Review: Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz

Love's Awakening (The Ballantyne Legacy #2)
By: Laura Frantz
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2042-1

Review:

Elinor "Ellie" Ballantyne, just twenty years old and the jewel of her father's heart, flees finishing school and the matchmaking mamas of Philadelphia society, hungry for home and purpose. She is determined to shed some measure of her sheltered upbringing and embrace the Ballantyne steel of her heritage, vowing to make her own way in the world. But much has changed in her absence, and Ellie is ill-prepared for the simmering tensions between the pro-slavery and abolitionist movement, nor the depth of her family's involvement in the latter. However, the greatest danger may hail from the most unexpected quarter -- losing her heart to the son of the enemy -- the engmatic, and wholly unsuitable, Jack Turlock.

The rivalry between the Ballantynes and unscrupulous, whiskey-making Turlocks hails from Silas Ballantyne's early days in Pittsburgh, becoming further embittered when Isabel O'Hara, daughter of Silas's one-time friend and mentor, marries into the Turlock clan in a fit of pique when Silas chose Eden as his bride. And from that point, the die was cast: the Ballantynes respectable and virtuous, the Turlocks and their famed hell-raising ever a thorn in their -- and all respectable society's -- side.

Jack would like nothing more than to shed his family's unsavory reputation and start afresh. But ever aware of what he's seen and done, he was resigned to the burden of his familial heritage of violence and deceit, until a chance encounter with Ellie awakens feelings he'd long thought buried. Ellie's innocence and guileless acceptance of him as he is awakens in Jack the audacity to hope for a finer, better life. When his father and brother's plans threaten to destroy everything Ellie holds dear, Jack is left with a choice: the life he was raised to or faith in the God the Ballantynes claim and His promise of redemption.

While I like to stay current with favorite authors, it has been such a treat to lose myself in each successive installment of The Ballantyne Legacy without that pesky year-long wait between releases. Though the much-loved Silas and Eden are absent for half the novel, their presence is ever felt, underscoring Frantz's thesis of the heritage of faith, inherited through generations.

The Jack and Ellie relationship is not only one of my favorite tropes in romantic fiction -- adversaries to lovers -- but it is a gorgeously-wrought exploration of inheritance and choice. Colored with shades of Romeo and Juliet's warring families, Jack and Ellie's blossoming attraction is, at first blush, nought but an impossible dream. Separated by a gulf of familial rivalry and distrust, political ideologies, and most crucially, faith, here Frantz sketches a love story all the more memorable because of the transformative power of faith at its heart.

Love's Awakening has a two-fold meaning -- Jack and Ellie, certainly, but also the agape love of one human being to another regardless of race or creed. The sacrificial love those who claim Christ are called to live each day is woven throughout each page, as Frantz places her characters in the eye of the storm brewing over slavery. The Ballantynes and Jack participate in the early skirmishes between pro-slavers and abolitionists in Pennsylvania of the 1820's seeds of the great conflict to come later in the century that would rend the nation in two. As Jack quickly discovers, the Ballantynes' abolitionist efforts are a call to action, a study in the cost, danger, and rewards of putting faith in action.

Frantz has always delivered emotionally intense novels. Her heart-stopping romances are a hallmark of her work, as is her unparalleled ability to bring the past to life on the page, all on display here. But in Love's Awakening, in the final oact of Ellie and Jack's story she delivers her most action-packed epic yet. It is no exaggeration to say that my heart was racing as I breathlessly turned the pages, eager to see the finale unfold in all its high stakes, cinematic grandeur.


Like it's predecessor, Love's Awakening is a story of inheritance, both for good and ill. The Ballantyne Legacy is an unflinchingly honest study of faith and choice and the power of both to resound through future generations. A stunning romance, suspense, and heartbreak -- this is Frantz at her finest. I cannot wait to discover what's in store for the final Ballantyne installment!

About the book:

In the spring of 1822, Ellie Ballantyne leaves finishing school and returns to the family home in Pittsburgh only to find that her parents are away on a long journey and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. Determined to stand her ground and find her place in the world, Ellie fills her time by opening a day school for young ladies.

