The Bride Ship

We are given a bit of a look into Canada [before hand] when the colony Governor Sir Robert Kerr is informed of a ship full of women. He has denied himself the company of the female persuasion and feels that these women, under to protection of Mrs Jocelyn Finch will cause nothing but trouble. Which almost happens after the levee given by Sir Robert. Some men felt they were going to be cheated out of an opportunity to court these women. Ah, but one thing leads to another and Sir Robert becomes slightly enamored of Mrs. Finch, who vows never to surrender her independance ever again to any man. Oh, she is more than willing to become his mistress but never his wife. But one must do ones duty. Definitely recommended --M - thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Bride Ship is an excellent romance centred around two people who never thought they'd find love, and yet somehow managed to find each other. Mrs. Jocelyn Finch is a war widow has decided to take a ship full of women from England to Canada so that they can find husbands. Upon arriving in Halifax, she discovers that the letter announcing their intent has been lost. Sir Robert Kerr, thinking this Bride Ship is more seedy than sentimental, challenges Mrs. Finch to a chess match. If she wins she and her prospective brides can stay. But if she loses they must sail back to England. Needless to say, Mrs. Finch is quite resourceful and she and her charges are allowed to remain in Nova Scotia. I loved two things about this book: 1) The historical detail is excellent, and even though Ms. Hale tweaked the details of the time period a bit (which she explains in her notes), the overall feeling is that of a wonderfully raw landscape. I loved reading about this place. 2) She writes about heroes and heroines you can really relate to. Mrs. Finch was independent, smart and yet not in the least bit cold. Whereas Robert Kerr reminded me a lot of Mr. Darcy (never a bad thing) -- uneasy around people until he gets to know them better. I loved this book!!

I often wonder how accurate historical fiction is. In this instance I happen to live in Nova Scotia, and although Deborah Hale has tweaked the time frames to suit the story, she's definitely captured the history and the flavour of the province. The author excels at detail. I graduated from King's and Dalhousie, so their petitions for money from the lieutenant governor made me laugh. (Some things never change.) Halifax was, and continues to be, a military city, so you can imagine what might have happened if a bride ship had really sailed into port looking for husbands. All those lonely soldiers...! Sir Robert Kerr knows exactly what to expect, and to say he's not thrilled is an understatement. Fortunately Mrs. Jocelyn Finch, formerly Lady Jocelyn, is not easily deterred. She's determined to make love matches for each of her young charges. Of course, since this is a romance, she and Sir Robert find love themselves. Their affair is well served by this backdrop. If you like history, you'll love The Bride Ship.

This is a story about Jocelyn Finch, a young widow who travels by ship with forty other eligible young ladies, from England to Nova Scotia at the beginning of the Nineteenth century. They make the long journey, driven by dreams of marriage and settlement in the young colony. However, when they arrive, the governor, Sir Robert Kerr, does not want them there, believing them to be nothing more than a shipload of trouble. It is up to Jocelyn to stand up to Sir Robert on behalf of her charges so that they are not sent back to England. If you enjoy a wonderful setting, and a stormy but enticing romantic journey, then you will find this a wonderful read.

This Regency-era romance is a wonderful, heart-warming tale in which a beautiful, spirited and headstrong woman wreaks havoc on the heavily-fortified heart and emotionally tidy life of one man - Governor Sir Robert Kerr, a Gemeral at Waterloo who was wounded five times during the Napoleonic War. This tale of grit, one-upmanship, caution and conniving, love and desire set in historic Halifax - the place where Queen Victoria's father trysted with his French mistress over 200 years ago -is sure to warm up your heart!