Jody Hedlund has 27 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 10 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.3★ across 51 ratings. The most-rated is A Reluctant Bride.
The Runaway Bride
Summary
Wealthy Arabella Lawrence flees to British Columbia on a bride ship still wearing the scars of past mistakes. One of the few single women in the boomtown, she immediately has suitors, but she is determined not to find herself trapped again by a poor choice. Vying for her hand are two very different men. Lieutenant Richard Drummond is a gentleman in the Navy and is held in high esteem. Peter Kelly is the town's baker and has worked hard to build a thriving business. He and Drummond not only compete for Arabella's affections, but clash over their views of how the natives should be treated in the midst of a smallpox outbreak. As Arabella begins to overcome her fears, she discovers someone in dire need - a starving girl abandoned by her tribe. Intent on helping the girl, Arabella leans on Peter's advice and guidance. Will she have the wisdom to make the right decision or will seeking what's right cost both her and Peter everything?
©2020 Jody Hedlund (P)2020 Tantor
A Reluctant Bride
Summary
Living in London's poorest slum, Mercy Wilkins has little hope of a better life. When she's offered an opportunity to join a bride ship sailing to British Columbia, she agrees. After witnessing so much painful heartache and loss in the slums, the bride ship is her only prospect to escape a bleak future, not only for herself but, she hopes, someday for her sister. Wealthy and titled Joseph Colville leaves home and takes to the sea in order to escape the pain of losing his family. As ship's surgeon, he's in charge of the passengers' welfare aboard the Tynemouth, including 60 brides-to-be. He has no immediate intention of settling down, but when Mercy becomes his assistant, the two must fight against a forbidden love. With hundreds of single men congregating on the shore eager to claim a bride from the Tynemouth, will Mercy and Joseph lose their chance at true love, or will they be able to overcome the obstacles that threaten to keep them apart?
©2019 Jody Hedlund (P)2019 Tantor
Together Forever
Summary
Marianne Neumann has one goal in life: to find her lost younger sister, Sophie. When Marianne takes a job as a placing agent with the Children's Aid Society in 1858 in New York, she not only hopes to give children a better life but seeks to discover whether Sophie ended up leaving the city on an orphan train. Andrew Brady, her fellow agent on her first placing trip, is a former schoolteacher who has an easy way with the children - firm, but tender and funny. Underneath his handsome charm, though, seems to linger a grief that won't go away - and a secret from his past that he keeps hidden. As the two team up placing orphans amid small railroad towns in Illinois, they find themselves growing ever closer . . . until a shocking tragedy threatens to upend all their work and change one of their lives forever.
©2018 Jody Hedlund (P)2018 Tantor
A Bride of Convenience
Summary
Unemployed mill worker Zoe Hart jumps at the opportunity to emigrate to British Columbia in 1863 to find a better life and be reunited with her brother, who fled from home after being accused of a crime. Pastor to miners in the mountains, Abe Merivale discovers an abandoned baby during a routine visit to Victoria and joins efforts with Zoe, one of the newly arrived bride-ship women, to care for the infant. While there, he's devastated by the news from his fiancee in England that she's marrying another man. With mounting pressure to find the baby a home, Zoe accepts a proposal from a miner of questionable character after he promises to help her locate her brother. Intent on protecting Zoe and frustrated by his failed engagement, Abe offers his own hand as groom. After a hasty wedding, they soon realize their marriage of convenience is not so convenient after all.
©2020 Jody Hedlund (P)2020 Tantor
A Noble Groom
Summary
A historical romance from award-winning and best-selling author Jody Hedlund. 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 Reichart, 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 Carl 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.
©2013 Jody Hedlund (P)2016 Jody Hedlund
Unending Devotion
Summary
Lily Young longs to find her lost sister or will die trying. Heedless of any danger, she searches logging camps and towns, posing as a photographer’s assistant. And then she arrives in Harrison, Michigan - and into the sights of Connell McCormick. Connell is determined to increase the fortune of his lumber-baron father and figures as long as he’s living an upright life, that’s what matters. But when Lily arrives in town she upends his world, forcing him to confront the truth that dangerous men have gained too much power while good men turn a blind eye. Vexing but persuasive, Lily soon secures Connell’s help, drawing them ever closer to each other. Will standing for what’s right cost them both everything?
