Falling In Love With Her Husband

by Ruth Ann Nordin

Todd Brothers loves Ann Statesman with a love that is tender and passionate. He would do anything for her, so when she asks him to take her with him to Jamestown, North Dakota, his heart cannot refuse her, though he knows she marries him to get out of Virginia where the memory of Kent Ashton and Rebecca Johnson's engagement will finally escape her mind.

Todd hopes that given time, she will learn to love him, so he determines to be the kind of husband God wants him to be. In his desire to be patient for her heart to open up to him, he allows her to wait until she's ready before consummating their marriage, for he longs for her to want him. Though the waiting period is rough, he learns that love means putting her needs before his own. Just as Jesus Christ is patient with His bride, the Church, Todd will be patient with her.

Just when he believes she has finally given her heart fully to him, Kent returns and threatens to shatter the hopes he had that she might want to be with him instead of Kent. When he sees her kissing Kent, he wishes to believe that Kent forced the kiss, but can he dare to hope she tells the truth and does love him? Or will their fragile marriage be torn apart?

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Westerns, Western Romance, Marriage, Historical Fiction

286 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2007

About the author

What's to say? I write a lot. I read often. I sleep little. Once in awhile, I've been known to clean the house. A number of kids live in my house and there's this guy they call dad and I call husband. All in all, it's a pretty good life. :-)

Reviews

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Todd Brothers has been in love with Ann Statesman since childhood but she never gave him a second thought until she was jilted by a newcomer Casanova. In order to live the life he wanted he went against what was expected of him and his father to become a farmer. Wallowing in self pity Ann convinces Todd to marry her and take her with him to start a new adventure and life in North Dakota...the problem: he loved her but she definitely did not love him.

I loved Todd's character because throughout all her unrequited love for him he managed to be patient kind and loving towards Ann. I liked how the story developed to gradually show Ann's progression of love for Todd. I was happy to see that she eventually allowed her faith in God to help her fall deeply in love with her husband and see the loving person that he has always been while growing up.

The story had its heartfelt moments, twists and a host of characters and friends that drew you in to loving the story to is HEA. I am a fan of Ruth Ann Nordin and totally enjoyed reading this story.

5 Stars

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

++SPOILERS+++

Reference: Same book as Todd's Bride"

4 stars.

I was surprised to find that this was written in 1st person, which is not typical for this author. I'm not a huge fan of 1st person POV's but I will admitt she did a great job of it.

As usual we have a sweet pefect hero who has been in love with the heorine since childhood. The heroine on the other hand only felt friendship towards him (at first) and thought herself in love with another (antagonist Kent). It wasn't until Kent stopped courting Ann (the heroine) for another, that Ann decided to marry and run away with Todd (hero). During their travels she begins to slowly fall in love with him, but there are many obstacles in their way..one of them is Kent who chases after Ann in hopes of getting her back.

I enjoyed the story, it was a relaxing comfort read for me. I lowered a star because a few things seemed a bit far fetched, by all in all I really enjoyed it.

Safety:

Hero & Heroine (virgins. First only and last)
Cheating-No
OM/OW- Kent the h's former beau tries to get h back, but she refuses. He forcfully kisses her but she escapes him.
Violence-no
Sex- (within marriage) Yes.. very well done.
Cursing-No
Abuse/torture/rape-No to all
HEA ILY-Yes
Marriage baby-Yes
Adultery-no
Preachy-Not in my opinion

[Mabrouki Khawla · Rating 5 out of 5]

« Falling in love with her husband » is a novel written by Ruth Ann Nordin. She is an author who writes big series of Romance books. This woman is very creative in this field since she convinced me with her wonderful style of narrating to enjoy more reading romantic novels.
This novel belongs to a very fantastic literary stream, which is romance. The author applied the traditional way of writing by using the chronological way in narrating events. Further than that, Ruth uses a smarter way in telling the story by letting the characters speak to the reader in each chapter with their point of view. It is a successful method to make the reader very close to events like he is watching them.
“Falling in love with her husband” contains twenty eight chapters; every chapter is a character’s point of view.
What is the title meaning?
“Falling in love with her husband “introduces the story directly because it takes the reader attention from the first time he sees the cover.
What is the novel about?
This novel has talked about how true lover could change the person he loves, even though their love is not reciprocal.
Who are the characters?

