As this young country emerges from the grip of the American Revolution, those who made it--either fighting it or waiting at home--try to piece together a new life yearning for normalcy; or a sense of it. But for the daughter of a Scotsman loyal to the crown, Sophie Menzies has it harder than most in Roan, Virginia--given the blight to her family name. Trying to eek out a life on meager means at her Three Chimneys home, Sophie finds hope in the return of Seamus Ogilvy--neighbor, General, war hero, widower and father.
General Seamus Ogilvy returns to Tall Acre a hero, but feeling none of the pomp and circumstance it should entail. Even though battlefield chaos is over, he is mounting an attack to return Tall Acre to its former glory. But perhaps the biggest battle is being a father to the daughter he left the day she was born.
Seamus and Sophie form an unlikely partnership in efforts to forge ahead in this time of healing for our young country. But when tragedy strikes, can they find the strength within and together to press on?
I was saving this review--the best for last, as they say...I must be honest and say that Laura Frantz is one of my favorite, if not THE favorite, of my go-to authors. So, much to my delight, when I found that The Mistress of Tall Acre was one of the books for review this month, I literally bounced in my chair when I read the offerings from the publisher!
Frantz, I have no doubt wove the story of Seamus and Sophie while curled in the arms of a soft chair with nothing but the sound of a crackling fire, scent of a bayberry candle and the scratch of a pen tip on paper to keep her company. As usual, her characters and story lines are developed and layered. She has an excellent way of relaying the angst, confusion, wants and desires of the characters while within the boundaries of social etiquette for the time period. However, we know that love has no boundaries, even in 1784!! I also appreciate that at the end of sections or chapters, she puts these poignant little one-liners or brief thoughts that drive the feeling home. I was pleased to see the quote from the Declaration of Independence at the beginning of chapter one. I hoped the subsequent chapters would have quotes like Frantz used in the Ballantyne Legacy, but sadly they did not. But, that's alright.
My only true "complaint", and maybe that thought shouldn't be titled as such..."concern" perhaps? I was never completely sure what Seamus' actions at Early Hall were all about...(I cant say too much) I re-read from that scene to the end and couldn't find an answer. I'm curious to know what that was all about and also the change in Seamus from wanting to jump into politics and going off to Williamsburg again to then...oops, cant say much more. More development may have been nice there...But perhaps word counts didn't allow? None-the-less, as the reader, you can see through the lines and make assumptions. And it didn't seem to effect the main story line. It just made me quirk a brow here and there.
As with most of Frantz books, I find myself befriending the characters. And inevitably, I feel a sense of loss when I must let them go. But in the back of my mind I wonder, what will the next adventure be for them? In wanting to join the characters in the next novel, I feel a little like Sophie before heading to Annapolis... "Her wayward heart was already counting the hours till she'd be back."
5 stars. I'd feel guilty giving it anything less!
(I was given this book for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
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