by Genevieve Graham
Publisher: Berkley TradeRelease Date: Jan 3, 2012
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
My Review:
The year is 1746. A young woman from South Carolina and a Scottish Highlander share an intimacy and devotion beyond their understanding. They have had visions of each other their entire lives. And yet they have never met.
Now, with their lives torn asunder, Maggie Johnson and Andrew MacDonnell's quest to find each other is guided only by their dreams—and by the belief in the true love they share.
On the Carolina frontier Maggie Johnson’s family struggles to survive. Maggie’s gift of “the sight” and her visions show her a presence she calls Wolf. She watches him grow from a boy her age to a man even as she goes from child to woman.
Andrew MacDonald has always wondered about the girl he sees in his dreams. He is able to talk to her through their thoughts and vows that even if he must cross an ocean he will find her. They are thrust into different situations: Andrew fights for the doomed Jacobite cause and Maggie is captured by slavers, then rescued and brought into a kind, loving Native American tribe. They each believe in destiny and the power of the love they have shared forever.
The love story in this book was written in that all consuming true love style that I love so much. Yes, there were parts of the book that I personally didn't enjoy because they were too gritty and violent. But I am happy that I kept on truckin' through those parts because the love story really was fantastic.
In order to really get into the love story, you have to be willing to have an open mind. This pair has seen each other in visions and dreams for their whole lives but they have never met. I think it's very interesting that Andrew never wavers in his devotion to Maggie, even though he's never met her. Maggie does have a flirtation with one of the members of the Native American tribe that she lives with. Of course, he is so sweet, and who can blame her for being unsure about Andrew, so this worked in the story for me.
My favorite part of the book is the time that Maggie spends with the Native American tribe. All of the people are so kind and teach her to heal her wounds with love and support.
I do want to warn readers that the violence in this book is very unpleasant, and I didn't care for it. But I am very glad that I read the rest book instead of letting that scare me away.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: An all-encompassing love story that transcends time and space.
At first glance I would say this book isn't for me but I do enjoy an all consuming love story!
ReplyDeleteLovely review Carrie.
& I don't mind the violent bits lol
Thanks for the review. This book has such a beautiful cover, I just want to go out and get it!
ReplyDeleteOh... well the violence thing kind of puts me off but I love the idea of Maggie and Andrew - he sounds like a great hero - I think I'll put it on the wish list for now, while I come to terms with the violence thing - I'm a bit of a wimp :)
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, the violence was definitely hard to take - it was hard to write! But since I'm writing Historical Fiction, I wanted it to be true to life. These things happened, though so many people like to look the other way. It's the same as female slavery today - it's still happening, but most of us aren't paying attention because it's too painful to imagine. I don't preach or soapbox in the book - at all - but it was important for me to include the facts of the time in order to be true to myself as a writer.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll check out the book!
Sounds great :)
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me...eeek I truly must email the author her interview questions!
You got me at the all consuming love story part. I don't like violence but I love love :) Fab review!
ReplyDeleteHey Blodeuedd - I'm looking forward to seeing them!
ReplyDeleteAlexis, I can't deny there's violence in the book. The thing is, I think it's important, if you're writing Historical Fiction, to tell as much of the truth as possible. I can't sugarcoat something that happened - I won't. So many things, like white slavery, are left out of books because people prefer to look away from the ugly truth, but I can't do it. It's unfair to the people who actually lived back then! But my books revolve around love. To me, that's what holds everything together in life!
LOL. We seem to be on similar wavelengths lately on books other than the dark/gritty aspects. The dark, violent bits came as a surprise but I liked that it added a realistic aspect to the story. Lots of books gloss over the violence people (and especially women) faced on the frontier in these wild days. I loved the romance though! My thoughts if you are interested :)
ReplyDelete