But when one of her students turns out to be an incorrigible young member of the Turlock family, Ellie knows she must walk a fine line. Slaveholders and whiskey magnates, the Turlocks are envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings. As Ellie becomes increasingly entangled with the rival clan -- particularly the handsome Jack Turlock, she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future. Will she betray her family and side with the enemy?

Masterful storyteller Laura Frantz continues to unfold the stirring saga of the Ballantyne family in this majestic tale of love and loyalty. This is the Ballantyne Legacy.

Review: Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz

Love's Reckoning (The Ballantyne Legacy #1)

By: Laura Frantz

Publisher: Revell

ISBN: 978-0-8007-2041-4

Review:

Eden Lee longs to make a fresh start in Philadelphia, to escape her father Liege's temper and her sister Elspeth's selfish machinations. Her fiery hair and family reputation mask a quiet spirit that hungers after God, desiring nothing more than the freedom to exercise her fledgling faith freely. But before she can make good on her dream of escape, her blacksmith father's new apprentice arrives, setting into motion plans of marriage and familial expectations that threaten to derail Eden's closely guarded dreams.

Silas Ballantyne has plans of his own to head west once his apprenticeship is finished, dreams he is determined shall not be thwarted by his contentious master or his tempting daughters. However, Silas finds himself irresistibly drawn to Eden's sweet spirit in defiance of Liege and Elspeth's determination to ensnare the talented blacksmith in a web of deceit. As love blossoms between Silas and Eden, fostered by whispered stairwell meetings and exchanged scraps of scripture, the long-latent embers of jealousy between Liege's daughters ignite. When all they hold dear is threatened, Silas and Eden are forced to decide if their faith and love is enough to withstand the heartache that would see their hoped-for future destroyed,

It has been far too long since I've lost myself within the pages of a Laura Frantz novel. Reading Love's Reckoning was akin to water falling on dry land, a balm to my soul sorely in need of Frantz's craftsmanship and heart. The first installment in a multi-generational family epic, Love's Reckoning is replete with Frantz's trademarks: carefully-crafted characters, a heart-rending love story, and a nearly tactile sense of time and a nearly tactile sense of time and place. Within these pages, late 18th-century Pennsylvania springs to life with color and depth. If a novel is her canvas, Frantz paints with the skill of a master.

Here Frantz blends shades of the Cinderella story with a familial and romance dynamic reminiscent of the biblical saga of Jacob, Esau, Rachel, and Laban. Eden is a classic Cinderella figure, the family drudge who still maintains her sweet spirit. In less capable hands, seeing the abuse she endures at the hands of family members could have made her seem weak. But instead, Eden is an intricately wrought portrait of one who chooses again and again the sacrifice of kindness and belief with no expectation of reward (much like the recent live-action version of Cinderella). 

While Silas is cast in the role of prince/redeemer, both he and Eden's character arcs are colored with shades of Jacob's story (with Elspeth cast alternately as Esau and Leah, in the most extreme forms of that character archetype). Their journey is a fight for an inheritance beyond what the eye can see -- a twin legacy of earthly and spiritual favor. Theirs is a story of lives the enemy to all believers would see destroyed (John 10:10), of potential unrealized and dreams unfulfilled. But in the pain of circumstance, those dreams, once surrendered and yielded to the God who first planted them within their hearts, blossom into a gorgeously wrought illustration of redemptive promise (Joel 2:25).

For those who crave realism in inspirational fiction or wonder if it even exists, they need look no further than here for one such example. While Love's Reckoning is everything I crave in historical romance -- research, depth, passion -- within these pages lies a tale of emotional abuse, a physical assault, and shattered dreams. Frantz never exploits the very real heartache her characters endure, but within the framework of their circumstances sketch a story of hope and redemption with compassion and sensitivity. 

