The Seamstress of Acadie by Laura Frantz ~ a book review

 

Once again, Laura Frantz gives us a story that transports us to another time and place. The time is the middle of the 1700’s and the place is the Canadian shores of Acadie.  Sylvie Galant’s family have lived in Acadie for decades.  It is a peace loving community that strives to remain neutral in the struggle between the French and the British who both want control of the area.  Sylvie is content to use her sewing skills for her community and tend her beloved apple orchard.

William Blackburn, is a notorious soldier, feared by many, who is tasked with the job of securing Acadie for the British.  When he realizes that his government has mislead him about their plans for the area and it’s residents, he resigns his position and ends up in Virginia.

While some of Sylvie’s family and friends form a resistance, she and most of her family end up being forced from their home and imprisoned. She is separated from her parents and suffers a horrendous voyage on a rickety prison ship.  Facing the realization that most of her family is dead, she ends up as an indentured woman in the same settlement in Virginia. 

This is from the publisher’s website:

“In a land torn apart by conflict, can love mend the tattered pieces?

As 1754 is drawing to a close, tensions between the French and the British on Canada's Acadian shore are reaching a fever pitch. Seamstress Sylvie Galant and her family--French-speaking Acadians wishing to remain neutral--are caught in the middle, their land positioned between two forts flying rival flags. Amid preparations for the celebration of Noël, the talk is of unrest, coming war, and William Blackburn, the British Army Ranger raising havoc across North America's borderlands.

As summer takes hold in 1755 and British ships appear on the horizon, Sylvie encounters Blackburn, who warns her of the coming invasion. Rather than participate in the forced removal of the Acadians from their land, he resigns his commission. But that cannot save Sylvie or her kin. Relocated on a ramshackle ship to Virginia, Sylvie struggles to pick up the pieces of her life. When her path crosses once more with William's, they must work through the complex tangle of their shared, shattered past to navigate the present and forge an enduring future.”

While the first half of the book seems sad, the second half of the book speaks to overcoming hardships while still maintaining hope through faith.  Sylvie and William begin to recognize their growing feelings for each other and the author does a wonderful job of taking us along on their courtship journey.

A really fun thing is that characters from another of the author’s books pop up in this book.

It is very evident that the author researches the history, customs, events and locations that help draw the reader into the story.

Her books never fail to deliver a wonderful experience.

 Go HERE to read an excerpt 

Go HERE to learn more about Laura Frantz 

 

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz - a book review

 

Set primarily in Scotland in the early 1700’s, this historically accurate book is based on the author’s own family ancestry. That’s the first thing I loved about it.  The second is how the characters are totally reliant on their faith in God, even though they are different denominations.  Everard Hume, Lord Wedderburn, is protestant while Lady Blythe Hedley is a devout Catholic.  Through their love of God, they are able to accept and even embrace their differences. Besides the differences in their religions, they are also on opposite sides politically.  Her family supports the Jacobian cause while his is loyal to the monarch of Great Britain, King George I. Who, by the way, spoke German, not English, as I learned from this book.  The third thing I loved about this book was the author’s obvious attention to historical facts, customs, and language.

 

The plot of the story and the characters are very interesting.  You are slowly drawn into the story and become invested in the outcome.   That is my one “con” concerning this book.  It is very slow in the beginning.  This is not a book that you can pick up and read in a couple of evenings.  You have to devote a good amount of time to read it.  About half way through it tends to pick up.

This is from the publisher’s website:

"In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Blythe quietly awaits the crowning of a new king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known.

No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with her maid in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible.

In this whirlwind of intrigue, ambitions, and shifting alliances, Blythe yearns for someone she can trust. But the same forces that draw her and Everard together also threaten to tear them apart.”

 Read an excerpt HERE

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a strong, faith based, historically accurate, Christian romance and who doesn’t mind devoting several hours to read it.

Learn more about Laura Frantz and her other books HERE  

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and Baker
Publishing Group through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

 

A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz ~ a book review

 

Another great story from this author.  However, it is not a quick read so be prepared to spend a lot of time on the historic Virginian coast.  She doesn’t waste a syllable, word, phrase, or description.  You are transported to a world of privateers, lighthouses, wharfs, schooners and chocolate.  Yes, chocolate.  Esmee Shaw is a chocolatier in colonial York Virginia.  The prologue takes us back to the foundation of the relationship between her and Captain Henri Lennox.  After a ten year separation, they meet again.   Esmee has accepted that she is, what in those times, was known as a spinster.  She has resigned herself to a life of being single. Henri has returned to complete the construction of the lighthouse that was their dream. 

This is from the publisher’s website:

“It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esmée Shaw is fighting her own battle of the heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she's never quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with her life.

Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmée. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty.

Can Esmée and Henri's shared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past and reunite them? “

The author does a great job of incorporating the character’s faith without being preachy.  Their individual faith carries them through many trying and dangerous situations.

There are many characters included in this story. All are relevant and important to the story. One of my favorites was Eliza, Esmee’s sister.  While Esmee is kind, gentle and doesn’t care about climbing the social ladder, Eliza is the opposite. The love between these very different sisters is heartwarming.

Go HERE to read an excerpt 

 

 Go HERE to learn more about Laura Frantz and her books

 

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and Baker
Publishing Group through their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”