The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green

About the Book
After being imprisoned and branded for the death of her client, twenty-five-year-old midwife Julianne Chevalier trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling 1720s French colony of Louisiana, where she hopes to be reunited with her brother, serving there as a soldier. To make the journey, though, women must be married, and Julianne is forced to wed a fellow convict.
When they arrive in New Orleans, there is no news of Benjamin, Julianne's brother, and searching for answers proves dangerous. What is behind the mystery, and does military officer Marc-Paul Girard know more than he is letting on?

With her dreams of a new life shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous, rugged land, despite never being able to escape the king's mark on her shoulder that brands her a criminal beyond redemption.

My Thoughts
To be honest when I picked this book up, I had pretty forgotten what it was even about, I just knew I liked the author. Reading the back cover reminded me of why I'd been intrigued by this story beyond just the name on the cover, and I dove in.
This story was so beautifully rich! Historical details woven in to the very fabric of the pages made you feel like you were in 18th century Louisiana right along with the Julianne and Marc-Paul. And the emotions were written so well that it seemed I was experiencing them myself; devastation, loss, heartbreak, fear, hope, love, grace, forgiveness, and others. It took my breath away at times.
Time would pass in the story, months and even years, but everything flowed beautifully onward.
Julianne amazed me, to suffer so much heartache and pain and still be able to stand strong and love well. And Marc-Paul was hard not to like, at first he appeared a rigid rule-follower, but as we got to know him and as he learned to follow the law of grace, he showed himself a man to be admired. Neither of them had an easy road but together they found love and grace, from each other and, more importantly, from the One who is love and who gives us grace far beyond what we deserve!

I absolutely recommend this book, every word was beautifully crafted and I abhorred putting it down! Even after I finished the book I found myself longing to go read more only to remember that it was over.

Meet the Author
Jocelyn Green is a former journalist who puts her investigative skills to work in writing both nonfiction and historical fiction to inspire faith and courage.
Her books have finaled in the Christy Awards and Inspirational Readers Choice Awards, and have won gold from the Military Writers Society of America and the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.
Complex and nuanced characters, rich historical detail and twisting plots make her novels immersive experiences. Her fiction has been praised by Historical Novel Society, Romantic Times, Library Journal, historians specializing in her novels’ time periods, as well as popular and acclaimed authors Laura Frantz, Lori Benton, Jody Hedlund, Sarah Sundin, Joanne Bischof, Julie Lessman, and more.
Jocelyn loves Broadway musicals, the color red, Toblerone chocolate bars, Mexican food, and well-done documentaries. She lives in Iowa with her husband, two children, and two cats she should have named Catticus Finch and Purrman Meowville.

Visit her at jocelyngreen.com, and receive a free gift when joining her e-newsletter mailing list at jocelyngreen.com/subscribe.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.