Authors like Frantz are why I believe so strongly in the possibility of inspirational fiction. This is a wildly entertaining tale, yes, epic in its scope and intimate in its emotional reckoning, a sweeping saga in every sense that term implies. But more than that, Silas and Eden's story is one of hope and a faith at times no bigger than a grain of mustard seed, and the ability of that faith in action to transform and redeem the most broken among us.

About the book:

On a bitter December day in 1784, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of blacksmith Liege Lee in York County, Pennsylvania. Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship quickly and move west. But because he is a fast worker and a superb craftsman, Liege endeavors to keep in in Lancaster by appealing to an old tradition: the apprentice shall marry one of his master's beautiful daughters.

Eden is as gentle and fresh as Elspeth is high-spirited and cunning. But are they truly who they appear to be? In a house laced with secrets, each sister seeks to secure her future. Which one will claim Silas's heart -- and will he agree to Liege's arrangement?

In this sweeping family saga, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come, This is the Ballantyne Legacy.

Note to blog readers: I in no way, shape, or form expected to be posting a book review TWO DAYS after declaring a blog hiatus, but I finished this book and literally couldn't help myself. No promises going forward, but we'll see how things go. ;-)

Amazing Kindle Sales!

I have NO IDEA how long Amazon is going to have these books on sale, but as they are by some of my favorite authors, and at FANTASTIC prices, I didn't want to let the chance go by to share them here. Remember to verify the price before purchase!

Mesu Andrews - $1.99 EACH:

• Love Amid the Ashes
• Love's Sacred Song
• Love in a Broken Vessel
• In the Shadow of Jezebel

Laura Frantz - $1.99 EACH:

• Love's Reckoning
• Love's Awakening

Jill Eileen Smith:

• Michal - FREE
• Sarai - $0.99
• Rebekah - $0.99
• Rachel - $1.99

Brock & Bodie Thoene: The Gates of Zion is currently just $0.99!

Act fast & enjoy! :)

The Colonel's Lady - on sale!

The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz, a.k.a. one of my favorite books EVER with one of the most amazing heroes of ALL TIME (I love Cassius McLinn SO MUCH!) is currently on sale for Kindle for just $1.99! I have no idea how long this sale will last, so don't miss out on this amazing deal! You can read my review of The Colonel's Lady here (in fact, I think I might need to re-read this book ASAP and expand on that post, as I don't think I talked about Cassius quite enough!).

Courting Morrow Little - free today!

Courting Morrow Little by the amazing Laura Frantz -- one of my favorite reads of 2010 -- is free today 3/18/14 on Kindle! You can read my review here. Enjoy!

Love's Awakening cover debut!

We all know that I love me some Laura Frantz, right? Not only is the lady a total class act, but she writes some amazing books to boot. :) The cover for her next novel released yesterday, and it is SUCH a beaut I couldn't resist sharing it with you:

A couple of my fabulous friends suggests that the cover model and I share a resemblance, so of course this became my Facebook profile picture yesterday. *wink*

Here's a bit about the story, releasing this September:

Ellie Ballantyne, youngest child of Silas and Eden, has left finishing school. But back at her family home in Pittsburgh, Ellie finds that her parents are away on a long trip and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. When she opens a day school for young ladies, she begins tutoring the incorrigible daughter of the enemy Turlock clan. The Turlocks are slaveholders and whiskey magnates, envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings. As Ellie becomes increasingly tangled with the Turlocks, she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future--and Jack Turlock, a young man striving to free himself from his family's violent legacy. How can she betray her family and side with the enemy? And will Jack ever allow her into his world?

Masterful storyteller Laura Frantz continues to unfold the stirring saga of the Ballantyne family in this majestic tale of love, loyalty, and the makings of a legacy. With rich descriptions of the people who settled and civilized a wild landscape, Frantz weaves a tapestry of characters and places that stick with the reader long after they turn the last page.

You can pre-order Love's Awakening here -- and check out photographer Brandon Hill's post with behind-the-scenes info on this cover shoot here.

Free e-book alert: The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz

Today my dear friend Laura Frantz's debut novel is free on Kindle! Click HERE to download your copy (remember to verify the "free" price before completing your purchase). I believe this special is good today only (12/7/12), so act quickly!

