Excerpt: "If the apprentice comes before the babe, the jig is up and he's to wed Eden. If he comes after the babe is born, he's yours, Elspeth. You know how things stand with an apprentice."
Mama nodded, her wistful expression revealing she knew of such matters firsthand. Years before, Papa was apprenticed to her father, a master gunsmith, and she'd been part and parcel of the contract. Though rumored that she loved another, tradition held sway. 'Twas a time-honored practice that apprentices marry into their master's family, as if some ironclad rule passed down from King George himself. Though times were changing and the war had been won, Papa was holding on to the past with both fists. Love's Reckoning, pg 9.
Back Cover: On a bitter December day in 1784, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of blacksmith Liege Lee in York County, Pennsylvania. Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship quickly and move west. But because he is a fast worker and a superb craftsman, Liege endeavors to keep him in York by appealing to an old tradition: the apprentice shall marry one of his master's beautiful daughters.
Eden is as gentle and fresh as Elspeth is high-spirited and cunning. But are they truly who they appear to be? In a house laced with secrets, each sister seeks to secure her future. Which one will claim Silas's heart--and will he agree to Liege's arrangement?
In this sweeping family saga, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. This is the Ballantyne Legacy.
My Review: Laura Frantz takes us to a fascinating place in history that is not seen in many novels today. Love's Reckoning takes place soon after the end of the Revolutionary war, when the nation was new and Pittsburgh was the west. This story is full of lies, secrets, and questions. But the answers to those questions are not always pleasant. Frantz isn't afraid to give her characters flaws, and vices. More than once, I wanted to shake some sense into the characters for their poor choices, or misunderstandings. Overall, I enjoyed this book.
My Rating:
My Recommendation: I recommend this book to readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the period right after the American Revolution.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
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