A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz

About the Book:

Though Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall grew up on the same castle grounds, Magnus is now laird of the great house and the Isle of Kerrera. Lark is just the keeper of his bees – and the woman who could provide an elixir to help his ailing wife conceive and bear him an heir. But when his wife dies suddenly, Magnus and Lark find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of accusations, expelled from their beloved island, and sold as indentured servants across the Atlantic. Can they make a new beginning in this New World? Or will their hopes be dashed against the rocky coastline of the Virginia colony?

Laura Frantz's prose sparkles with authenticity as she digs into her own family history to share this breathless tale of love, exile, and courage in colonial America.

My thoughts:

A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz captured my attention instantly with its setting, the foreign words, the underhanded activities, and the subtle attraction between Magnus and Lark. Descriptive imagery brought the places and characters to life in my mind. As the story unfolded, several issues began to play out: slavery, smuggling, adoption, a personal relationship with God. These matters added a pleasing depth to the story and induced character development. The action and romantic tension carried the story along until sometime after they landed in Virginia. At that point, the momentum and my interest waned a bit. However, Laura Frantz writes beautifully and the satisfying ending more than made up for the slowing pace.

Overall, I liked A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz even though it wasn't quite what I expected. It has a permanent home on my bookshelf and I'll read it again. I recommend it as a faith-filled love story to fans of historical romances.

Read an excerpt from A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz on the publisher's website.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

First Line Friday (12/28/18): A Bound Heart

Happy Friday, everyone!

I always look forward to Fridays because after the kids are in bed, I usually begin whatever book I'll read that weekend. This is my first time trying out First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books.

So, the book is A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz and the first line is:

"As the sun slid from the sky, Lark pressed her back into the pockmarked cliff on the island's west shore."

Hmm... A tiny little snippet of a story I've been looking forward to for months now. Can't wait to read it. 

What are you reading this weekend? Share your first line in the comments below. 

Have a great weekend!

My TBR Stack... An Update.

Between review books, book club books, and the bargains I find at my library's used book store, my TBR stack is never completely empty, but lately it has really filled up! Take a look!

So, let's discuss this stack:

1. Searching For You by Jody Hedlund: This is my book to read this weekend! I loved the first two novels in the series and I'm expecting a fabulous conclusion.

2. A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz: Laura Frantz is one of my favorites, so this is another book that I'm expecting to be a great read.

3. In the Shadow of Croft Towers by Abigail Wilson: I don't read many mysteries, but this one sounds intriguing!

4. The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin: This book was quite a surprise! I thought the publisher had sent me a wrong book until I found a card tucked inside saying I had won a LibraryThing giveaway!

5. Chosen People by Robert Whitlow: This book is the January pick for my local book club. My husband has already read it and says it's good.

6. Sons of Blackbird Mountain by Joanne Bischof: Another book club pick, this one for February. I loved The Lady and the Lionheart, so I'm hoping this one will be just as good!

7. The Lady of Tarpon Springs by Judith Miller: Um... this one was the book club's pick for last October.  Clearly, I am behind and somehow I just end up reading other books ahead of it.  Maybe by next October....

How about you? What books are on your TBR stack?

Woohoo!!! - Upcoming Books!

So, I just peeked on Amazon and saw there are some amazing-looking books coming out in later 2018 / early 2019.

Here's what looks so good to me:

Synopsis' are available at the publisher's website. Links below.

A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz - This author has been one of my favorites for several years now. I've read all her books.

Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green - I actually haven't read any of her books, I just keep hearing how amazing they are and there's one (A Refuge Assured) in my TBR stack.

Searching for You by Jody Hedlund - I haven't read all her novels, but I have read all the ones in her Orphan Train series. Each one has been stellar and I have am excited for this next installment.