Lisa T. Bergren's "Verity"---The Sugar Baron's Daughters, book 2

After too long from hearing from her love the sea captain, Verity Banning decides to take matters into her own hands, starting an importation business and using it as an excuse to travel to the colonies in search of him. But instead of her love, she finds his brother--Ian McKintrick--and is swayed by his passion for the American patriot cause.

I enjoyed getting to know Verity more in this book. I admit, I didn't care as much for Ian--he's too volatile, too apt to shoot off his mouth, too likely to lose his temper. I did like how honorable he was in pursuit of Verity, though, making it clear where his allegiances lie. Verity, even as impulsive as she is, is good for him, tempering his volatility.

But the book was exciting, sailing between Nevis and New York several times, so we could really see the progression towards war. It was a unique angle of the American Revolution, seeing how it affected not just trade on the East Coast but the Caribbean island countries who relied on American imports. I'd never before considered the differences between those island planters who remained staunchly British with dreams and ties to home (England), versus the Americans who, though many were also of British descent like the islanders, saw themselves as Americans and not as British citizens living on American soil--two totally different mindsets. Near the end, the book started giving me anxiety. It was thrilling; I wasn't expecting the story to go in that direction (and I loved it), but my heart was pounding and it was difficult to calm down enough to sleep!

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.

The Sugar Baron's Daughters
1. Keturah
2. Verity
3. Selah