Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

Hello everyone- our additional group read for June is A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund. Here is the goodreads synopsis on the book.

Recently widowed Annalisa Werner has the feeling her husband was murdered but can't prove it. Alone with her young daughter in 1881 Michigan, she has six months left to finish raising the money needed to pay back the land contract her husband purchased, and the land is difficult to toil by herself. She needs a husband. With unmarried men scarce, her father sends a letter to his brother in the Old Country, asking him to find Annalisa a groom.


For nobleman Carl von Reichert, the blade of the guillotine is his fate. He's been accused and convicted of a serious crime he didn't commit, and his only escape is to flee to a small German community in Michigan where he'll be safe. He secures a job on Annalisa's farm but bumbles through learning about farming and manual labor.


Annalisa senses that Karl is harboring a secret about his past, yet she finds herself drawn to him anyway. He's gentle, kind, and romantic--unlike any of the men she's ever known. He begins to restore her faith in the ability to love--but her true groom is still on his way. And time is running out on them all.

General guidelines for discussions are: anyone is able to post questions or comments on the book. The one thing we ask you to do is that in your discussion if you happen to post something that is a spoiler to the plot, please clearly mark your comment like this *****SPOILER COMMENT***** so that those who have not finished reading the book won't have anything ruined. :) Thanks so much!!

And our opening question...
Have you read anything else by Jody Hedlund and if so, what? Did you like it?
And go..

I have not read A Noble Groom yet. But I am hoping to get to it this month, so I just thought I would pop in and answer this question! :)
I read Unending Devotion last year and liked it, but in January I read The Doctor's Lady and I absolutely loved it! :) Seriously, it is on my list of all time favorites, and not many historicals make the cut for me but The Doctor's Lady definitely did! I also have yet to read The Preacher's Bride but I have heard it is really good also! :)

Caitlyn, that's good to hear. I had heard a lot of positive comments about Unending Devotion, so wanted to read that one, but I'm glad to hear you loved The Doctor's Lady- I need to bump it up on my TBR list!!

Cheryl, I read A Noble Groom last month and it is one of my all-time favorites. It was my first book by Jody Hedlund, so I'm eager to read her others.

What did you think of the cover? I love the hero's picture; in fact, I think that was what grabbed my attention when I first saw it several months ago.

I agree Carole- love the cover!! Thanks so much for bringing attention to that Here it is to remind you all- . So what do you all like about it?

I like the hot guy on it. Really. But now that I've read this amazing book, the cover is so much deeper. It is CARL RICHARDS. That touch of arrogance. The remnant of his confidence, I love EVERYTHING about it. Even more. =)

Nancy wrote: "I like the hot guy on it. Really. But now that I've read this amazing book, the cover is so much deeper. It is CARL RICHARDS. That touch of arrogance. The remnant of his confidence, I love EVERYTHI..."

Yes, one billion times yes!

And to go along with that, it features a male in a non-cheesy way. To be honest, I don't find the covers with guys on them appealing...they just come across as cheeseballs, haha. And it seriously matches Carl from the book perfectly.

I have read . It was very good, but I wasn't blown away. I enjoyed A Noble Groom much more! I do seem to be in the minority about The Preacher's Bride because most of my Goodreads friends rated it 5 stars :)

Beth wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I like the hot guy on it. Really. But now that I've read this amazing book, the cover is so much deeper. It is CARL RICHARDS. That touch of arrogance. The remnant of his confidence, I..."

I think it is difficult to do well. If you haven't seen the cover of Ronie Kendig's upcoming Raptor 6... well... you need to.

Indeed, I haven't seen it! *off to do a Goodreads search*

Raptor 6 Cover

There. =)

Oooo, you are so right! Very well-done cover, and he is soooo handsome! I haven't read any Ronie Kendig yet, but that cover really intrigues me! (And not just because he is handsome - the look in his eyes is quite intense!)

Beth wrote: "Oooo, you are so right! Very well-done cover, and he is soooo handsome! I haven't read any Ronie Kendig yet, but that cover really intrigues me! (And not just because he is handsome - the look in h..."