The characters of this novel are TODD & ANN who lived in the period of 1898 in Virginia. They are belonging to the most famous & rich families there.
Story Events:
The story starts by presenting each character, then presenting the families of Todd and Ann.
Todd and Ann families are friends. Todd is the only son with four sisters, Ann is the only daughter ; she does not have brothers or sisters. As a reason, she always visits Todd’s house to play with his young sister “Agnes”, she likes her because she seems like her sister. Todd and Ann were at the same high school. Ann did not like to talk to Todd ,even though their families are friends because Todd has a friend “ Alex” who enjoys doing pranks to girls. Todd loves Ann, His love for her start while they were kids.But, Ann does not show him any interest. One day a handsome guy came from New York to Virginia, he would study at the same high school where Ann & Todd study. He steals Ann’s heart from the first impression she saw him. His name is “kent”.She falls in love with him as he was not like the other guys. He was very charming & he has a good way in behaving with women. Ann and Kent decided to courtship, even Ann’s parents did not accept kent.They would like their daughter to marry Todd because they know both him & his family. At the end they accept this marriage in order to make their daughter live happy, but Ann will not enjoy this decision too much. Kent decided to marry another woman & let her down. She suffered because she did not know the reason that pushes Kent to hurt her in that way. In the day of Kent’s wedding, Todd decided to tell Ann that he loves her & he would do anything to make her the happiest woman. Moreover, he told her that he is going to leave Virginia & travel to North Dakota where he will start a new life because he likes farming, but his father wants him to be a banker & does not let him make a choice about his path. Ann was still injured that is why she decided to marry him & leave Virginia the night of the wedding even though she does not love Todd.
They left Virginia and arrived to North Dakota after a long trip. Todd told Ann that he would not consummate their marriage, till she would be ready. After many weeks, Todd faced a lot of troubles in his work at the bank in the town. He worked there to acquire enough money for his farming equipments .Ann starts feeling that Todd does his best to comfort her so that she learns many things about cooking and washing…etc. Furthermore, she bears all the responsibilities.
The way Todd acts with Ann makes her gets closer to him.However; she starts caring about him, and finally loves Todd. She all forgets about her past with Kent. She made a decision to start a new beginning with Todd and give herself a chance to love Todd.
Todd and Ann start enjoying their life, until Kent arrived to the town & bothered the spouses’ harmony. This event makes Todd felt nervous. He was afraid that might Ann would return back with him. Ann comforted him & promised not to go with Kent because she loves him.
Everything was going ok with Todd and Ann. whatever they want come true, Ann get pregnant, Ann’s family moved to North Dakota, they had a cute baby…etc.
The last chapter was emotional because it was Christmas day, when Todd’s parents came & the father apologized to his son for not letting him choose the job he likes. The family has celebrated Christmas day in an eternal happiness.
What I like more about this love story the idea of not giving up whatever the circumstances would turn to be, not only in making someone love you, but in all life experiences. We have to be patient & keep on trying, until we obtain our objectives. I also do appreciate this man because he did not stop loving Ann, Despite the fact of knowing that Ann does not love him & love another man.
((If only I could find a person who will treat me the same as Todd treats Ann.)) ^_*
Quotes I like in the novel:
“Marriage is more than fleeting emotions”(p.21)
“Tears were not allowed in front of others”(P.24)
“Discomfort is a small price to pay for beauty”(p.41)
“Some people marry for love, some for money, and some are forced into it”(P.49)
“Someone who has not studied the trails will get lost”(p.49)

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet with some steam

This was a surprising read; pleasantly so. I read this because it was dual virgins and I love that in a romance. I wasn’t expecting much since it’s a Christian romance and they’re Usually dry as dust and lacking in passion but this one actually had some steamy bits.

