The Preacher’s Bride

by Jody Hedlund Book 1 in the Hearts of Faith series.

First published 2010

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4.5(3,419)

England in the 1650s. Elizabeth Whitbread steps in to help the household of the recently widowed preacher John Costin, caring for his infant and children despite his reluctance to depend upon her. What begins as an act of practical charity gradually binds Elizabeth to a family whose religious convictions place it increasingly at odds with the authorities.

John’s uncompromising preaching makes him vulnerable as pressure grows on Nonconformists and unlicensed ministers. Inspired by the lives of John Bunyan and his second wife Elizabeth, the novel places a developing marriage within the dangers faced by dissenting Protestant communities, where imprisonment and political persecution could transform domestic choices into matters of conscience.