"Shiloh" by Lori Benton - Kindred, book 2

A year has passed since Ian Cameron reluctantly sent his uncle's former slave Seona and their son, Gabriel, north to his kin in Boston. Determined to fully release them, Ian strives to make a life at Mountain Laurel, his inherited plantation, along with Judith, the wife he's vowed to love and cherish. But when tragedy leaves him alone with his daughter, Mandy, and his three remaining slaves, he decides to return north. In Boston, Seona has taken her first tentative steps as a free woman, while trying to banish Ian from her heart. Then Ian arrives, offering a second chance Seona hadn't dared imagine. But the wide-open frontier of Shiloh feels as boundless and terrifying as her newfound freedom--a place of new friends and new enemies, where deep bonds are renewed but old hurts stand ready to rear their heads. It will take every ounce of faith and courage Ian and Seona can muster to fight for their family and their future . . . together. 

This is essentially the second half of the story begun in Mountain Laurel, but at the same time, it's also a sequel to Burning Sky. It was a surprise how closely the characters of Burning Sky are entwined with the characters introduced in Mountain Laurel, and how some unfinished business from Burning Sky has come to haunt them all. I think the story summarizes events from the related novels well enough, but I'd highly recommend reading both before reading Shiloh. 

I'm glad that there is, at last, a happy ending. There's a part of me that felt like it should have come a lot sooner--doors opened quickly enough for it--but Benton takes a slow, realistic approach. Seona is now a free woman, but she doesn't know how to be free. She has never been forced to make choices before, since as a slave, she'd had none. She'd been hurt badly when Ian broke his promise and married Judith while handfasted to her. Now she has the chance to marry Ian in the eyes of the law, but she's weighed down with fear. He can't keep his promises of safety. As she is reminded, as a savior, Ian will always disappoint. But there is a Savior who won't. 

I did like Ian more in this book; he's much steadier, with a faith that now sustains him. But he has a rough go of trying to woo Seona back to him while making sure that she is choosing him, not just doing what she's told. We get to know Ian's family much better, with all their heavy undercurrents, and even see what comes of Joseph Tames-His-Horse a decade after Burning Sky. It was good; slow, for the majority of the book, but good.

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

Kindred
1. Mountain Laurel
2. Shiloh
2.5 The Journey of Run's Far

Related Novels:
The King's Mercy
Burning Sky