Can a young southern woman of a higher class have a future with a man who is a step above a pirate?
Christine Johnson tells the captivating tale of Elizabeth Benjamin, a young southern woman raised in Key West, who returns
home to take her station in her childhood home. Accompanied by her Aunt, Elizabeth struggles to find her place in the household among a brother, a father and servant--all of whom have a past. All the while, she pines for the man she had left behind four years earlier. Rourke O'Malley, the object of Elizabeth's affection, searches to find his place as well--in society and on the water--and struggles to make sense of the feelings he has for Elizabeth.
As I said, there are characters with a past and Ms. Johnson does an excellent job of weaving the characters and their histories all together. There is some mystery as well and I was even guessing and wondering how all the pieces fit in the puzzle.
The backdrop of Key West is a refreshing twist. It seems there are lots of historical fiction novels that are set in New England, out West, the wilderness...but this is the first I've read in Key West. As refreshing as that is, it had its drawbacks. I didn't really know about the setting and had trouble picturing it. For instance, I don't' really know what a mangrove tree looks like. Also, in the beginning of the book there is a heavy emphasis on the nautical setting of the book as well. With nautical there is usually boats and I don't know aft from starboard to bulwark to spar. I don't know if it would have been considered tacky or not, but some books print maps of the town or diagrams at the front of the book. For those of us who haven't been to Key West or know our boats, maybe a diagram or map could have been helpful??? It would have helped me anyway. I guess I could have Googled it...
Character development was good overall. At times, Elizabeth seemed a little on the simpering side. I wish she would have just taken her Aunt to task a few times. But, it gets better--and that's all I can say. Rourke...who wouldn't love a male lead like Rourke? (insert sigh and eyeflutter here)... I actually felt Charlie and John were secondary characters that "spoke" volumes with little dialog.
The book moved well and had some mystery and twists that kept you engaged till the end. Overall, a promising start to the Keys of Promise series. I say, 4 stars out of 5!
(I was given this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
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