From the Back: She could cross an ocean, but could she ever win his heart?
Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Left at the altar and disgraced in her small hamlet, she is being pressured to marry the eligible son of the London milliner. Puritan Barnabas Horton still grieves the loss of his beloved wife, but he knows his two young sons need a mother.
With tender hearts, Mary and Barnabas take a leap of faith and wed. But when Barnabas's secret plans to move his family to the New World to escape persecution come to light, Mary's world is upended. How could she possibly leave her papa and her dear sister?
And will she ever reach the secret places of her husband's broken heart?
My Reflections:
One of my favorite subjects to read about right now is the rich and colorful heritage of our settlers. I mean how brave and exciting it would be to come to a new place and start fresh. This is probably on my heart as I feel like to a lesser degree I have come to a 'new land' and "settled" in a wild and untamed place. OK well.. maybe not, but it sure felt like it when I first moved from the city to the lush forest meadow, I now call home. Let me tell you the things we read about are so much more imaginative than actually experiencing them. Take fetching water from the river for example, picturesque right? Not so much. Those jugs of water get heavy and by the time you get to your destination, most of the water has ended up on you or the ground!
Enough of that lets get to what I loved about this book.
This is the DeMarino's debut novel, and let me tell you what a talented writer she is. I really enjoyed getting into the characters lives and the way she painted the scenery of all the places you travel in this novel, from England, to boarding a ship to America, it was all so intriguing.
This story opens with Mary Langton having just been stood up at the alter and the family trying to repair the damage from this fallout. Mary heartbroken, and desperate not to marry the man her father has set out for her, rather suddenly falls for the baker, Barnabas Horton. Mary must decide if she can love a man whose heart is devoted to another.
Barnabas Horton grieving for his beloved Ann, must move on for his children's sake. When he sees Mary he decides that she would make a suitable helpmate and mother for his young sons. He realizes that he will never love another woman, like he did Ann..but he is not able to manage alone.
Mary's father has reservations of such a union, least of which the differences of their religion. The Langtons are devout Anglicans and Barnabas is a Puritan, and in the mid 1600's this is dangerous a situation to say the least! To seek a safer environment Barnabas considers moving his small family to the New World, where they are free to worship without condemnation.
I quite enjoyed watching the transformation of these characters grow and seek God in order to make right a situation filled with broken hearts and newly sprouting dreams. This book will tug at your heart and keep you interested with beautifully written scenery and rich historical facts.. This book is based on the Authors own ancestors who were some of the first settlers on Long Island. I found myself unable to put this one down, I can't wait for the second installment to the Southhold Chronicles.
Bravo DeMarino, you are sure to make a mark among the best Christian fiction authors!
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".
About the Author:
© Something Blue Photography Rebecca DeMarino
Rebecca DeMarino is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and The Southold Long Island Historical Society. She was a 2011 Genesis Award semi-finalist. Rebecca is retired from a major airline and lives in the Pacific...Continue reading about Rebecca DeMarino
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