Love’s Reckoning
Laura Frantz
The Ballantyne Legacy,#1
Revell Books
September 1,2012
432 pages
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5/5 Books
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 him in York 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.
About The Author:
Laura Frantz is a lover of history, is the author of The Frontiersman’s Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, and The Colonel’s Lady, and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons.
Connect With The Author:
Website | Facebook
My Review:
Being a fan of the Christian Historical Fiction genre, I love reading new books in the genre. Laura Frantz is not a new-to-me author….she did quite well with Courting Morrow Little! She has extreme talent for combining a combination of emotions, from sadness to happiness, from anger to hurt, to hatred and love. I love the writing style of Ms. Frantz because it reminds me a lot of my all time favorite Christian author, Julie Lessman. Both women know what to give their readers to keep them coming back for more!
Love’s Reckoning is not for the faint of heart. You need to come into the story with an open mind and heart, willing to sacrifice time to read through this novel. It’s a huge one, yes, but it’s so worth the time and effort of reading Silas’s story. The emotional journey you’ll travel on is incredible, as you feel your heart twisted and pulled. Silas’s journey of blacksmithing and getting to know Eden Lee was wonderful. I felt the emotions of Eden with the way her sister Elspeth treated her and vowed for others’ attentions. But, the incredible part was the tenderness in Silas’s heart. Sure you get heroes who show their softer side, but Silas had that from the beginning and when he met Eden you could literally see that heart wrenching moments come to life.
But all is not what it seems when secrets are revealed. Vowing to protect Eden always, Silas falls in love with apprentice’s daughter….but perhaps it’s the wrong daughter to the family? Watching as they struggle to keep feelings hidden and over come the pain of secrets best left alone, Silas and Eden worked their way into my heart to forever stay.
By the time I read through this book, I didn’t want to say goodbye. This family, this start to an incredible new saga has earned a place in my heart….and on my shelves……right next to Julie Lessman’s books and characters. I will forever love Ms. Frantz’ emotionally torturing, amazingly written tilt-a-whirl ride of a 5 Book worthy novel. I absolutely can not wait for book 2 to in this series to release, and I am hoping to see more of Silas and Eden! They so deserve happiness! Amazingly done, Ms. Frantz, and I look forward to more greatness!
Available September 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Great review – this sounds like an emotionally packed book. I’ll add it to my list
I saw this book on another blog today too. Sounds wonderful.