It was a very sweet read with a hero who loves the heroine long before she loves him. She is infatuated with a more charming and charismatic guy and while there’s no physical intimacy between them, she welcomes his attentions and expects to marry him. When he dumps her for another woman, the h marries the hero to escape seeing the OM and his new girl. The reason she marries him is selfish, which admits to herself. She knows he loves her and she knows he will be a good husband to her.

Slowly she discovers that her solid, stable, shy husband is the true hero and a man worthy of love and devotion.

Safe-ish. Double virgins, but OM drama. Hero has only loved heroine. Heroine “loves” OM and ignores hero. No cheating or abuse whatsoever. HEA with epilogue

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story about a man and a woman making a new life for themselves in North Dakota. He was escaping from a life and a job working for his father's bank which he hated. She was escaping from a former love who broke her heart. I liked how the heroine Ann was finally able to realize that marriage is more than just two people loving each other, and that love is a choice as well as an emotion. Both of them had some growing up to do.

While it wasn't an angst ridden read, it was a satisfying read and I enjoyed it very much. Having just visited the Dakotas last year gave me a good idea of the landscape and hardships they endured.

[Farzaneh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it for improving my English skills of reading and comprehension. It is simple sweet ending story !

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling In Love With Her Husband is a wonderful story about a girl who uses a childhood friend who loves her to get her away from a situation she doesn’t want to be in. Little does she know that the boy she grew up next door to, and considered somewhat boring would turn out to be such a wonderful man.

This love story had me enraptured from start to finish. The way Ruth Ann described the landscape and the era had me totally immersed to the point that I felt I was actually there, leaning against the door frame watching Ann’s disastrous attempts at keeping house after having servants do everything for her, or watching as Todd lived his dream with Ann by his side.

I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good romance. It is such a feel good story, it will lift your spirits.

[Dwayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Eye of the Beholder and is slightly cliche.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful charming story about courage and finding love in unlikely place. Another great read!

[Donna Kemper · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give it a zero star rating, I would. Awful. Just awful. With so many wonderful books to read, skip this one.

[Cayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a lovely book about making hard choices as an individual and as a married couple. The choice Ann made was hard because she left behind the easy life she had for a more challenging life with her husband. She really didn't love him in the manner he deserved, but she knew he loved her.

As for Todd, he is unlike most other male characters in the fiction world. He seems to have this insurmountable amount of patience in waiting for his wife to grow to love him. Guys today wouldn't wait long for that. Most would have annulled or divorced their spouse out of frustration. Todd shows that sometimes good things come to those who wait. And it was worth the wait.

Having said all this, I really want to be fair. So many people today do not choose to love the person they vowed to be with until death. Ruth Ann Nordin doesn't give them an easy marriage. It's a very slow progression, but considering the circumstances, I think it's reasonable. I hope more readers will feel inspired by this novel to appreciate their spouses and their marriage.

[SUMAN JOHN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Worth the read.

[Natalie F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, sweet read

Ruth is one of my favorite authors. The book is good but honestly not as good as her others. I did enjoy it though.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling in Love with her Husband is a beautiful book on love and courage written by Ruth Ann Nordin who wrote similarly touching love stories, such as the Eye of the Beholder and His Redeeming Bride.

For $0.99 (or less than Php 50) on Kindle, I read Falling in Love with her Husband one whole Sunday afternoon. It was certainly worth it.

The story revolves around Ann Statesman and Todd Brothers who elope to North Dakota for different reasons—Ann to escape the pain from a recent heartbreak and Todd to pursue his dream to be a farmer. Obviously, Ann does not love Todd at first because her heart and mind are set on someone else by the name of Ken. But Todd loves Ann ever since she taught him how to play Solitaire when they were 16.

With wealthy parents who are close to each other, Ann and Todd grow up together, surrounded and served with servants and chaperones. As they reach 17 years old they, they begin to feel the pressures of the society—Ann has to get married while Todd, the only boy in the family, has to carry on his father’s work as the owner of a bank.

