Thursday, September 11, 2014

Laura Frantz's Love's Fortune ~ Reviewed

By Laura Frantz
2014
Revell
9780800720438

BACK COVER COPY:

Sheltered since birth at her Kentucky home, Rowena "Wren" Ballantyne has heard only whispered rumors of her grandfather Silas's vast fortune and grand manor in Pennsylvania. When her father receives a rare letter summoning him to New Hope, Wren makes the journey with him and quickly finds herself in a whole new world--family members she's never met, dances she's never learned, and a new side to the father she thought she knew.

As she struggles to fit in during their extended stay, she finds a friend in James Sackett, the most valued steamship pilot of the Ballantynes' shipping line. Even with his help, Wren feels she may never be comfortable in high society. Will she go her own way . . . to her peril?

MY REVIEW:

From the wilds of Kentucky to the grand mansions of Pittsburgh, Love's Fortune takes the reader on a grand adventure of intrigue and romance. Join the dashing James Sackett and the sweet yet independent Wren Ballantyne in a sweet and educational story.

One of the things I love most about author Laura Frantz's writing is her attention to historical detail. I always learn tidbits I didn't know, and while reading, actually feel like I've been taken back in time. I had no idea that steamboats were so horrifically dangerous or that there's such a thing as an ice cream fork.

What most surprised me was the elegance of Pittsburgh. Admittedly, it's described as a dirty town, but high society lived and acted as though they were proper British folk.

Though Love's Legacy is the third installment in the Ballantyne Legacy, it can be read as a stand-alone. I'm living proof of it since (dare I admit?) I haven't read the first two in the series. After devouring this one, however, I'll be sure to pick up the first titles. Do yourself a favor and buy all three. You won't be sorry.

Reviewed by: Michelle Griep

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