Love's Reckoning - Laura Frantz

Summary:
On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in York. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the others jealousy destroy their love?

In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. "Love's Reckoning" is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.

About The Author:
I was born and raised in Kentucky, living first in Ashland, Mammoth Cave, Bowling Green, and then Lexington. But my heart has always been in Berea, Madison County, the place my family has resided since the 18th-century. I came to know Christ there at the age of 12, was baptized, and spent my childhood roaming through the woods and swimming in the rivers of my books.

My earliest memories are of the public library, standing in front of shelves filled with those little biographies of famous historical figures like Daniel Boone and George Washington and Sacajawea. I began scribbling stories at age 7 and thankfully never stopped. My passion then and now is history and all the wonders of past centuries.

I attended college at Denison University in Ohio and also in England, living in a manor/castle and studying the American Revolution from the British perspective. Shakespeare and 18th-century literature form the backbone of my English degree. Strangely enough, I only took one creative writing class.


Okay let me say this book, the summary makes the book sound SO much better than it actually is! I found myself forcing myself to finish. And that's only because I said I was going to on my blog.

Also this rating would have been on sooner but my health got in the way, and I was admitted to the hospital the day I was going to write it.

First of all I never in my life have said I hated a character. But with this book I said I HATED the character Elspeth! Because first she has a child, and she pretends he doesn't even exist. Also she is so selfish. She thinks only of herself and not of her family. She steals a lot of things from her sister Eden. I Also didn't much care for the dad character. He was so overbearing, and stern to Eden. The way he treated her you'd think she was a servant instead of his daughter.

I wasn't to fond of Eden's character either. I don't know, she just wasn't a character I overly liked. Neither was Silas. I just overly didn't like this book. It took FOREVER to get to the point of the story! Then like in the middle of it, the story jumped to nine years later! Most of the book I stayed confused. I'm pretty weary of starting one of her other books. I pray that her other books are better than this one!


Also this week I was able to attend my first birth as a doula! Welcome little Liam to the world!



Emily's Rating:


My next book will be Flora's Wish by Kathleen Y'Barbo.