The Pelican Bride by Beth White

Overview:

ISBN-978-0-8007-2197-8

ISBN-978-1-4412-4547-2
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It is 1704 when Genevieve Gaillain and her sister board a French ship headed for the Louisiana colony as mail-order brides. Both have promised to marry one of the rough-and-tumble Canadian men in this New World in order to escape religious persecution in the Old World. Genevieve knows life won’t be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of beheading. But when she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer whose courageous stand for fair treatment of native peoples has made him decidedly unpopular in the young colony, Genevieve realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. And a secret she harbors could mean the undoing of the colony itself.

My Review: This was a great book, once the action started happening. The story line was familiar; it is very similar to the historical mail order bride stories. Each girl has a different story, and I'm glad the author did not try to write about all of their stories in one book! The historical time period is one that is quite new to me. I haven't read many, if any, books from the 1700s during the very beginning of American settlement. The author provided great historical detail, without going overboard. Because it was the first book in the series, I believe it took a lot longer to get into because the author had to set the background.

The author chose to jump between several different points of view: Genevieve Gaillain, Aimee Gaillain, Tristan Lanier, Nika, and Julian Dufresne. Because of this, I feel like I didn't get a good sense of the story until over half way through. You have to really pay attention to what you're reading to follow along well. However, the main characters of Genevieve and Tristan were very well written.

Overall, this is a story about love, faith, and bravery in a strange new world. I recommend it to any history buff who also loves fiction, as the author did a great job of blending the facts with the story. Also, I recommend reading the note to the reader at the end. The author provides a great amount of detail as to where her idea for the story came from, plus a whole lot more historical information.

**Thank you Revell Reads, for providing this book for free in exchange for my honest review as part of your blogging program.**

About the Author: 

I grew up in the South, specifically North Mississippi, which has a rich tradition of fostering writers, storytellers, and musicians. I’m fond of both music and literature, so I amuse myself by teaching chorus and piano in an inner-city public high school by day, while conducting a secret life as a romance writer by night.

Anyway, I find myself, after more than half the years I’ve been alive, still married to my last college boyfriend. He still makes me laugh, he still gives me the warm fuzzies, and he still checks my tires, so I guess I’ll keep him. We somewhat successfully raised two young adults, who are both married and have begun producing amazing grandchildren. My cup runneth over.

Anyone who wants to know more about me should read my books and my blog. I am something of a hermit In Real Life, except in the classroom and on my computer, but I am very much interested in what makes my readers tick. And what ticks them off. And what makes them smile. So please email me here. I promise to answer.