“Tis never amiss to hope...dream.”
Esmee Shaw was a heart adrift. It remained to bee seen if she would find her harbor, her home, with Captain Henri Lennox. “...she wasn’t reminded at every turn of Henri Lennox, like she was when at the chocolate shop. On the other hand, she didn’t need reminding, as he’d taken up permanent residence in her head and her heart.”
From the beautiful cover until the last word, this book is a treasure. Full of characters that are worthy of emulating. Esmee is a business woman in her own chocolate shop and a patron and friend to the almshouse. Henri is a Captain in the Royal Navy who has been away for a decade. Once pledged to each other, they had a parting of ways which each now regrets. The story of their reunion is rich in atmosphere, showing how each has matured through the years. The author captures the colonial period with sumptuous words, taking you through the streets of York and Williamsburg realistically.
Ms. Frantz gives her characters a living faith that reaches out to us in the present: “The only certainty about life was its uncertainty. Only God stayed steadfast. Only the Almighty could walk her through life’s many changes. And when she felt overwhelmed, she simply had to look back and see how faithful God had been.... The heartaches and closed doors of the past had made the present more beloved.”
This is a story that brings history alive.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.* 5+ stars and a solid faith thread
BackCover Blurb:
A
Virginia chocolatier and a privateering sea captain collide once more
after a failed love affair a decade before. Will a war and a cache of
regrets keep them apart? Or will a new shared vision reunite them?
It
is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York,
Virginia. Chocolatier Esmée Shaw is fighting her own battle of the
heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to
life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she's never
quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with
her life.
Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmée. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty.
Will a war and a cache of regrets keep them apart, or can their shared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past? Bestselling and award-winning author Laura Frantz whisks you away to a time fraught with peril--on the sea and in the heart--in this redemptive, romantic story.
I look forward to your reviews every year and am so happy/thankful AHA was a win for you! Thank you for your time and heart for this. You all bless me!
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