I'm just going to give you the official, copy-paste synopsis, because I'm going to ramble enough without that help.
Mary Chapman boards the Speedwell in 1620 as a Separatist seeking a better life in the New World. William Lytton embarks on the Mayflower as a carpenter looking for opportunities to succeed—and he may have found one when a man from the Virginia Company offers William a hefty sum to keep a stealth eye on company interests in the new colony. The season is far too late for good sailing and storms rage, but reaching land is no better as food is scarce and the people are weak. Will Mary survive to face the spring planting and unknown natives? Will William be branded a traitor and expelled?
I lovedddd this book! I'm giving it five stars (in case you were doubting! Oh ye of little faith! But maybe I shouldn't pull Bible verses out of context like that, huh?) Anywho... it was great historically. This isn't a time that I'm overly familiar with. Late 1800s, early 1900s, sure I can hold my own, because basically all my reading is from that time. It was nice (and a little odd...) to switch it up. I just never get to see this time period, and it's neat, not only with different customs, but also different cultural norms, like dress and speech. Truth be told, I've learned a lot of things that have given me an advantage in history classes from all the historical reading. 😂 And the characters! Sometimes Mary Chapman just sort of echoed my sentiments exactly. And she and William were super adorable. It was really cool to see him go from Stranger to Pilgrim so quickly. And wowzers, those guys had some troubles with their ships, eh? Also, Mary's little brother just stole my heart right out from under me! That fellow! The bad thing was, I was reading this at carline at work, and so I couldn't cry all the tears that I wanted to cry because there were a ton of parents around and stuff and that's just plain unprofessional. But there were so many people that died! I know it really happened and all but it just made me so sad. I loved the different aspects of the boat and it was really cool when I would recognize an event because I had read parts of Bradford's "Of Plimoth Plantation." There was also the conflict in the story, which was resolved pretty well, although I really wanted to punch someone. Lucky for him, his fictitious status protected him from that. One of the coolest things was that a couple of my ancestors were minor characters in the book. I mean, only mentioned in passing, but still! And the very very very best thing!!! Kim wrote me a super sweet note in the front and this is one of my special-est books now! I can't wait to read more in this series, and especially the next one that Kim writes. (Dr. McNeely, please don't be reading this, and if you are... let's ignore the run-ons and made-up words and what-not going on in this paragraph, please?)
All-in-all.... not my best review, but definitely a wonderful book that I highly recommend to all you fiction lovers out there!
I'd love to here from you! Thanks for reading, and thank you, Kim, for the book! I'll cherish it always!
Jennifer Delamere’s debut Victorian romance, An Heiress at Heart, was a 2013 RITA Award finalist in the inspirational category. Her follow-up novel, A Lady Most Lovely, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and the Maggie Award for Excellence from Georgia Romance Writers. Jennifer earned a BA in English from McGill University in Montreal, where she became fluent in French and developed an abiding passion for winter sports. She’s been an editor of nonfiction and educational materials for nearly two decades, and lives in North Carolina with her husband.