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| A heartwarming tale of adventure, love and family |
Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato
Bethany House, March 1, 2012
Paperback 299 pages
Christian Historical Fiction
Review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating: 4 stars
Rich in Historical Detail, This Is a Romance that Delivers!
An unsolved mystery separates ex-privateersman Captain Brogan Talvis from his lost son--his only living relation, his only family. Shortly before her tragic demise, his wife abandoned their infant to strangers, refusing to reveal the child's whereabouts. Now, three years later, Brogan has discovered the boy at the home of a shipbuilder's daughter, Lorena Huntley.
Lorena guards a dark secret about her young charge. She finds herself falling for the heroic captain who has come to claim his newly built ship, unaware his motive for wooing her is to befriend the boy he plans on reclaiming as his own--until the day another's evil deceit leaves her helplessly shipbound, heading toward England.
As the perfect opportunity to reclaim his son unfolds, Brogan is haunted by thoughts of Lorena in her dire circumstance, and he is forced to make a heartrending choice between his child and the woman who has begun to capture his heart. But only his unselfish sacrifice can win him the greatest prize of all--love.
Captain Brogan Talvis is a soft-hearted privateer who seeks the boy who is being passed off as Lorena's little brother. Lorena is really like a mother to this boy who was seemingly orphaned as a baby, but now his true father, the Captain, has finally learned of his whereabouts. He must find a way into the family of Lorena, and her wealthy father Nathaniel Huntley in order for his plan to take his son back with him to succeed.
Lorena poses an unforeseen problem for the now-hardened Captain, as she slowly breaks through his tough exterior. Lorena is a devout Christian, though harbors a secret about her own family and the boy's background. The secrets have to come out in the open eventually, but not before Lorena and the Captain get to know each other. A sudden sinister plot to abduct not the boy, but Lorena, forces the Captain to take action that puts everything in jeopardy. The plot line was swift and intriguing, as well as the characters easy to like, even though I could guess fairly easy the way the story would end.
Prize of My Heart was a short novel, and didn't beat around the bush filling in space; it is a fast-paced and enjoyable historical romance. I enjoyed the historical setting in Massachusetts and especially appreciated the journey of faith that the Captain undertook as he went through several periods of loneliness and doubt. A perfect Saturday read, and I wouldn't mind at all reading a sequel to this one if we could be so lucky to be honored with one.
My thanks to Bethany House (see my other reviews!) for providing this book for revew; I have yet to find an unenjoyable novel from them yet.
.JPG)