Review of "A Promise to Love" by Serena B. Miller

Rating: 3.5 Stars

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Summary from Revell: Can a marriage of convenience ever become one of true love?

Ingrid Larsen arrives in Michigan in 1871 with little more than the clothes on her back and a determination to find her brother, who has disappeared into the dangerous lumber camps. Destitute and barely hanging on to hope, the young Swedish immigrant crosses paths with Joshua Hunter, a newly widowed farmer with eyes the color of the ocean she had crossed and five rambunctious children to raise on his own.

Marriage would solve both of their problems, and Ingrid finds herself proposing in broken English to a man she barely knows. Many difficulties lie ahead--but the hardest battle of all will be winning the heart of her new husband.

Review: Serena B. Miller treats readers to a gentle story of love and sacrifice in “A Promise to Love.” She portrays life in 1870s Michigan with historical detail, and many of the events are based on actual occurrences.  A plot based on a marriage of convenience is relatively common, but the circumstances surrounding Ingrid’s and Joshua’s relationship make it unique. Their love blossoms from a partnership, shared grievances, and Ingrid’s tender nurturing. It is a departure from the more romantic leanings of other novels, despite the fact that Ingrid falls in love with Joshua at first sight.