Book Review: The Colonel's Daughter by Laura Frantz

The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

Publisher: Revell

Publish Date: August 1, 2011

Paperback, 408 pages
Historical Romance, Christian, Revolutionary War Period
ISBN: 978-0800733414

My Review:


Beautifully written, The Colonel's Lady is a mesmerizing tale of life in the harsh world of the Kentucky settlement during the Revolutionary War period in our country's history.  It's a tale of love, of loss, of war, fighting, duplicity and forgiveness.  So much is packed into this book and it is so hard to put down while reading it.

The Colonel's Lady is the tale of Roxanna (Roxie) and Colonel Cassius McLinn (Cass) and how they fall for each other despite the problems they face in the harsh elements and the things that stand between them both literally and in their minds.  It's also a tale of others in the fort and of the war itself as it is going on in the territory around the Ohio River.  This was an area I was completely unfamiliar with during the Revolutionary War so I found the history element fascinating. 

Roxie was a great character, she adapted easily.  Even though life was hard, and hers was even harder with the loss of her father, she kept going and started cooking in the kitchen, started working in the garden and just did whatever was needed of her.  She wasn't one to be lazy and wait for others to wait on her.  She's also a strong women, she carried on despite the pain she had in her heart.  Yet she was vulnerable to Cass' charms and she does fall for him.  I liked her soft side too.  I really thought she was a well-developed character and I liked watching her grow and change during the book.

Cass was also a great character.  From the beginning of the book we learn about him from Bella and what we learn is he is stern and one does not cross him.  He also is not one of many kind words.  But as he is around Roxie more, he starts to change.  Roxie is good for him and the whole fort too.  I loved watching him evolve as a man.  The change was wonderful even if Roxie couldn't fully see it.  Being privy to it as the reader was really interesting.  Ms. Frantz has a real way with character development that makes reading her books a real pleasure.

The plot pacing is wonderful, the characters are wonderful.  All-in-all, The Colonel's Lady is a 5-star book all the way.  I went in not knowing what to expect from this author.  I came out knowing I will grab up the next book she writes no matter what time frame or genre, Ms. Frantz has a true gift for writing and it shows in The Colonel's Lady.


My Rating: 5.0/5.0

About the Book:

In 1779, when genteel Virginia spinster Roxanna Rowan arrives at the Kentucky fort commanded by Colonel Cassius McLinn, she finds that her officer father has died. Penniless and destitute, Roxanna is forced to take her father's place as scrivener. Before long, it's clear that the colonel himself is attracted to her. But she soon realizes the colonel has grave secrets of his own--some of which have to do with her father's sudden death. Can she ever truly love him?

Readers will be enchanted by this powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness from reader favorite Laura Frantz. Her solid research and deft writing immerse readers in the world of the early frontier while her realistic characters become intimate friends.

Available August 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About the Author:
Laura Frantz credits her grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in the late eighteenth century and settled in Madison County, where her family still resides. Frantz is the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter and Courting Morrow Little and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons.


Blog

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.***