I'm not sure why I requested this, except I was on a requesting binge at the time. I'm not a fan of Diane Chamberlain....nothing against her writing, it's just not for me. I'm sure this story is lovely, but it's not for me.

"It is 1944. Pregnant, alone, and riddled with guilt, twenty-three-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly gives up her budding career as a nurse and ends her engagement to the love of her life, unable to live a lie. Instead, she turns to the baby’s father for help and agrees to marry him, moving to the small, rural town of Hickory, North Carolina. Tess’s new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows her no affection. Tess quickly realizes she’s trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.

The people of Hickory love and respect Henry but see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain. When one of the town’s golden girls dies in a terrible accident, everyone holds Tess responsible. But Henry keeps his secrets even closer now, though it seems that everyone knows something about him that Tess does not."

Another great novel from Diane Chamberlain, completely understand the era of 1944 and taking the reader on a journey through that time in history and all the trials and tribulations that came with it.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

One of my must read authors. I think I have read everything she's written, which is quite a bit! She always manages to create new, interesting characters and compelling storylines.

It's been a while since I picked up a Chamberlain book, and I really can't even say why, because this book was awesome! What a bizarre, stunning, sad glimpse into the history of race in the South. I can't say that I found Tess of the first half of the book to be very likeable, BUT the rest of the book was enough that it kept me going even when she annoyed me, and everything came together so incredibly well. Truly exceptional story telling.

Thid book drew me right into it. I really felt like that could be me, young, pregnant and scared. Lots of tears on my side.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I am going to be totally honest, when I started this novel Tess was FRUSTRATING me to no end and I just wanted to shake her due to all the stupid decisions she kept making! However, I stuck with the novel and it was very much worth it.

I liked how various mysteries slowly unfolded in this novel as well has having some real world situations occur, as there really was a Polio hospital set up in Hickory! This gave a good viewpoint into the different day and age of the 1940s concerning homosexuality and even interracial marriages as World War II continued to carry on. Also, Tess was from Balitmore and I do appreciate how very different and seemingly old fashioned the south seemed to her with having grown up completely different.

Some parts of this novel were a bit predictable and the stunning situation near the end of the novel, I had already guessed so it didn't seem to be such a ta da moment for me. Regardless, this was actually a very enjoyable novel and I would absolutely recommend it and just advise push through the first few chapters where you want to slap some sense into Tess!!! I promise, sense finally comes to her.

Diane Chamberlain is a gifted storyteller. The Stolen Marriage sucked me right into 1940's Hickory, NC. Being a native North Carolinian myself, I enjoy when a book is set in my home state, in a location familiar to me. Granted, North Carolina was a much different place in the era of the book. I feel like I learned a valuable lesson about humanity and how fragile our happiness is. The characters in The Stolen Marriage are incredibly real and honest, and that is why this book shines, in my opinion. The plot is also intriguing, but for me watching what unfolds for Tess and co. is what motivated me to finish this book in 2 sittings.
4 stars

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.

The Stolen Marriage takes place in the mid-1940's and features Tess DeMello, a young Catholic Italian girl from Baltimore, Maryland. Tess is initially engaged to an aspiring physician, but when he ends up away from Baltimore for many months, Tess takes a short vacation with her best friend and ends up making a decision that will have disastrous consequences on her relationship. Tess ends up moving to Hickory, North Carolina where she marries Henry Kraft and is folded into their affluent Southern family lifestyle, albeit begrudgingly by Henry's family.

I absolutely loved this book. This was my book club's June selection and I was so thrilled that once I started the story, I didn't want to put the book down. I have a special interest in stories that are set in North Carolina since I'm from here, but for some reason I had never read any of Diane Chamberlain's novels before.

I was absolutely, completely submersed in this setting. 1940's rural Hickory, North Carolina was not an easy transition for Tess because of her background and where she came from, and I'm convinced that Henry's family made every single step as difficult as possible for her. They treated her so terribly, and honestly they made me so angry every time they were on the pages - especially his mother. However--I find their behavior totally believable considering my experiences with some of the people that I know from rural areas and generations before mine. I would like to think that we (as a state) have moved far, far beyond this type of treatment of individuals that are different than us, but sadly I do not think we have moved far enough from this bad behavior. It was because the Kraft family's actions were so believable to me that I felt so surrounded by this story, even though I really disliked them. I mean, I could totally see this family set-up happening over and over in 1940's North Carolina and even in the years after.

I also loved the polio-part of the story here. I had no idea about how devastating the polio epidemic was in this area of the country and I had no idea how awesomely the people of Hickory would come together to help out. In this story, the community came together and began a functioning hospital for those with polio, and they did it in about 54 hours. I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THIS, and when I went to the internet to read more about it, I felt so proud and amazed. Being a nurse myself, I can only imagine how difficult all of this was and how long the hours were for the nurses, other medical staff, and support staff that volunteered their time.

