into the story, so it's no surprise to me that readers are loving it.
ReplyDeleteI've read Jody's third book in manuscript form and think it just might be my favorite so far. I love the interaction between her hunky logger hero and spunky idealistic heroine. There are some nice sparks. I feel certain readers are going to enjoy this story as well.
This was my first Jody Hedlund book, and I read it in two days. I have a crazy schedule, but made time to read this book because I was so drawn into it. I loved the characters, the plot and the development. I also really liked that Eli and Priscilla weren't instantly in love, that it took time to nurture that relationship. It made it believable and relatable.
ReplyDeleteI would also wholeheartedly recommend this book to any fans of Christian Fiction. I am looking forward to reading more from Jody Hedlund in the near future.
I have this one in my TBR stack. I'm anxious to get to it. I'm glad it's so good! Great review.
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