Here's a bit about the novel:

Lovely and high-spirited, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father’s ties to the Shawnee Indians and her family’s past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. As she faces the many trials of life on the frontier, Lael draws strength from the rugged land. But the arrival of a handsome doctor threatens her view of her world, her God, and herself. Can the power of grace and redemption break through in this tumultuous place?

This epic novel gives you a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman who would not be defeated.

And here's a link to my review!

Coming soon from Laura Frantz!

My dear friend Laura Frantz is celebrating the official "reveal" of her new book cover today, and since I love Laura and her books and I'm super excited about her upcoming release, I wanted to share it here in the spirit of a roughly six-months early pre-release party. *wink*

Isn't it GORGEOUS? Here's a bit about the first book in The Ballantyne Legacy:

On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in Lancaster. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?

In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. Love's Reckoning is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.

You can pre-order Love's Reckoning here -- it has an official release date of September, which means if history holds true it should start appearing in stores mid-August! And if you've yet to read one of Laura's wonderfully rich, meaty historicals -- well, what are you waiting for? There's time. *wink* Here are links to my reviews:

• The Colonel's Lady
• Courting Morrow Little
• The Frontiersman's Daughter

Book Giveaway: The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

I haven't hosted a book giveaway since April. April. This is tragic! In hopes of remedying this shocking lack of bookish swag, I'd like to give away one copy of The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz. Here are the details:

About the book:

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. Eater 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.

You can read my review of The Colonel's Lady HERE.

Giveaway Details:

• Leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address: your name (at) domain name (dot) com
• For an extra entry, post about this contest on your blog, Twitter, or Facebook and leave a separate comment telling me you've done so with the link.
• Entries will be accepted through midnight Tuesday 8/30/11 and the winner will be announced Wednesday morning 8/31/11.
• Open WORLD-WIDE!

Good luck! (I just have to add, if you're not reading LifeWay's Fiction Blog, A Novel Bookshelf, you're missing out! I am thrilled that today Rachel is sharing my review of The Colonel's Lady with her blog readers!)

Review: The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

The Colonel's Lady

By: Laura Frantz

Publisher: Revell

ISBN: 978-0-5007-3341-4

About the book:

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. Eater 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.

Review:

Fleeing the heartbreak of her mother's death and the shattered promises of a broken engagement, Roxanna Rowan is resigned to a life of spinsterhood. In a time of war she undertakes the dangerous journey west to join her father at Fort Endeavor in the Kentucke territory, where he serves as scrivener to the legendary commander Cassius McLinn. When she arrives at the fort, Roxanna's hopes for her future are dashed when she discovers that her father has been killed. Alone and penniless, surrounded by hostile forces, Roxanna finds herself completely at the mercy of the fort's commander, Colonel McLinn - a man as much renowned for his quick temper as his prowess in battle. Drawn to McLinn like a moth to flame, Roxanna's bruised heart melts under the colonel's unexpectedly kind attentions, and in spite of warnings about his reputation the Bluecoat commander, force of nature that he is, threatens to steal her heart. But the enigmatic colonel hides secrets of his own, secrets that if confessed threaten to destroy any hope of happiness that could bloom between the hardened soldier and the scrivener's beautiful daughter. With their lives threatened by enemies without and within, Roxanna and Cassius must decide if the hope of love can overcome the fear of taking that first step into the unknown wild, brimming with promise - if faith is worth the risk.

When Laura Frantz's sophomore effort Courting Morrow Little released, I thought she'd outdone herself, but I was wrong. The Colonel's Lady is one of those rare novels that's so good, it took my breath away. As was the case with her first two novels, Frantz's third is replete with her love for 18th-century history and her appreciation of the astonishing men and women who sought to carve lives for themselves from the Kentucky wilderness. But this novel has a little extra something that captivated me - a heart and a passion for the characters and their experiences that wove its way into my heart and kept me eagerly turning the pages, even as I dreaded reaching "the end" of Cassius and Roxie's journey. Frantz's trademark lyrical prose brings the Kentucky frontier to vibrant life, an intoxicating mix of beauty and danger that serves as a refining fire for the carefully-crafted characters that leap with vibrant life from the page, wrapping you up in their heartaches and triumphs.