On their last year in school, Ann meets Kent who is all sweet eyes on her. Ann is immediately smitten while Todd decided he lost his chance to court the girl. Ann is in love at this point and Todd pursues his plan to run away after their graduation to the farm he bought in North Dakota.

Some weeks before the graduation, just when everyone is expecting Ann and Kent to tie the knot, Kent stops his courting and tells Ann he is engaged to Rebecca, another schoolmate. Obviously, the announcement hurt Ann. And although she wants to stay in her room all day to grieve, her understanding parents encourage her to continue attending social gatherings.

After one of the dinners at Todd’s house, Todd finally confesses to Ann his feelings and tells her of his plans to go to North Dakota. Ann, in pain, asks Todd to marry her and bring her with him. After much persuasion, Todd agreed.

And their new life as a married couple in a new land with a beautiful landscape proves to be a challenging and daunting journey for these two adolescents who, admiringly, act mature, responsible, and content, despite having grown up much provided for. So, after several trials at cooking, accusation of theft, financial problems, and the threats of a former boyfriend, among others, these two individuals prove to themselves, if not to the reader, that they are stronger than they think—stronger to choose to love each other and be happy.

Falling in Love with her Husband is a good story, despite the fact that I have reservations about their age and how, at their age, they were able to cope with the difficulties; they have not yet reached their twenties. Still, the time was different (1960 or 70s perhaps) and, after all, maturity is not determined by age; for me, it’s measured by experience and passion.

Like in some other stories on love I have read, Falling in Love with Her Husband shares lessons on building trust and keep it. Real relationships can be fragile because trust is fragile. For me, trust is born from honesty and honest is born from open and constant communication. Though simple as this may sound, if one element in the formula—communication, for instance—is broken, then there is little hope for a long-lasting relationship. I keep telling myself that relationships need constant repair, especially when we meet different people and obstacles everyday, which affect, in one way or another, our relationships.

Let us learn from Ann and Todd, and other heroes and heroines in other stories who found true love because they honestly communicate and trust each other amid seemingly impossible trials they encounter.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a bit long and the story didn’t really have a great climax ending but it was still sweet. I really liked the couple, it was cute to see them having to grow up and grow together on their own. Glad the author made the story faith based but didn’t skimp on the chemistry and sex like other books do. There is a ton of sex in the Bible it’s okay for two married characters to do it too. Good for people who want the Christian aspects but don’t want to feel cheated outta sex.

[Lyngay Hemsath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faith and love are actions to be shown.

Action speck loudly in this story. Many decisions cave selfish and expectations are not always God's plans for us. Living with choices and praying about it, is examples seen throughout the story. I would hope that others could follow these characters by their examples of marriage, love, faith and patience. Well written!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling in Love with Her Husband
Todd Brothers wants to be a farmer, not a banker. His father owns the bank in Richmond, Virginia and has been training Todd to take over it one day. Out of seven children, Todd is the only son so there is more pressure on him to step into dad's shoes one day. Todd has been in love with Ann Statesman for two years. Their families are friends and his sister is Ann's best friend so he they are around each other often. He finally gets the nerve to ask if he can court her when she falls for the new guy in town, Kent Ashton.
Ann is crushed when Kent suddenly drops her for Rebecca, a schoolmate. And then Todd, who has always been around, tells her he is going to North Dakota to be a farmer when school ends in three weeks. Since Ann cannot stand seeing Kent and Rebecca together, she decides to ask Todd to marry her and take her with him to North Dakota.
It don't set right with Todd about marrying Ann and leaving that very night rather than waiting for the three weeks but he could never refuse her anything.
Ann does not want the marriage completed though. Being with someone he loves but is not loved in return and on top of that he has to work in the bank in Jamestown to earn the rest of the money to buy what he needs for their farm, it drags Todd down. As well as the fact that Ann is now a farmer's wife and she has never had to lift a finger to do any work. Now she must learn to cook, clean and wash!
Todd's father has disowned him and won't allow contact from his mother or sisters and Ann is an only child and her parents do still care about her and they come to visit.
Will Ann be able to see the love Todd has for before it's too late?