There is a little bit of suspense and mystery thrown in too. I think this part of the story was much less prominent throughout the novel until towards the end. And even though I didn't find the mystery as compelling as those that I normally read, I was still invested 100% in the outcome.

I LOVED THE OUTCOME, by the way.

Ms. Chamberlain did such a great job blending race, culture, religion, and other socioeconomic issues and struggles in this book. I could see the entire thing in my head while I was reading, which I loved. I'm so, so excited that I have more of this author's work to read - her entire backlist is just waiting for me. That is hours and hours of good reading ahead, so exciting!

I enjoy Diane Chamberlain. Her stories are well crafted and I can always connect with the characters. This book was no exception. It's an enjoyable read and I'll continue to look forward to her books!

In the past, I have really enjoyed many of Chamberlain's other novels, but I felt as though her writing style has gone downhill the past few years.

This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well written characters. I would recommend this story to all suspense lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book! There isn’t anything that Diane Chamberlain could write that I wouldn’t love! I love that The Stolen Marriage is set in the 40s. Chamberlain does a great job telling Tess’s story-very inspiring!

I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was a little unsure about this book when I read the description, but I'm glad I wasn't deterred. I picked this book up on a work trip and then put it down for a few months, but when I started reading again, I got caught up in the story of Tess, who makes one drunken mistake and winds up married to a total stranger. Her carefully planned life falls apart and she struggles to find a place in her new reality and with her husband and husband's family. A compelling read from start to finish.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain novel and it did not disappoint! I gave it 4/5 stars. Going into this I wasn't sure what to expect but I will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future. TW: Rape.

Things I enjoyed about this book. I loved the setting and the time period. I loved that Tess instead of just becoming a housewife wanted to pave her own way. I loved the history of the Polio Epidemic, I learned quite a bit. I loved how everything came full circle.

The things i didn't love which made up the main theme of the book was Tess getting drunk and being taken advantage of resulting in an unwanted pregnancy. I found myself getting really angry with Tess for making a series of poor decisions after the pregnancy was confirmed. I hated the shaming and victim blaming. I realize this was set in the 1940's and this is likely what would have happened it was just hard to read. Tess went from a very likable character to a very miserable character for a good chunk of the book. Everything sorted itself out in the end and I did enjoy it overall I just had some issues with some things.

It’s 1943 and Tess DeMello’s world is centered on getting her nurses license and marrying the love of her life but Vincent has left Baltimore for a temporary physician assignment in Chicago. She realizes that this is for his career and is patiently waiting and dreaming of the day when they can work side-by-side but the weeks turn to months. When her best friend suggests that they go to Washington, D.C. little does Tess know that this trip will change the course of her carefully laid-out plans.

Tess leaves her hometown and goes to Hickory, North Carolina to marry Henry Kraft, the town’s most eligible bachelor. She is willing to make the best of their situation and Henry seems like an honorable man but his kindness is about the only she’ll receive. His family, who they’ll live with for a while, is less than thrilled at having her in their home. They don’t know what to make of her with her dark looks, Italian background and Catholic faith.

There are confrontations because Tess is not willing to lose all of herself as she is determined to still pursue her nursing career. Her husband at time seems like a man of many secrets and she doesn’t know if they’ll ever have the kind of love she’s dreamt of but all she can do is think of the future and try not to think too much of all that she’s lost.

When a polio epidemic hits the town, everyone must pitch in to help. Tess will be able to put her nursing skills to good use and at the same time confront the past.

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought the author did a great job of giving the reader a sense of place and showing what it must have been like for women forging a path for themselves and how costly it was for a woman to make one mistake. What I didn’t like as much was the ending. I just felt like the actions weren’t true to the main characters and I was a bit disappointed by that. Still if you enjoy women’s fiction and family dramas I would recommend this one.

Diane Chamberlain is one of the best in my opinion! This is the 8th book by her that I have read and it may very well be my favorite. The story is so well crafted and paced so perfectly. It was one of those books that I couldn't wait to finish, but at the same time did not want it to be over. The choice that Tess had to make was heartbreaking and I felt so connected to her throughout the whole novel. I enjoyed reading about the polio clinic and was so saddened that this took so many lives. I don't want to say much more, other than pick up this book, you won't be sorry. I have already recommended it to several friends and they are loved it just as much as I did!

* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Having recently finished “The Stolen Marriage” by Diane Chamberlain, I am happy to have had the chance for the preview; thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press.

Secrets and lost love. Although set in the WWII era, the war wasn't much of the focus at all. The polio epidemic that was being fought on the home front and the constant southern "in" hospitality Tess was subjected too made this an interesting and emotional story about overcoming adversity.

if you enjoy books about being strong and show what we all know women are capable of, this is defiantly a good book for you!
Its very different than what i expected from it, but that is a positive development in this case and i really enjoyed this book and recommend it

This was a great read. It shown another woman being brave during World War II and has been one of the best reads in this genre of books.