Book Review: The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz/5 Stars

About the book:

Laura Frantz’s The Colonel’s Lady is historical fiction at it’s best, capturing readers with a powerful story of love, a search for the truth and, finally, forgiveness.

It’s 1779 when Roxanna arrives from Virginia to the Kentucky fort commanded by Colonel Cassius McLinn. Told that her officer father has died, Roxanna suddenly finds herself penniless and destitute and is forced to take her father’s place as the fort’s scrivener. It soon becomes clear that Cassius is attracted to her, but she realizes the colonel has secrets of his own, some of which have to do with her father’s sudden death.

Can Roxanne ever love Cassius as long as the possibility remains that he was, even in some small way, involved in her father’s demise?

My thoughts:

Very rarely does a mixture of heartache, forgiveness, and love come together in a more beautiful picture than The Colonel's Lady.  Very rarely am I entranced by a book with characters that are so flawed, yet completely human.  And very rarely do I discover an author whose books are like water to my parched soul. I drank in every drop of this book, and when finished, sat back and breathed a very contented sigh of happiness. 

There are a lot of talented authors in this world, but Laura Frantz is truly in a class of her own.  She takes a period in American history wrought with strife and bloodshed, and then creates beauty from ashes with a love story that is forever enduring.  It is a love story that, at times, is painful to read because war is on the horizon, not only with the enemy, but within the hearts of several at Fort Endeavor.  But it also a story of hope that lies in the eyes of a sweet girl named Abby who captures the hearts of both the colonel and his lady.

Out of Laura's three novels, this one is by far her very best.  Early American history has never been as fascinating to me as it is when I'm reading one of her well-researched stories.  I sincerely hope that Laura will never stray from writing about this particular era of history where life-changing decisions were made for so many, but love lasted for a lifetime.  My rating is a well-deserved 5 Stars.

Southern?  Yes
Sass?  No

**Many thanks to Revell for providing a copy for review. Available August 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.