©2012 Jody Hedlund (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Love Unexpected
Summary
1859 Presque Isle, Michigan What is the secret that could shipwreck both of their lives? All Emma Chambers ever wanted was a home, but when her steamboat sinks just outside Presque Isle, she's left destitute and with no place to stay. An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper arrives in town. He's just lost his wife and is having a difficult time caring for his child. So a traveling preacher gets the idea that the keeper and Emma might be the answer to each other's dilemma. After a hasty marriage, she finds herself heading to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger. Nothing in her aimless life, though, has prepared her for parenting a rambunctious toddler, as well as managing a household. Emma soon suspects Patrick may be hiding something from her, and then she hears a disturbing rumor about the circumstances surrounding his late wife's death. It seems as if her wish for a home and family of her own could end up leading her once more into turbulent waters.
©2016 Jody Hedlund (P)2016 Jody Hedlund
For Love and Honor
Summary
A wealthy noblewoman. A desperate knight. A dangerous secret that threatens their love…and their lives. If you’re looking for a good, clean listen that combines the setting and mood of a medieval fairy tale with the heat of historical romance - you found it! Lady Sabine is harboring a skin blemish that, if revealed, could cause her to be branded as a witch, put her life in danger, and damage her chances of making a good marriage. No nobleman would want to marry a woman so flawed…and a possible witch at that. Sir Bennet is returning home to protect his family from an imminent attack by neighboring lords who seek repayment of debts. Without fortune or means to pay those debts, Sir Bennet realizes his only option is to make a marriage match with a wealthy noblewoman. As a man of honor, he loathes the idea of courting a woman for her money, but with time running out for his family’s safety, what other choice does he have? As Lady Sabine and Sir Bennet are thrust together under dangerous circumstances, will they both be able to learn to trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets? Or will those secrets ultimately lead to their demise? Praise for Jody Hedlund: “…engaging… fun for genre fans wanting a quick read.” (Booklist) “A great selection for collections looking for titles with strong Christian themes or for readers who enjoy fairy tales.” (School Library Journal) For Love and Honor: Is a medieval, clean, YA romance novel by award-winning author Judy Hedlund. Features a strong female heroineIs a perfect mix of romance and action and adventure. Is the sequel to A Daring Sacrifice in the An Uncertain Choice Series.
©2017 Jody Hedlund (P)2017 Zondervan
Searching for You
Summary
Despite years on the run, Sophie Neumann is determined to care for two young children. She won't abandon them the way she thinks her older sisters abandoned her. But times are growing desperate, and when she falls in with the wrong crowd and witnesses a crime, she realizes fleeing 1850s New York is her only option. Disappearing with her two young charges into a group of orphans heading west by train, Sophie hopes to find safety and a happy life. When the train stops in Illinois for the first placement of orphans, Sophie faces the most difficult choice of her life. Reinhold Weiss has finally purchased his own small farm. With mounting debts, a harvest to bring in, and past scars that haunt him, he's in no position to give his heart away...but can he say no when his long-lost friend shows up on a nearby train pleading for his help?
©2018 Jody Hedlund (P)2018 Tantor
With You Always
Summary
When a financial crisis in 1850s New York leaves three orphaned sisters nearly destitute, the oldest, Elise Neumann, knows she must take action. She's had experience as a seamstress, and the New York Children's Aid Society has established a special service: placing out seamstresses and trade girls. Even though Elise doesn't want to leave her sisters for a job in Illinois, she realizes this may be their last chance. The son of one of New York City's wealthiest entrepreneurs, Thornton Quincy, faces a dilemma. His father is dying, and in order to decide which of his sons will inherit everything, he is requiring them to do two things in six months: build a sustainable town along the Illinois Central Railroad, and get married. Thornton is tired of standing in his twin brother's shadow and is determined to win his father's challenge. He doesn't plan on meeting a feisty young woman on his way west, though.
