"Between Two Shores" by Jocelyn Green

Daughter of a Mohawk mother and French father near the French bastion of Montreal, Catherine Stands-Apart Duval finds it easier to remain neutral in a world that is tearing itself apart. A trader with both the French and the British, Catherine survives by her neutrality. When her British ex-fiance, Samuel Crane, is taken prisoner by her father, Samuel asks her to help him escape, claiming he has information that could help end the war. Torn between standing apart and ending the suffering of New France, Catherine has to weigh the consequences of maintaining her neutrality against the consequences of turning traitor against her own country.

I will admit, when I had read somewhere that this was a purely historical novel and not a romance, I hadn't realized just how Not A Romance it would be. Many stories that aren't romances still manage to convey a satisfactory love story, so that's more what I was expecting. Nope! You are now warned.

That said, I think it was the best book I've read by Jocelyn Green, and that is high praise indeed.

Catherine Stands Apart lives up to her name, standing apart from conflict and at the edge multiple worlds without fully belonging in any--purely neutral, at least until the consequences of neutrality prove too great and finally force her to choose a side. I was so glad that it was told entirely from her perspective--any other viewpoints, and it would have lost impact.

It's full of fascinating history of the French and Indian War, as well as the culture of New France and those involved in the fur trade (people who assume women historically lived in complete subjugation to men clearly don't know about the Mohawk or women traders of the era). And wow, is the story emotional. Catherine's relationships with her family are complicated to say the least, but it was so satisfying to finally see some restoration there. I wish--for Catherine's aching heart--that there could have been a love story in there for her, but it was a moving tale nonetheless, with beautiful symbolism.

Thank you, Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.