She had a search for the real "Dean" among real life soldiers. So not only is he a great cover model, but he is also a real American hero! =D

Ok all, so many things have been said about the hero Carl! I thought it would be fun to formulate a top ten list of why we like the character of Carl so much! When we are done I am going to send it to Jody Hedlund as she is an author here on Goodreads. I think she will get a kick out of it.

1. He can laugh at himself when he makes mistakes.

2. He's incredible with children.

3. He is willing to fight for the ones he loves.

Nancy wrote: "Beth wrote: "Oooo, you are so right! Very well-done cover, and he is soooo handsome! I haven't read any Ronie Kendig yet, but that cover really intrigues me! (And not just because he is handsome - ..."

That is so cool! I think I will add this one to my to-read list. My husband is former military, so he might actually be surprised that I'm not reading a book "with a lady in a big dress on it" as he always says, haha.

Changed mine & made it number 3 :)

This book sounds so good. Not at my library, Barnes & Noble is out of stock, not on Bookmooch or Paperbackswap. Guess I will just have to put it on my wishlist for down the road.

He did the right thing when it was not what he wanted to do..He came and worked to help a young widow.

Ok to answer the first question - I've read everything by Jody. Noble Groom is my favorite though.

The cover - he's dreamy. I think I spent more time with the book closed than with it open.

Why we love Carl..
5. (I think) He's from a privileged background, but realizes that the joys of a simple life are often richer.

Great Dawn! Love your answers. I feel like A Noble Groom is a favorite for many!

Why do you all think that is? What makes this story so appealing?

For me, it was such a fresh twist on an old type of story. Rich aristocrat brought low and forced to suffer as a commoner with a bad attitude and huge chip on his shoulder some well-grounded heroine will knock off through the redemption process.

But Carl never had a bad attitude. Never felt better than the rest of the world except for that deep talk with his Matthais in the tunnel where he was "too good for America". I noticed what Hedlund did there was so subtle but brilliant. Carl is "cured" of that in his travels from Germany to Annalisa's community. It is there for the reader to extrapolate what happened that allowed Carl's noble heart to be refined while enduring being stripped of everything that made him who he was prior to that. He became a better man for it but that all happened off the page. Once he arrives at the farm, he subtly changes everything around him because of it. He turned out not to be the redemptive hero, but the hero doing the redeeming through his honor, his faith, his sense of humor, and his love.

And I LOVED him and this novel for it. =)

Nancy wrote: "For me, it was such a fresh twist on an old type of story. Rich aristocrat brought low and forced to suffer as a commoner with a bad attitude and huge chip on his shoulder some well-grounded heroin..."

Nancy- I love it when you are part of the discussions- such rich insight - thanks for sharing that! I agree with you and love that Carl when put in a position that he was completely out of his element- I call it a "fish out of water" story - saw that being a man of wealth and influence was a disadvantage in his new situation and so in this new world he had no practical skills that could help him out. I also feel that gave him that real sense of humility as he had so much to learn (and muscles to build, haha) . I completely agree with you about the good attitude as well- he so could have been a total snoot and yet he wasn't and just hung in there and eventually found how his "book learning" could actually help make life on the farm easier for Annalisa with his inventions.

I agree with both of you ladies! Carl was just such a terrific character for all of the reasons you mentioned. I also loved how it was a twist from the norm in that it wasn't a woman escaping and being rescued by a man - it was the other way around, and of course, in the end they ended up rescuing each other.

For me part of what makes this one so appealing is the fact that it's a slightly different spin on the mail-order bride. It's a mail order groom, with the wrong groom being the hero.

Dawn wrote: "For me part of what makes this one so appealing is the fact that it's a slightly different spin on the mail-order bride. It's a mail order groom, with the wrong groom being the hero."

Yes, that's it exactly! :)

So true Dawn! Perfectly summarized!

Ok- I wanna write down our "Carl list" in one place and here is what we have so far-

1. He can laugh at himself when he makes mistakes.

2. He's incredible with children.

3. He is willing to fight for the ones he loves.

4. He did the right thing when it was not what he wanted to do..He came and worked to help a young widow.

5. (I think) He's from a privileged background, but realizes that the joys of a simple life are often richer.