And oh, what characters. The colonel of the title is loosely based on real-life legend George Rogers Clark and his heart-breaking life. With her own creation in McLinn, Frantz doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of an 18th-century soldier's life - from the tension, filth, and disciplinary issues to an over-reliance on alcohol due to polluted water, easily transitioning to crutch to dull the pain and loneliness of such a life. With his devastatingly handsome features and a mercurial charm reminiscent of Rochester in Jane Eyre, McLinn is a character whose struggles and passion will captivate your heart, as they do Roxie's. And Roxanna, every inch the lady, is a heroine with unbelievable reservoirs of inner strength and faith that do credit to the countless real-life women who braved the uncertainty of frontier and soldiering lives, risking life and limb to follow their menfolk into the wild of the untamed territory of the west. Whether or not this was the author's intent, on this one level The Colonel's Lady serves as a heartfelt tribute to the strength of those who've served, past and present, and the resilience of those who love them.

Part frontier story, part war story, and all romance, Frantz weaves a heady spell with passages of gorgeous prose, breath-taking suspense, and a heart-stopping romance that will capture your imagination and wend its way into your heart. Seriously, you can cut the romantic tension with a knife, people. These are characters who promise to stay with you long after finishing the novel's final pages. The Colonel's Lady is an exquisite triumph from start to finish, one I anticipate revisiting even while I eagerly look forward to where Laura Frantz will take her readers next.

The INSPY Awards

Many of you may have seen news of a new book award floating around the blogosphere the past few weeks, but in case you've missed it, I want to take a moment to tell you about the INSPY Awards.

About the INSPYs:

Recognizing the need for a new kind of book award, the INSPYs were created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith.

I am thrilled and honored to be a judge in the historical fiction category. These are the books on the historical fiction shortlist:

The Frontiersman’s Daughter by Laura Frantz, Revell Books, 1st August, 2009

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen, Bethany House, 1st January, 2010

The Fiddler’s Gun by AS Peterson, Rabbit Room Press, 1st December, 2009

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell, Bethany House, 1st April, 2010

Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers, Tyndale House, 1st March, 2010

Some good reads, no? You can read the rest of the short listed books in the other categories here. The INSPY winners will be announced December 13th...so I'd better get reading. :)

Revisiting North and South...

...all in the name of promoting books!

My friend and author, the fabulous Laura Frantz (author of The Frontiersman's Daughter - my review - and Courting Morrow Little - my review) recently posted a "teaser" about the new series she's working on, slated to debut in 2012 - The Ballantyne Legacy. If you click over to her post, you'll discover that the template for her hero is a very familiar face to those of you who know (and share) my obsession with all things British. It's the one and only Richard Armitage, as he appears in the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.

*pause*

Are you through swooning yet? :) Personally I think I'm still scraping myself off the floor. 

I haven't posted about North and South in a while...actually, I've shamefully neglected my Richard Armitage obsession lately! So in honor of Laura's upcoming series, and to hopefully provide her with a little extra "inspiration" as she pens the Ballantyne stories (*wink*), I thought I'd transfer a small collection of North and South related images from my old blog to this one. Enjoy! :)

This last photo is a screen capture collage my friend Kaye put together for a "Best Screen Kisses" post I compiled a couple of years ago (if memory serves, my post was inspired by her own "Fun Friday" post on the same subject). That was a fun post to put together, let me tell you! Staring at this picture is really the next best thing to watching the last ten minutes of North and South over and over (and over and over) again...it never gets old, trust me on this people!

