Mistress of Tall Acre - Laura Frantz

Title:               Mistress of Tall Acre

Author:            Laura Frantz

Publisher:        Revel

Market:           Christian

Genre:             Romance; Historical Fiction

Length:            400 pages

Pub. Date:       September 8, 2015

Description (from Amazon):

The American Revolution is finally over, and Sophie Menzies is starved for good news. When her nearest neighbor, General Seamus Ogilvy, finally comes home to Tall Acre, she hopes it is a sign of better days to come. But the general is now a widower with a small daughter in desperate need of a mother. Nearly destitute, Sophie agrees to marry Seamus and become the mistress of Tall Acre in what seems a safe, sensible arrangement. But when a woman from the general's past returns without warning, the ties that bind this fledgling family together will be strained to the utmost. When all is said and done, who will be the rightful mistress of Tall Acre?

Triumph and tragedy, loyalty and betrayal--readers find it all in the rich pages of this newest historical novel from the talented pen of Laura Frantz. Her careful historical details immerse the reader in the story world, and her emotional writing and finely tuned characters never cease to enchant fans both old and new.

My Review:

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy via the publisher at NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I chose this book based on both its cover and the description.  I am a fan of historical fiction.  I enjoy learning about times past cushioned in a good tale.  I did go into the book expecting a bit of a mystery to be solved.  Since that wasn’t the case, I was a bit disappointed.  However, the writing was engaging and I enjoyed the story overall.

The book had great descriptions and period information.  I really believe that the author, Laura Frantz, did her research and immersed herself the in the revolutionary time period.  However, I found the dialogue – especially between Sophie and Seamus – to be stilted.  And even Lily Cate, the general’s young daughter, seemed overly precocious.  The flow of the story was choppy in a lot of places.

Despite the dialogue issues, I did find myself rooting for Sophie & Seamus to work out their issues and find happiness.  While there wasn’t a lot of character growth in an outward way, a lot of it was implied internally.

The romance was both sweet and chastely written.  The spiritual elements were well-integrated into the characters and the story overall. 

The only potentially questionable content would involve a spoiler.  Suffice it to say there was nothing graphic or offensive in the story.

The novel was very predictable.  But most historical romances are.  That’s what makes it a sweet, comforting read.  I believe it would appeal to women who like to read historical fiction and sometime need a book that doesn’t require them to think deeply.  I enjoyed it overall.

Pros:

• Great immersion into the time period
• Detailed descriptions
  
  

Cons:

• Stilted conversations
• Choppy flow

My Rating:  3.5 out of 5 (good)