When English governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies, her indenture is not purchased by the wealthy Charles Towne employer she expected, but by a rough backwoodsman looking for a mother for his child. In the choice between imprisonment and marriage, Eleanor chooses marriage, but frontier life is not what she'd been brought up to handle. Nor is marriage to a murderer.When I read a historical novel, I always enjoy learning something new, and this time I was immersed in colonial South Carolina--a state (or should I say, colony) that receives little attention in the events leading up the Revolutionary War. Maybe because it was pretty backwater and frontier justice ruled the area. Politics aren't usually my thing, but I did appreciate learning a little more about the British and Americans and their fight to woo the Indians to their side; in this case, it was over the Cherokee. I had actually heard of Dragging Canoe, so it was fun to see a name I recognized.
I liked Samuel--he's smart, strong, and wounded--but I did get frustrated with his lack of communication. He's really bad about telling his wife anything, and that means she doesn't know where she stands with him, she doesn't understand what he's doing, and she suspects things that are entirely false. But, to be fair, she doesn't exactly take these concerns to him, either. Communication is key to any relationship!
I enjoyed the secondary characters quite a bit, especially Biz and Molly, Eleanor's friends from the passage. They make an unusual crew, the three of them, but I wouldn't mind hearing more of their stories. I set my expectations a little too high for this one, but it was still good.
Thank you Barbour and NetGalley for providing an e-book to review; I was not required to make the review positive, and all opinions are my own.
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