Love's Fortune by Laura Frantz

Overview: With two very different horizons stretched out before her, one young woman stands on the cusp of an unknown future.

Sheltered since birth at her Kentucky home, Rowena "Wren" Ballantyne has heard only whispered rumors of her grandfather Silas's vast fortune and grand manor in Pennsylvania. When her father receives a rare letter summoning him to New Hope, Wren makes the journey with him and quickly finds herself in a whole new world--family members she's never met, dances she's never learned, and a new side to the father she thought she knew.

As she struggles to fit in during their extended stay, she finds a friend in James Sackett, the most valued steamship pilot of the Ballantynes' shipping line. Even with his help, Wren feels she may never be comfortable in high society. Will she go her own way . . . to her peril?

With her signature attention to historical detail and emotional depth, Laura Frantz brings 1850s Pennsylvania alive with a tender story of loss, love, and loyalty.

ISBN-13: 9780800720438
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Publication date: 9/16/2014
Series: The Ballantyne Legacy , #3
Pages: 400

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My Review: Laura Frantz is a great historical writer. Not only does she bring a story to life with her outstanding descriptions, she pulls the reader in with her characters and story. I felt as if I was transplanted back to a time in our history with her rich descriptions of the characters' dresses, parties, and atmosphere. 

The characters were well written. I really enjoyed getting to know each character, even those of Izannah and Malachi (they added extra depth to the story). Wren Ballantyne is a unique character, though her situation is not unique. She is thrust into a world she is not used to, and she struggles to find her place in it. Her faith continued to be strong in a world where God and His plans didn't fit in. James Sackett is another fascinating character. Generally, in these stories, Wren's character would fall in love with a servant or someone closer to what she was used to. James Sackett is different in that he can play the part of the well-bred gentleman, though his background is less than gentlemanly. I was a little disappointed in the romance aspect of the story. The author chose to focus  more on the feelings of each character in their situation, rather than the feelings growing between them. I felt their romance blossomed, then kind of hung in the background, until the end when the story was winding down.

The faith aspect of the story, on Wren's part, was strong. We know Wren is a believer who prays and seeks the Lord's guidance in a world where that's not the norm. Kind of lines up to what we currently live in, right? James, on the other hand, has little faith in God or time to learn more about him. I was disappointed in his coming to a greater faith in the story. It was hinted at, but never really expounded on. 

All in all, the story is aptly described as a "tender story of loss, love, and loyalty." I really enjoyed Laura Frantz' writing style, and will definitely be picking up another one of her books in the future!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book via Revell Reads in exchange for my honest review.*

About the Author:I was born and raised in Kentucky, living first in Ashland, Mammoth Cave, Bowling Green, and then Lexington. But my heart has always been in Berea, Madison County, the place my family has resided since the 18th-century. I came to know Christ there at the age of 12, was baptized, and spent my childhood roaming through the woods and swimming in the rivers of my books.

My earliest memories are of the public library, standing in front of shelves filled with those little biographies of famous historical figures like Daniel Boone and George Washington and Sacajawea. I began scribbling stories at age 7 and thankfully never stopped. My passion then and now is history and all the wonders of past centuries.

I attended college at Denison University in Ohio and also in England, living in a manor/castle and studying the American Revolution from the British perspective. Shakespeare and 18th-century literature form the backbone of my English degree. Strangely enough, I only took one creative writing class.

It was never a desire of mine to be published. I simply love to write for the sheer joy of writing – and that was enough. But as Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

I hope my books bless you.

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The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

As you all know, I've been participating in the Christian Fiction Bloggers "Book Cover Bingo" game on Goodreads. If you haven't joined Goodreads, I highly recommend it. I've connected with some many cool people in the various groups through Goodreads and learned about countless new authors. Anyway, I read The Colonel's Lady for the Book Cover Bingo locket cover. Here's my review!

Overview: Can love survive the secrets kept buried within a tormented heart?

Roxanna Rowan may be a genteel Virginia woman, but she is determined to brave the wilds of the untamed frontier to reach a remote Kentucky fort. Eager to reunite with her father, who serves under Colonel Cassius McLinn, Roxanna is devastated to find that her father has been killed on a campaign.

Penniless and out of options, Roxanna is forced to remain at the fort. As she spends more and more time with the fiery Colonel McLinn, the fort is abuzz with intrigue and innuendo. Can Roxanna truly know who the colonel is—and what he's done?

Immerse yourself in this powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness set in the tumultuous world of the frontier in 1779.

My Review:  I have been waiting for a chance to read this book since I received in for Christmas two years ago. I have heard so many good things about this author's books, and I wasn't disappointed. Let me start off by saying I generally tend to stay away from books so closely related to war and war-like times for personal reasons, so I was a little hesitant when I started reading this book and realized it was set in the middle of a war. However, as I got further into the book, the war faded from my mind because the author does such a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life. The plot is set in Kentucky at Fort Endeavor. The author gives such a rich description of life on the remote Kentucky fort that I felt like I was living in that time! The picture she painted was bleak and depressing at times, as I'm sure it was for some of the soldiers who were sent to the remote forts with no settlements near. 

The main characters, Roxanna Rowan and Colonel Cassius McLinn, were very well developed in my opinion. Because the author does not focus too much on the secondary characters, even though they were important to the story, I feel like I really got to know Roxie and Cass and could feel their emotions and love, as they did. There were times when I could have shaken both of them silly because of their stubbornness and hard-headed ways. I loved watching their lives unfold individually and together.

For a Christian novel, I was surprised as the amount of drinking that was done in the book. However, it was vitally important to the story. For one, the remoteness of the fort caused soldier morale to slip very easily. Giving the soldiers something to numb their pain was probably one of the only ways to keep their morale up. Second, it allowed the reader to really connect with the changes in Cass throughout the book. The author, by no means, glamorized the drunken state of things. Instead, she effectively showed the reader that drinking does nothing but numb the pain for a short time. The only thing that Cass could rely on to take the pain away and ease his guilt was God. The author does a fantastic job of showing both Cass' and Roxie's spiritual development.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would love to read more by this author!

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