Proper English governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies to escape the wrath of a brute of an employer. When the Charles Town family she’s to work for never arrives to collect her from the dock, she is forced to settle for the only reputable choice remaining to her—marriage to a man she’s never met. Trapper and tracker Samuel Heath is a hardened survivor used to getting his own way by brain or by brawn, and he’s determined to find a mother for his young daughter. But finding a wife proves to be impossible. No upstanding woman wants to marry a murderer.
Review
Ms. Griep is a bit of a hit or miss author for me. This was a hit.
What I liked:
The time period. There’s a lot of historical fiction out there, but not a whole lot that takes place prior to the American Revolution. I enjoyed the set up of Native Americans, endentured servants, and that push and pull between being British and being American.
The premise. It was the marriage of convenience storyline that made me want this book. They can be done really poorly, but I was a fan of the way this one was done. Mostly.
Culturally diversity. I am always a fan of cultural diversity and there is plenty of that here.
Eleanor and Samuel. I liked both of them. I will admit that I could see why Eleanor fell for Samuel, but not so much why Samuel fell for Eleanor. That said, I did enjoy the fact that when certain secrets were revealed, they chose to work together as a team as opposed to accusing each other. I liked experiencing this world through the eyes of proper Eleanor and experiencing the world through the eyes of a man of that world.
Spiritually, both characters have a relationship with Christ and learn to walk out their faith in difficult circumstances.
What I didn’t like:
99% of the ‘problems’ that the main characters faced was due to lack of communication. I realize it wouldn’t be common in those days for husbands to share everything with their wives, but still, so many things could have been avoided.
Romantic scale: 8
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t perfect, but it was still really good.
**I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**
remaininhislove 