The Bride Ship

February 1, 2006
As governor of Nova Scotia, Sir Robert Kerr has worked hard to bring order to the Canadian colony. So when he receives word that a "bride ship" is sailing into Halifax Harbor, he plans on sending the shipload of strumpets back from whence they came. Mrs. Jocelyn Finch, the chaperone accompanying the ladies, not surprisingly takes offense at having her girls being labeled as "loose," and challenges the governor to a duel. After successfully beating Kerr at a game of chess, Jocelyn wins Kerr's reluctant cooperation for her plans to arrange suitable matches between her girls--all poor young Englishwomen--and the single men of Nova Scotia. Jocelyn does her best to include him in all the upcoming social functions, never once suspecting that Kerr might eventually change his mind about not being in the market for a wife himself. With her usual skill and wit, Hale puts a fresh, fun twist on the Regency historical.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)