"In the day of my calamity, the Lord was my stay." Was He? Had He been? . . . from all appearances it seemed that Esmee Shaw's heart had gone adrift for ten long years. . . simply put, she had lost her anchor. Making the most of her life as an accomplished chocolatier, Esmee also faithfully supported the local almshouse with her time, attention, and gifts of charity. While her father; a highly respected retired admiral, and her sister; a lovely, married, Williamsburg socialite, entreated Esmee to leave the remnants of her past behind, she chose to continue living a rather simple life. Until one day, simple wasn't enough anymore; the captain had returned.
Captain Henri Lennox sailed into the quiet waters off the York, Virginia coastline after numerous years at sea, having become a successful privateer with abolitionist loyalties with a private island just waiting on him to re-claim it as his own. However, nothing could have prepared him to see Esmee again, the former love of his life turned elegant, but uncharacteristically reserved and subdued. Where had the lovely creature who had run through the waves with him disappeared to? Better yet, did he even deserve to know?
The craftsmanship of this story is nothing short of extraordinary. Every character counts. Tenderly preserving one of the most beautiful love stories written between two covers, it also puts faith and forgiveness on full display, drawing readers ever closer to the one true Light of the world, the true Anchor of our souls. "In Christ and thee my comfort be."
*I purchased a copy and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 4.5 stars
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.
Rebecca, I'm so thrilled & honored by your words here. You read so many books that the bar is quite high so I'm thrilled you find AHA to be what you said. So timely, too, as your encouragement and support are needed and appreciated more than you know. Thank you for your reading time and investment in this story. I'm so blessed!
ReplyDeleteI am in the midst of reading this lovely and touching story. The characters are so wonderfully drawn. Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us, Laura.
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