5 more to go! :)

Lovely list :)

Ummm hey everyone...I have a surprise for you....can't tell you but stay tuned ;)

Hi Everyone! Thank you for choosing to discuss A Noble Groom here on Christian Fiction Devourers! I KNOW it was the cover that sealed the deal, wasn't it? ;-) I admit, I still drool over it!

I really love the list you're coming up with of the traits you most admire in Carl! I think #6 ought to be that Carl is such an expert in chopping wood.

NOT! I had so much fun writing the scene where he tries to chop wood for the first time. The scene wasn't actually in my first draft. During my rewrites/editing on the book, my editors asked me to add in a couple more places showing Carl bumbling through learning to do farm work. And that was one of the scenes I added!

So, let me know if you have any specific questions for me about the book, about me, or my writing in general! I'll check back in the next day or so and see what you're all up to! :-)

And there is the surprise...Jody's here! So ask those burning questions that you have about the book!

I'd like to ask if there were any surprises while writing this book. Like did you think you were heading one direction and then inspiration hit and you went a different direction instead. Also , did you have a certain thing/person that inspired you in writing this book?

Hi, Jody! Thank you so much for joining us here!

I have a few questions! :)

Do the characters ever "speak" to you? In the sense that, kind of like Cheryl said above, you think they are going to say or act one way in the story & then suddenly you end up writing dialogue or action that surprises you?

What was your favorite scene to write in The Noble Groom (the rain scene???? Oh, wait, maybe that one was my favorite to read...hehe)?

What was the hardest scene to write?

Hi Jody! Great for you to stop by for our discussion.

I've got a couple of questions too.

Your first couple books, Preacher's Bride and Doctor's Lady, were based on the lives of real people. Your next two, Unending Devotion and Noble Groom, weren't. Which type do you find easier to write? The story you have in your head or the rich details in the life of a historical figure?

Hi Beth,

Great questions!! You know, my characters don't usually speak to me. But when I get intensely into their POV and am working hard to stay true to their character, I usually find that they do and say things that are unexpected! And that's always fun when that happens!

And yes, one of my favorite scenes to write was the rain scene!!! Haha! I always love writing the first real kiss scenes! Of course, they're always longer and more drawn out during my first draft. And my editors always make me cut them and tone them down a bit! :-)

One of the hardest scenes to write was the one depicting Idette's abusive situation with her husband Leonard. I wanted to show different ways women were treated during that era, all the way from physically abused to the discarded girl who ranked beneath the horse in importance of obtaining shoes. That was hard for me to write because I was basing the stories off of real research, real women who'd experienced those situations. And I didn't want to minimize what happened, but I didn't want to scare my readers away either!

Hi Dawn,

My stories based on the lives of real people are always a bit trickier to write. I want to stay true to what history records about those people and present them as realistically and accurately as possible. So those stories, the research, and plotting do take me more time!

Cheryl wrote: "And there is the surprise...Jody's here! So ask those burning questions that you have about the book!

I'd like to ask if there were any surprises while writing this book. Like did you think you we..."

Hi Cheryl,

When I start writing, I usually end up on detours I never imagined during the planning phase. That's the really fun part of writing--seeing where your creativity will take you! :-)

The story was actually inspired by own German heritage. My father's family immigrated from Germany and eventually many of them became farmers. My dad grew up on a big farm in central Wisconsin, and even though he later became a Lutheran pastor, he carried his love of farming and gardening over into our family when I was growing up!

Jody, how awesome to have you here. I am right in the middle of the book now and finding I can't put it down to clean or cook...lol! It is an amazing story. I also read Unending Devotion and enjoyed that one also. I haven't read the others but have them on my kindle to read next.

I did have a question...when you start the planning process for your books, what inspires you? What jumps out at you to make you want to write a book about it? How do you plan, once you have the idea? I find the writing process interesting and would love to know how you go about it!

Again, thanks for stopping by. What a real treat!!!

