Description: In a land fraught with religious strife, they must break the barriers between status and faith to forge a fresh future in a new world… After her Huguenot father is arrested, aristocrat Suzanne Richelieu escapes Versailles. Handsome German peasant, Johan Rousch, risks his life to bring her to the safety of his family’s farm in the Palatinate duchy, but when Suzanne’s brother and the French army arrive with a warning that they plan to burn the area, she and Johan are forced to flee.
With no money or options, both become indentured servants in exchange for safe passage to Philadelphia. Suzanne falls gravely ill aboard ship and marries Johan, only to survive with no memory of the wedding—a reality made worse when Johan spots the “priest” who married them working as a surveyor and later in Quaker cleric garb. Are their wedding vows valid? When Suzanne's former fiancĂ© arrives in port, planning to abduct her, Johan must save her again—but can he do so before Suzanne is lost to him forever?
My Thoughts: I enjoyed the relationship between Johan and Suzanne. The way he always sought to protect her was endearing and the way she finally declared her feelings to him was perfect. From a large picture stand point, the story was really good, with enough danger to keep it interesting.
However, along the way, certain things stood out and lowered my esteem of the story. Johan's brother would switch from hateful to kind from scene to scene, and it seemed at times that Suzanne's understanding of German would change from proficient to sorely lacking. As well, the conflict about who would accompany her to the colonies felt largely unnecessary.
The story was what kept me interested. While at times the writing did not flow as well as it could, Johan was a great character and I wanted to find out how he would win both Suzanne's love and her trust. I would recommend it to those who love good characters above all else in a novel.
I received this book through the Book Fun Network in exchange for an honest review.
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