To Love a Stranger

    BOOK REVIEW:    Can a deception become an unexpected blessing?  Bessie Randall is stunned to learn that her sister is engaged in a long-distance flirtation with an army officer while using Bessie's name. Even more shocking is the fact that Jasper Mendenhall is now her husband by proxy--thanks to her sister's meddling. But with God's help, Bessie intends to be the best wife she can be.
   Jasper is waiting in Fort Bridger for the raven-haired beauty whose picture he carries in his pocket. When the small, mousy Bessie arrives, he is flooded with confusion--and perhaps disappointment. Can he accept this unexpected turn of events? And can Bessie face the hardships of a western fort--things like scorpions, poisonous spiders, and hostile Indians?
   Amidst all the trials, God sends unexpected blessings to Bessie. When he asks her to give up one of her most precious blessings of all, though, can she survive a broken heart? Will she have to go back home to Boston, leaving Jasper to find the wife he wanted all along?

    MY REVIEW:    I requested this book from the library, and was a little disappointed to find it is just a short story--169 pages. But that aside, I enjoyed the book. I like to read about mail-order brides and arranged marriages, and this was along the same lines.
    Bessie Randall has been married to a man she never even knew existed, but she is determined to make it work. I was very impressed with her determination, especially since she was given the chance to break the "marriage". And when her new husband has to leave for a new posting in Arizona Territory the same week she arrives, she goes along with him rather than stay behind with his sister's family. She trusted God to see her through, and He did.