Leah wrote: "Jody, how awesome to have you here. I am right in the middle of the book now and finding I can't put it down to clean or cook...lol! It is an amazing story. I also read Unending Devotion and enjoy..."

Hi Leah, So glad to hear you're enjoying the book! Sorry about the messy house! There's always plenty of time to clean later, right? ;-)

I find the inspiration for my books in lots of places! For my Michigan books, usually what happens is I'm researching for one book and come across other ideas that I think, "Hey, that's super interesting. I need to write a book about that." Then once I start researching the new idea, I find more and more information that then takes the story deeper. I brainstorm all of the "what ifs."

After I have my ideas, then I write a brief summary of each chapter in the book, usually just a short paragraph. I also flesh out my characters with a four-paged worksheet that I've developed. And I do a lot of other jotting down of ideas about this and that before I'm finally ready to begin the first draft! :-)

It's so great to have you apart of this discussion I've just finished noble groom It was great!!!

I have one question do your characters initiate their stories or do your stories bring out the characters?

Love that question Juli!

Also I'd like to throw out to the group in general. We have talked so much about Carl- we loved him! But what about Annalisa- she was a bit of a complex character that truly sort of bloomed right before our eyes through the kindness of Carl. Do you all have any comments about the character of Annalisa or questions for Jody about her?

Juli wrote: "It's so great to have you apart of this discussion I've just finished noble groom It was great!!!

I have one question do your characters initiate their stories or do your stories bring out the cha..."

Hi Juli,

So glad to hear that you enjoyed A Noble Groom! Thank you for reading it and joining in the discussion here!

I usually flesh out my characters quite a bit before I start writing my book, so there's a LOT I already know about them, particularly about their pasts. It's almost as if they become real people! But then when I start writing, the continue to develop too. It's always fun to watch them unfold like butterflies and take flight! :-)

Jody wrote: "Leah wrote: "Jody, how awesome to have you here. I am right in the middle of the book now and finding I can't put it down to clean or cook...lol! It is an amazing story. I also read Unending Devot..."
I have been in Mexico for a week at an orpnanage so now am back...

Jody- it is always so fascinating to me to find out the writer's process! Thanks for sharing yours with us.

I was curious, was there any special inspiration for the character of Gretchen- she was such a sweet girl! I love reading about little girls (Mom of 4 daughters here). :)

Cheryl wrote: "Jody wrote: "Leah wrote: "Jody, how awesome to have you here. I am right in the middle of the book now and finding I can't put it down to clean or cook...lol! It is an amazing story. I also read U..."

Welcome back! A week at an orphanage in Mexico? Wow! That must have been quite the experience! How did it go?

I have 3 daughters! So I can completely relate with little girls too and drew a lot of inspiration from my daughters. My youngest is completely fascinated with fairy tales and princesses. I was too at her age, so it seemed natural to include that aspect in with the story! :-)

Gretchen was so sweet! I loved the interactions between her & Carl!

Hi everyone...I'm a little late to the discussion but I just found it! I finished 'A Noble Groom' a couple of days ago and really enjoyed it. (Need to get my review up!) I also read 'Unending Devotion'. Of the two I think I liked 'A Noble Groom' more.

I loved the characters and being able to travel along and watch the developing relationship between Annalisa and Carl. Wasn't Gretchen so adorable?!!

Such a difficult situation for a woman but I can see how Carl is definitely going to have an impact on the entire community.

Brandi- Yay- glad you are here and that you found the thread!!

Yes, I agree with you Gretchen was just darling- melted my heart. Just wanted to point out that the author Jody Hedlund has popped in here to answer any of our questions with regards to the book/ her writing, etc. So if you have any questions for her, then please ask away. We are so lucky :)

Glad you can join in, Brandi!

Oh, yeah - Brandi if you would like to add to our list of reason's that we love Carl feel free :) Here is what we have so far!

1. He can laugh at himself when he makes mistakes.

2. He's incredible with children.

3. He is willing to fight for the ones he loves.

4. He did the right thing when it was not what he wanted to do..He came and worked to help a young widow.

5. He's from a privileged background, but realizes that the joys of a simple life are often richer.