©2017 Jody Hedlund (P)2017 Tantor
Forever Safe
Summary
Heiress to a vast fortune, Victoria Cole has everything she wants, including the perfect fiancé. Having left two other men at the altar, Victoria is sure that now she's found her true love and will finally live happily ever after. As her wedding draws near, however, Victoria's life is threatened. To keep her safe, Victoria's father hires a bodyguard. Tom Cushman's number one priority is protecting his clients, which means no personal entanglements. But he's never guarded someone as beautiful and winsome as Victoria. After a near-kidnapping, the wedding is cancelled, and Tom hides Victoria at Cape Cod's Race Point Lighthouse until her attacker can be found. Appointed as assistant light keeper, with Victoria posing as his wife, Tom believes the isolation of the lighthouse will keep her safe. As Victoria struggles to live without familiar luxuries, her heart betrays her with growing feelings for her protector. Determined to help Tom stop fleeing from his haunted past, can the runaway bride learn to face her own fears? With the attacker closing in, will both of them ever be able to stop running and find the safety they long for?
©2016 Jody Hedlund (P)2016 Jody Hedlund
Never Forget
Summary
Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island, June 1880. Will she betray his trust to stay on the island she loves? Abbie Watson is content to spend her days clamming, crabbing, and tending Rose Island Lighthouse. Her grandpa is the head light keeper, but his senility may lead to their eviction. Since leaving the island would kill her beloved Gramps, Abbie will do anything to keep him in the one place he knows and loves. Wealthy Nathaniel Winthrop III's wild living has gained him a reputation as the bad boy among the elite social circles of Newport. After a blow to the head in a yachting accident washes him up on Rose Island, Nathaniel has no memories of his past. Abbie tends the wounded stranger in her home only to realize he assumes they're married. Although she knows she needs to correct Nathaniel's mistake, his presence calms Gramps and provides a way to prevent eviction from the lighthouse. The longer the charade continues, the harder it gets for Abbie to tell Nathaniel the truth, more so as she begins to fall in love. Everyone she's ever loved has abandoned her. Will Nathaniel leave her too, once he discovers he's not really her husband?
©2017 Jody Hedlund (P)2017 Jody Hedlund
An Uncertain Choice
Summary
Due to her parents' promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns 18. Then, a month before her birthday, a friend of her father's enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents' will left a second choice - if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her 18th year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow. Before long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land. But when the competition for her heart seemingly results in a knight playing foul, she begins to wonder if the convent is the best place after all. If only one of the knights - the one who appears the guiltiest - had not already captured her heart.
©2016 Jody Hedlund (P)2016 Zondervan
Out of the Storm: A Novella
Summary
Having grown up in a lighthouse, loneliness is all Isabelle Thornton has ever known - and all, she assumes, she ever will know. But when her lightkeeper father rescues a young man from the lake, her sheltered world is turned upside down. Best-selling author Jody Hedlund's Out of the Storm is her first ever novella and introduces listeners to Beacons of Hope, a new series set in the 1800s amid the romance, history, and danger surrounding the Great Lakes lighthouses of Michigan.
©2014 Jody Hedlund (P)2018 Two Words Publishing, LLC
An Awakened Heart: An Orphan Train Novella
Summary
Trying to heal the ache she feels in her empty life, wealthy Christine Pendleton decides to volunteer at Centre Street Chapel. Ministering to one of the most deprived parts of New York City, the chapel aims to make a difference in the lives of the impoverished immigrants flooding the city. After seeing firsthand the hopelessness of the poor women and orphans, Christine is convinced more can be done to help them. Guy Bedell has been serving at the chapel and pouring his heart out for the people he's grown to care about. When Christine begins to challenge his methods and offers a new vision for reaching out to the community, can he trust that perhaps God has bigger plans in store for him - plans that may include this feisty socialite?