They have to learn to do everything. Cooking, cleaining and laundry. They had both had servants growing up. Ann found she truly did love living out here on the farm.

When word comes that Kent is coming for her and they are still at a point that their marriage can be annulled, Todd fears he will lose the love of his life.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Todd knows his father planned on him taking over the bank in Richmond Virginia where he grew up but he felt God leading him to Jamestown North Dakota to be a farmer. He was in love with Ann, his sisters best friend, but she loved another and even when Kent dropped her for another he knew that Ann still loved Kent and not him. So he would go to North Dakota alone.

When he told Ann he was leaving after they graduated and that he loved her but knew she did not love him, Ann decided to beg him to marry her and take her with that very night. He could deny her nothing and even though he knew she was escaping seeing Kent and Rebecca together, he did marry her.

They had to learn to do things that their servants always did for them, the basics of cooking cleaning and laundry. Ann met a neighbor, Barbara, who helped her learn.

Todd's father disowned him and would not allow Agnes, his sister and Ann's best friend, to contact them.

Great story.

[Tumpale · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read a fluff novel I didn't like... I wish that Ms Nordin hadn't merged two different novels into a single one. Flipping between the protagonists was aggravating and I didn't really feel like I got to know who Ann and Todd were as people. No. I lie. The one thing I learned about them is that they didn't learn how to communicate with each other as they grew into their relationship. If I weren't reading this at work, I would be yelling and throwing things in anger. *disappointed sigh*

[Judy Lavik · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all

The title says it all

Ann is a foolish young girl who falls for the wrong boy. When he breaks her heart, she decides to marry Todd, a nice boy who treats her well and has loved her for years. Her parents approve of him and better yet, he's heading west to become a farmer. She won't have to see her former love and his new fiancee all over town. Not the best start to a marriage but it's fun to watch these two find their way to their Happily Ever After.

[Shelley Chastagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of Ruth Ann's best! Originally two separate book the author has rewritten it to create one wonderful story. The steadfast love of Todd for Ann will speak to your heart. Ann has to face her anger and bitterness at being jilted by another and chooses to marry Tom to escape. Tom's patience, acceptance and love eventually win Ann's heart. This is a book you'll want to read again and again. Adult content, so not a read for younger audiences.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. Todd and Ann were rally good together (by the middle). Ann was a little annoying in the beginning, but then she's a teenager and I guess I was annoying when I was that age too. I read Eye of the Beholder 1st and loved it so I came back and bought this one. I enjoyed it too! It was a nice, romantic read, I'm happy I bought it.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that takes a bit of concentration to read. The "speaker" changes with every chapter. Which is probably the best way to get this story told. The main characters take awhile to warm up to each other but things have a way of working out for the best even if it doesn't follow the persons plans.

[M.M. Roethig · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet romantic book. I enjoyed the plot and I fell in love with the Todd and Ann. This was a quick read, but it was a wonderful Sunday afternoon pick-me-up! I love reading Ruth Ann Nordin's books for a quick, sweet, romantic break!

[Melisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. BUT the boldness of the Ann for a lady of her time and some of the love scenes were a little to modern. I loved the story even though I was thinking it's ok for them to be a little reserved.

[J Coulter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gw suka bgt tipe buku kayak gini, SAM, MoC, terus settingnya jaman baheula.
Yang dimana kalo jaman dulu, nilai2 moral masih tinggi, dan orang2nya ga se-promiscuous sekarang.
Good story-lah

[Elaine Diehl-Postma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, worth the read.

[Gigi Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a favorite of mine. To much repeating of some thoughts, it just didn't draw me into the story. This book is part of my Nook library.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story, but not as well as some of her other book. Especially the Nebraska &South Dakota series.

[Krishna Thorat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read.