A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz

A Virginia chocolatier and a privateering sea captain collide once more after a failed love affair a decade before. Will a war and a cache of regrets keep them apart? Or will a new shared vision reunite them?

 

It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esmee Shaw is fighting her own battle of the heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she's never quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with her life.

Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmee. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty.

Will a war and a cache of regrets keep them apart, or can their shared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past? Bestselling and award-winning author Laura Frantz whisks you away to a time fraught with peril--on the sea and in the heart--in this redemptive, romantic story.

Publisher: Revell, 2022

Genre: Historical Romance

Setting: York, Virginia, 1755

Series: standalone novel

My Review

What a swoon-worthy romance! Esmee and Henri are the perfect pairing. I loved the slow-burn romance as well as their character growth. The turbulent times in this pre-Revolution era kept me turning the pages. I've visited Williamsburg, VA before so it was so fun picturing all of those places in my mind as the story went along. The supporting characters were a great addition to the story, and though some parts were tragic, I'm glad the plot was portrayed realistically for the time period and not wrapped up perfectly in a pretty bow. The only downside to this book is that it made me crave chocolate the entire time. That being said, where it's a perfect historical romance for any time of the year, it's especially so as we near Valentine's Day. Just make sure to have your faves on hand as you read. 

Tidewater Bride by Laura Frantz

 

Selah Hopewell, Virginia Colony's most eligible woman, is busy matchmaking for a ship of brides, though she has no wish to wed.

Xander Renick is perhaps the most eligible tobacco lord in the settlement, but he is already wedded to his business and still grieves the loss of his wife, daughter of the Powhatan chief.

Can two fiercely independent people find happiness and fulfillment on their own? Or will they discover that what they've been missing in life has been right in front of them all along

Publisher: Revell, 2021

Series: standalone novel

Genre: historical romance

Setting: James Towne, Virginia Colony, 1634

My Review

Many books I've read set in Virginia Colony have been too dry for my taste, but not so with Tidewater Bride. The plot is rich with adventure, the characters are complex and deep, and the romance is sizzling! The storyline is original and true to Ms. Frantz's poetic and engaging prose. This book gave me all the feels. Truly the best book I've read in a long time.

The Mistress of Tall Acre by Laura Frantz

The American Revolution is finally over, and Sophie Menzies is starved for good news. When her nearest neighbor, General Seamus Ogilvy, finally comes home to Tall Acre, she hopes it is a sign of better days to come. But the general is now a widower with a small daughter in desperate need of a mother. Nearly destitute, Sophie agrees to marry Seamus and become the mistress of Tall Acre in what seems a safe, sensible arrangement. But when a woman from the general's past returns without warning, the ties that bind this fledgling family together will be strained to the utmost. When all is said and done, who will be the rightful mistress of Tall Acre?

Triumph and tragedy, loyalty and betrayal--readers find it all in the rich pages of this newest historical novel from the talented pen of Laura Frantz. Her careful historical details immerse the reader in the story world, and her emotional writing and finely tuned characters never cease to enchant fans both old and new.




My Review
History comes alive in this engaging romance surrounding the American Revolution. These characters will emboss themselves on your heart and stick with you long after the last page.

Seamus Ogilvy has returned from war weary, widowed, and struggling to rebuild a relationship with the young daughter he barely knows. Sophie Menzies, mistress of neighboring Three Chimneys, quickly befriends Seamus's daughter and becomes the link that binds father and daughter together. When Sophie's ownership of Three Chimneys is threatened, Seamus offers a solution her heart can't deny. But when a woman from his past returns, Sophie's position at Tall Acre is jeopardized. Will Virginia's new government be able to sift through betrayal and lies to determine the rightful mistress of Tall Acre?

Another great read by Laura Frantz! I give this book 5 stars!

Love's Fortune by Laura Frantz

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

1850

Sheltered since birth at her Kentucky home, Rowena 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, Rowena makes the journey with him and quickly finds herself in a whole new world--filled with 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, Rowena feels she may never be comfortable in high society. Will she go her own way . . . to her peril?

Book #3 of The Ballantyne Series

Publisher: Revell, 2014

Cover photography and design by Brandon Hill

Excerpt:

        Papa had forsaken his black mourning band.

        The shock of it stole through Wren like ice water. For two years her father's shirtsleeve had borne a reminder of her mother's loss, as telling as the lines of grief engraved upon his handsome face. Not once had he taken off the black silk. But all of a sudden it was missing. And Wren ached to know what stirred inside his russet head.

        It had all begun with a letter from far upriver. From New Hope. She'd paid the post, wonder astir inside her as she studied the elegant writing. Ansel Ballantyne, Cane Run, Kentucky. They received a great deal of mail, mostly from Europe and the violin collectors and luthiers there, or from Mama's family, the Nancarrows in England. Not Pennsylvania, with the Allegheny County watermark bleeding ink on the outer edge of the wrinkled paper.

My Review

Meet Rowena--Wren--Ballantyne, a native of Cane Run, Kentucky and talented violinist. At twenty-five years old, she's never courted or visited her socialite kin in Pittsburgh, owners of one of the biggest fleets of steamboats around. She enjoys a simple life, the fresh air in the mountains, her freedom to lose herself in her music. But when a letter arrives, beckoning her father back east, every aspect of her life changes in ways she never saw coming.

Meet James Sackett, avid abolitionist and the most valued steamship pilot of the Ballantynes' shipping line. The life he leads now is very different from his orphan upbringing. He will be forever grateful for his apprenticeship with Silas Ballantyne, to which James has pledged his friendship and trust. Then Silas's granddaughter, Wren, steps aboard the Rowena, the very woman the boat was named after, with sun-bronzed skin and wild eyes... Between the growing danger of sneaking slaves across free state lines and spending time with the one woman James can never have, his life is in constant turmoil.

Quotes from classic authors such as Mark Twain, John Keats, Jane Austin, and many more open each chapter. Romance, deceit, loss, and danger keep the pages turning in this beautifully written story I devoured within three days. The cover is gorgeous with the fall colors of the mountains. A great read on a chilly autumn night. I gave this book 5 stars!  

*I received a free copy of this book from Revell Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Laura Frantz is a Christy Award finalist and the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel's Lady, Love's Reckoning, and Love's Awakening. She is a Kentuckian currently living in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons. Along with traveling, cooking, gardening, and long walks, she enjoys connecting with readers at www.LauraFrantz.net.



See behind-the-scenes footage of the cover shoot for Love's Fortune here.