©2017 Jody Hedlund (P)2018 Two Words Publishing LLC
A Daring Sacrifice
Summary
A reverse twist on the Robin Hood story filled with romance, adventure, twists, and turns, a treat for all fans of historical fiction and medieval stories, featuring a strong female character who can kick butt in a cloak. For three years, the Cloaked Bandit has terrorized Wessex, robbing the nobility by knifepoint and a well-placed arrow. But little does anyone know, this bandit is in fact Juliana Wessex, the rightful ruler of the land, and a girl her tyrannical uncle - the current Lord Wessex - believes was killed along with father. Juliana has become skilled at hiding from Lord Wessex in the forest, using her stolen goods to provide food and shelter to the peasants her uncle has taxed into poverty. But when she robs Collin Goodrich, her red hair betrays her true identity. Lord Collin remembers Juliana from their childhood - and challenges her to stay on his estate for a week in hopes she will leave her thieving ways and become a proper lady once more. Juliana is intrigued by Collin and his charms, but only time will tell if he can overcome her distaste of the nobility - as well as win her heart. A Daring Sacrifice: Is a medieval, clean, YA romance novel by Judy Hedlund. Features a strong female heroineIs a reverse twist on the Robin Hood story, featuring a female Robin Hood-type lead. Is a perfect mix of romance and action and adventure. Is the second book in the An Uncertain Choice series.
©2016 Jody Hedlund (P)2016 Zondervan
Undaunted Hope
Summary
Tessa Taylor arrives in 1870s Upper Peninsula, Michigan, planning to serve as a new teacher to the town. Much to her dismay, however, she immediately learns that there was a mistake, that the town had requested a male teacher. Percival Updegraff, superintendent and chief mine clerk, says she can stay through winter since they won't be able to locate a new teacher before then, and Tessa can't help but say she is in his debt. Little does she know that Percival will indeed keep track of all that she owes him. Determined to become indispensable, Tessa throws herself into teaching, and soon the children of the widowed lighthouse keeper have decided she's the right match for their grieving father. Their uncle and assistant light keeper, Alex Bjorklund, has his own feelings for Tessa. As the two brothers begin competing for her hand, Tessa increasingly feels that someone is tracking her every move, and she may not be able to escape the trap that has been laid for her.
©2016 Jody Hedlund (P)2017 Jody Hedlund
The Preacher's Bride
Summary
No matter the sacrifice, Elizabeth Whitbread would serve a wounded family. No matter the danger, John Costin was determined to speak God’s word. Neither expected to fall in love. As enemies threaten to silence Costin - and those close to him - will following their hearts cost John and Elizabeth everything?
©2010 Jody Hedlund (P)2011 Oasis
Newton and Polly
Summary
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Now remembered as the author of the world's most famous hymn, in the mid-18th century, as England and France stand on the brink of war, John Newton was a young sailor wandering aimlessly through life. His only duty was to report to his ship and avoid disgracing his father - until the night he heard Polly Catlett's enchanting voice caroling. He was immediately smitten and determined to win her affection. An intense connection quickly formed between the two, but John's reckless spirit and disregard for the Christian life were concerns for the responsible, devout Polly. When an ill-fated stop at a tavern left John imprisoned and bound, Polly had to choose to either stand by his side or walk out of his life forever. Would she forfeit her future for the man she loved? Step back through history to uncover the true love story behind a song that continues to stir the hearts and ignite the faith of millions around the globe.
©2016 Jody Hedlund (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Hearts Made Whole
Summary
Windmill Point, Michigan, 1865. Can she forgive the hurting man who costs her the role she loves? After her father's death, Caroline Taylor has grown confident running the Windmill Point lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, women aren't supposed to have such roles, so it's only a matter of time before the lighthouse inspector appoints a new keeper - even though Caroline has nowhere else to go and no other job available to her. Ryan Chambers is a Civil War veteran still haunted by the horrors of battle. He's secured the position of lighthouse keeper mostly for the isolation - the chance to hide from his past is appealing. He's not expecting the current keeper to be a feisty and beautiful woman who's angry with him for taking her job and for his inability to properly run the light. When his failings endanger others, he and Caroline realize he's in no shape to run the lighthouse, but he's unwilling to let anyone close enough to help. Caroline feels drawn to this wounded soul, but with both of them relying on that single position, can they look past their loss to a future filled with hope...and possibly love?
©2016 Jody Hedlund (P)2016 Jody Hedlund