Oh and Laura, might I humbly suggest you look into using actress Daniela Denby-Ashe (Margaret in N&S) as a template for a character in the Ballantyne books? Just a thought, as given her work with Richard Armitage here I'm sure she'd be a good fit. :) Oh, and 2012 is way to long to wait for these stories, just sayin'! :)

Review: Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz

Courting Morrow Little

By: Laura Frantz

Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3340-7

About the book:

Morrow Little is haunted by the memory of the day her family was torn apart by raiding Shawnee warriors. Now that she is nearly a grown woman and her father is ailing, she must make difficult choices about the future. Several men – ranging from the undesired to the unthinkable – vie for her attentions, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a forbidden love that both terrifies and intrigues her. Can she betray the memory of her lost loved ones – and garner suspicion from her friends – by pursuing a life with him? Or should she seal her own misery by marrying a man she doesn’t love?

Review:

For thirteen years, Morrow Little has been haunted by the day Shawnee raiders shattered her world, killing her mother and sister and kidnapping her brother Jess. Morrow and her preacher father live caught between the grief of loss and the hope that one day Jess would return home. After two years learning to be a lady under her Philadelphia aunt’s tutelage, Morrow returns to her beloved Kentucke home to discover much has changed. Her father’s health is failing, and she finds herself the bewildered recipient of much unwanted male attention and romantic speculation among fellow settlers. Two men offer Morrow a life of safety and tradition, even privilege. But the attentions of a third – a forbidden, dangerous love – both terrify and intrigue her. In order to follow her heart, Morrow must face the fears and prejudices that have held her captive for most of her life. Only in releasing the past will Morrow be able to embrace her future and tap into the strength she never knew she possessed, to carve an abundant life from the wilderness.

Frantz’s first novel, The Frontiersman’s Daughter, was a stunning debut, saturated with the author’s love of Kentucky history and eloquently bringing to life the special breed of men and women who first sought to tame the land. With Courting Morrow Little, Frantz again vividly brings to life 18th century Kentucky in all of its danger and wild beauty. From the first pages where unfathomable tragedy visits Morrow’s young life, I was captivated by her story. Morrow is a heroine I could relate to on so many levels, particularly in her battle with fear. My heart sang for Morrow has she learned to release the burdens of fear and unforgiveness, acting in faith in the face of fear and learning the glorious reality that God’s provision is sufficient. Morrow is a character to cherish – fully realized, she leaps living and breathing from the page. And her romance – well, with Morrow’s story Frantz has simply outdone herself in this department and created one of the most memorable, swoon-worthy heroes ever. Morrow’s journey to love is heartrendingly beautiful, and the relationship forged through heartbreak and trial will stay with you long after you finish the novel’s final pages.

Laura Frantz’s writing possesses a lyrical quality that fully immerses you into the world of the novel, bringing Morrow, her acquaintances, and their world to breathtaking, colorful life. The frontier is as much a force to be reckoned with as the villains of the piece, as it pushes, pulls, and refines Frantz’s creations. On one level, Courting Morrow Little is a very intimate, very personal human drama. On another level, it is a meaty historical epic, as Frantz sets Morrow’s story against the backdrop of Revolutionary War conflict on the frontier. British, Americans, Indians, and settlers were pitted against each other by turns, and Frantz does not shy away from showing the dangerous toll of this conflict. Frantz’s latest offering is a story worth savoring and revisiting. Part coming-of-age story, part war story, and part romance, Frantz weaves together the threads of Morrow’s life with the pen of a master wordsmith, gifting readers with characters and a romance that will steal your heart. An exquisite offering, I look forward to Laura Frantz’s next book!

Review: The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz

The Frontiersman’s Daughter
By: Laura Frantz
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3339-1

About the book:

Lovely and high-spirited, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father’s ties to the Shawnee Indians and her family’s past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. As she faces the many trials of life on the frontier, Lael draws strength from the rugged land. But the arrival of a handsome doctor threatens her view of her world, her God, and herself. Can the power of grace and redemption break through in this tumultuous place?

This epic novel gives you a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman who would not be defeated.

