In 1774, Juliet Catesby lives with her father and sister at Royal Vale, the James River plantation founded by her Virginia family over a century before. Indigo cultivation is her foremost concern, though its export tethers her family to the powerful Buchanan clan of Glasgow, Scotland. When the heir of the Buchanan firm arrives on their shores, Juliet discovers that her father has secretly arranged for one of his daughters to marry the Scot as a means of canceling the family's debt. Confident it will be her younger, lovelier sister, Juliet is appalled when Leith Buchanan selects her instead.
Despite her initial refusal of him, an ensuing altercation forces Juliet to flee Virginia. Agreeing to marry, she sails with Leith to Scotland, hopeful of a better match for her sister, who accompanies her. But once in Glasgow and faced with the contentious, powerful Buchanan clan, she realizes that the man who saved her from financial ruin and scandal is the very one she must now save in return.
The Indigo Heiress is a sweeping novel, spanning multiple continents, countries, cultures and worldviews at the dawn of the American Revolution. Author Laura Frantz offers a transporting tale featuring the strong, compassionate, and deeply Christian woman Juliet Catesby, resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Although the narrative embodies a bit of the “arranged marriage trope”, many more elements are combined to produce a complex story of family, faith, love, and justice on multiple fronts. The forces of good engage with more than one type of evil, all the while Juliet is trying to find her way as the newly-wedded Mrs. Leith Buchanan of Scotland.
For his part, Leith is battling emotional evils of his own as he grieves the scandalous loss of his first wife, who died in dramatic fashion not long ago. Left to rear two young twins and eager to leave controversy behind, he travels to America in part to find a new wife. Little does he know, the woman he has chosen will play an integral role in the redemption of his life’s path. Hardened by a difficult upbringing and the pains of the recent past, dramatic events transpire which alter his perspective for eternity.
As she consistently shows her readers, Laura Frantz once again offers well-researched historical fiction which features characters of depth, realism, and appeal. As an American with Scottish heritage, I thoroughly enjoyed educational tidbits which were sprinkled throughout the story. While I was thoroughly entertained, I also learned new facts about the Revolution, Scottish culture, and the early abolitionist movement. Some who are uninformed assume that the Underground Railroad only existed during the 19th century, but as The Indigo Heiress describes, many individuals were already working to secretly free the enslaved in a similar manner many decades earlier.
Laura Frantz is unabashed in sharing her Christian views within The Indigo Heiress, but the inclusion of spiritual matters feels neither forced nor overly sweet. The characters are flawed individuals with thoroughly realistic struggles. Their faith (or lack thereof) is not mentioned on every page, but issues are addressed in an organic way. The romance is sweet, yet conveys deep passion as well. As such, the content is very family friendly and appropriate for adult audiences, given some of the tough issues which are addressed.
Favorite orange tabby aside, I can thoroughly offer my rousing endorsement for The Indigo Heiress. A tale of family, love, redemption, and justice, it has much to offer Laura Frantz’s readership. Prepare to be transported to a time which stands in stark contrast to our modern world, yet still faces many of the same trials, tribulations, joys and victories.
Laura Frantz is a two-time Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of 15 novels, including The Seamstress of Acadie, The Rose and the Thistle, The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Lacemaker,and A Heart Adrift. She is the proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. Though she will always call Kentucky home, Laura lives with her husband in Washington State. Learn more at LauraFrantz.net.
No comments:
Post a Comment