Saturday, April 30, 2016

The Magnolia Duchess by Beth White

About the Book
Fiona Lanier is the only woman in the tiny Gulf Coast settlement of Navy Cove. While her shipbuilding family races to fill the demand for American ships brought by the War of 1812, Fiona tries to rescue her brother who was forced into service by the British Navy.

Lieutenant Charlie Kincaid has been undercover for six months, obtaining information vital to the planned British invasion of New Orleans. When a summer storm south of Mobile Bay wrecks his ship and scatters the crew, Charlie suffers a head injury, ultimately collapsing in the arms of a beautiful mermaid who seems eerily familiar. As Charlie's memory returns in agonizing jags and crashes, he and Fiona discover that falling in love may be as inevitable as the tide. But when political loyalties begin to collide, they'll each have to decide where their true heart lies.

My Thoughts
I love how this author writes about the more unknown parts of well known historical events. The history nerd in me just soaks up all of the interesting tidbits that she builds her stories around.
That being said I had mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I absolutely loved it but at the same times there were many instances where I felt pulled out of the story for reasons that I really can't seem to put a finger on. At times it just seemed a little disjointed with lots of time jumps throughout. Thankfully the author always provided a date when she jumped so it kept you from getting to lost. Now please don't take all of that to mean I didn't enjoy this book, I really did! I enjoyed both Fiona and Charlie's characters and I sympathized with them as they were torn apart by circumstances they didn't have control over. Their relationship had it's ups and downs but I admired how they stuck by each other through it all.
The Lanier family can be a little hard to keep track of since the books take place over many many years but it's cool to see once you piece them together!
All in all this really was an enjoyable read!

Meet the Author
Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she writes historical romance with a Southern drawl and is the author of The Pelican Bride and The Creole Princess. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net.

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

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