Friday, August 12, 2022

Book Review: Love's Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik

About the Book:

When Dani Sango’s art forger father passes away, Dani inherits his home. Among his effects is a book of Native American drawings, which leads her to seek the help of museum curator Brad Osgood to decipher the ledger art. Why would her father have this book? Is it just another forgery?

Brad Osgood’s four-year-old niece, Brynn, needs a safe home, and Brad longs to provide it. The last thing he needs is more drama, especially from a forger’s daughter. But when the two meet “accidentally” at St. Augustine’s 350-year-old Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos, he can’t refuse the intriguing woman.

Broken Bow is among seventy-three Plains Indians transported to Florida in 1875 for incarceration at ancient Fort Marion. Sally Jo Harris and Luke Worthing dream of serving God on a foreign mission field, but when the Indians arrive in St. Augustine, God changes their plans. Then when friendship develops between Sally Jo and Broken Bow and false accusations fly, it could cost them their lives.

Can Dani discover how Broken Bow and Sally Jo’s story ends and how it impacted her father’s life?


My Thoughts:

Love’s Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik holds two timelines with vastly different content. I enjoyed both storylines and stayed interested throughout the novel. The questions from the timelines unraveled with perfect pacing that showed the author’s ability to precisely craft a story. The ending wrapped up things with a bit of “telling not showing”, but I still liked the book.

Love’s Fortress tackled the historical actions of removing Native Americans from their tribes, detaining them in Fort Marion (now Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida), and teaching them the white man’s culture. The novel handled the situation carefully and gave it a hopeful spin while still showing the understandable distaste for the white man’s ways through Broken Bow’s perspective. Reading about these happenings made me wish that United States history hadn’t happened the way it did.

Love’s Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik is part of the Doors to the Past series from Barbour Publishers, but reads as a standalone novel. Recommended for fans of Christian fiction who enjoy a tightly crafted story with interesting historical detail. I adored the beautiful Gospel presentation to Broken Bow. I read Love’s Fortress with my local book club and there was plenty to discuss.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.


1 comment:

  1. Very interesting story. Our country sure has a dark history in many respects.

    ReplyDelete