I received a complimentary copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Series: American Tapestries
Published by Summerside Press on September 1st, 2013
Source: Litfuse Publicity Group
Genres: Christian, Historical, Love & Romance, Romance
Pages: 336
An unlikely spy discovers freedom and love in the midst of the American Revolution.
As the British and Continental armies wage war in 1781, the daughter of a wealthy Virginia plantation owner feels conflict raging in her own heart. Lydia Caswell comes from a family of staunch Loyalists, but she wavers in her allegiance to the Crown.
On the night the British sail up the James River on a mission to destroy the new capital, Lydia discovers a wounded man on the riverbank near Caswell Hall. Fearing his identity but unwilling to leave him for dead, she secretly nurses him back to health. The man identifies himself as Nathan, a Patriot—and an enemy. But Lydia’s American sympathies grow, and when British officers return to the plantation, Lydia must help Nathan escape.
Privy to conversation among the officers at Caswell Hall, Lydia begins delivering secret messages to the Patriots in Williamsburg. When she overhears a plot to assassinate General Washington, she must risk her life to alert Nathan before it’s too late.
One of the best books that I’ve read this year!
I enjoyed immensely—it was every bit as good as the last book that I read in the American Tapestries series.
As a matter of fact; The Queen of the Waves made it into my top ten books of 2012 and The Courier of Caswell Hall will most likely be in my top ten for 2013.
American Tapestries is an excellent stand-alone series that I suggest for fans of historical fiction.
Lydia Caswell is a young girl wanting to choose her own political stance but is torn between pleasing her father and following her heart.
When a young man washes up on the banks near her plantation home; she makes a bold and risky move by hiding him on the property until he has recovered. With the help of two of her father’s slaves, Nathan is nursed back to health.
After a short time her sister becomes suspicious and to further complicate matters—the British troops have shown up and pretty much taken over the plantation. Nathan makes his escape with the help of Elisha; the Caswell’s driver.
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Lydia finds that she is very disgusted by the manners and actions of the troops that have taken over her home but she is torn because she has seen equally disgusting behavior from the patriot troops.
Nathan has encouraged her to look past the actions of a few and choose from her heart the side that she wishes to support and is after the home of her childhood friend is burned by the British that Lydia becomes a courier for General Washington. She is determined to find freedom, independence and safety for her family. She also finds love with the young man she rescued.
This book was so bittersweet. The prologue and epilogue take place many years in the future and at the end of Nathan’s life. I found myself misting as I read the epilogue. I didn’t want to see the end of such a beautiful life and love. Fantastic love story but also bittersweet and sad towards the end!
About Melanie Dobson
Writing novels is a fun excuse for Melanie to explore ghost towns and old houses, travel to unusual places, and spend hours reading dusty books and journals. She writes both contemporary and historical fiction with threads of romance and suspense.
Melanie is the award-winning author of fourteen historical romance, suspense, and contemporary novels including Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, Chateau of Secrets, and The Silent Order. Three of her novels have won Carol Awards, and Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010. Her next book, Beneath a Golden Veil, releases in November (2016).
Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with Jon’s work, the Dobsons have finally settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to travel and hike in both the mountains and the cliffs above the Pacific. When Melanie isn’t writing or researching, she enjoys line dancing, biking, and making up stories with her kids.
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