Review:

The Frontiersman’s Daughter by Laura Frantz is a stunning debut novel, a completely absorbing tale of a young girl’s coming of age in the wilds of late eighteenth century Kentucky. Lael Click’s story reawakened my love of this time period in history, an appreciation that had fallen by the wayside when I finished my last required U.S. history class in high school. It doesn’t help that in recent years, the Christian fiction market didn’t seem to have all that much room for colonial frontier fiction. Frantz’s debut has succeeded in establishing her as a welcome voice in the genre. Daughter is so absorbing, it immediately transported me back in time to memories of my fascination with the adventures of frontiersmen such as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. It’s impossible for me not to marvel at stories of those first settlers who left civilization in the east to build lives for themselves across the mountains, where they had to combat the Indians and the land itself in order to carve out new lives for themselves.

Lael Click grew up in the shadow of her famous father’s legend, the man who survived living with the Shawnee for two years. The celebrated frontiersman always seemed more at home in the wilderness, among the feared Shawnee, than as a settlement resident. No matter what role her family or friends tried to make her fill, Lael is too much “her father’s daughter” to ignore the pull of wilderness life, and with the help of Ma Horn, she establishes herself as a healer well versed in herb lore. Her search for place and contentment is complicated by the attentions of three very different men – the now-married rogue she once loved when a young girl, the exotic attraction of Captain Jack, a white man raised as a Shawnee and friend of her father’s, or the gentle Scottish doctor, whose skill makes them ideal partners and whose faith makes her long for a living, breathing relationship with the God of her childhood. Only when Lael learns to step out in faith, and lay aside the wounds of her past, will she be able to embrace the future and live out her father’s legacy of fearlessness.

I’d describe Daughter as a “throwback” novel in the very best sense of that term. This is a rich, “meaty” historical, brimming with atmosphere and detail that vividly brings life to all of Lael’s triumphs and struggles. This also isn’t a very dialogue-driven book, and in that respect it reminded me just a bit of classics such as The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. The introspective passages not only give wonderful insight into Lael’s maturing character, but through them I think Frantz very accurately gives one a sense of the solitary, and potentially very lonely, nature of frontier life. Indeed, the land itself becomes almost as much of a character as Lael– and thanks to Frantz’s evocative, richly drawn descriptions, it’s easy to understand the pull of the land and how it’s beauty and wildness shaped Lael’s character. More than a romance, more than an adventure story, The Frontiersman’s Daughter is a journey worth savoring, and Lael Click is a character who will dwell in your thoughts long after you finish the final pages.

The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Frontiersman’s Daughter
Revell (September 1, 2009)
by
Laura Frantz


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I was born and raised in Kentucky and my love of history goes deep - way back to the 18th-century when my family first came into the Bluegrass State. It will always be home to me, even though I now live with my husband, Randy, and my sons, Wyatt and Paul, in the misty woods of northwest Washington. I go back as often as I can to visit family and all the old haunts that I love.

I grew up playing on the original site of Fort Boonesborough and swimming in the Kentucky River and climbing the Pinnacle near Berea and watching the great outdoor dramas of the early settlers. Often my cousins and brother and I would play in my Granny's attic and dress up in the pioneer costumes she made us and pretend to be Daniel Boone, Rebecca, Jemima, or the Shawnee.

As I grew up I began to write stories and they were always historical, filled with the lore I had heard or read about. It's no accident that my first book (which is actually my fifth book - the others were practice!) is about those first Kentucky pioneers.

I feel blessed beyond measure to write books. My prayer is that you are doubly blessed reading them.

Note: Laura Frantz credits her 100-year-old grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in 1792 and settled in Madison County where her family still resides. Frantz is a former schoolteacher and social worker who currently lives in the misty woods of Washington state with her husband and two sons, whom she homeschools.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Lovely but tough as nails, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's former captivity with the Shawnee Indians, as well as the secret sins of her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded.

Though she faces the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, and the affection of a Shawnee warrior, Lael draws strength from the rugged land she calls home, and from Ma Horn, a distant relative who shows her the healing ways of herbs and roots found in the hills.

But the arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself--and the power of grace and redemption. This epic novel gives readers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman.

Laura Frantz's debut novel offers a feast for readers of historical fiction and romance lovers alike.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Frontiersman’s Daughter, go HERE