"A Heart Adrift" by Laura Frantz

It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esme Shaw 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 Esme. 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? 

And the sailor said, "Esmee, you're a fine girl. What a good wife you would be . . . But but my life, my lover, my lady is the sea." (To slightly misquote a song that was running through my head at the beginning of the book). 

Frantz does an excellent job setting the scene and exploring new aspects of colonial life. The chocolatiering was completely new for me, as with life in Virginia at the start of the French and Indian War--all I'd known before of the war took place farther north, primarily in New York. I really enjoyed the privateering aspect of the book; it's not a subject one sees often, especially as authorized by the colonial government (and technically king of England). I hadn't realized it played a significant role in the French and Indian War. Aspects of the story reminded me of the swashbuckling classic Captain Blood, which I have long enjoyed.

This was a solid, faith-filled story, besides being a lovely example of a second chance at love. I would have preferred more tension , particularly nearing the end. It could have used a little more lead-up to the final conflict; not that it came completely out of the blue, but there hadn't been any major tension leading up to it, so it didn't feel particularly necessary to the plot. I did like the scene, however, especially for Eliza's character arc, but some foreboding and tension in advance would have made it a really solid ending rather than a tacked-on, last-minute conflict. 

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