Ballantyne

This review is for the novel "Love's Awakening" by Laura Frantz. It is the second book in The Ballantyne Legacy.


I am a fan of historical fiction and was glad I picked this book to review. Laura Frantz is a two-time Carol Award winner and I can see why! If you haven't picked up any of her books but like historical fiction then I recommend this novel.

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The year is 1822 and spring has begun it's yearly bloom. Ellie Ballantyne has just left her last year of finishing school and journeys back to the family home in Pittsburgh. When she arrives, however, the greeting is not as warm as she would have liked or expected. Her parents, she soon discovers, have gone for a long journey and her siblings seem less than thrilled to see her and would just as soon prefer she leave again.

Ellie is nothing if not determined and stand her ground she will. Deciding idle hands are not for her, she fills her days be opening a girls school for young ladies. She has been taught and knows she can pass on her knowledge to other women.

One of the students turns out to possibly be more than Ellie bargained for though. An incorrigible girl belonging to the Turlock family. Sensing danger, Ellie knows she must be very careful with this young women and the connections to that family. The Turlocks are whiskey magnates and slaveholders and have long been suspicious of the Ballantynes abolitionist leanings and have long been envious of their power in society.

Despite herself, Ellie finds her life intertwining far to often with the Turlock family and one young man in particular, Jack Turlock. Love wars with familial ties and loyalty. What will win out in the end?
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Jenny



Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. I am not required to post a positive one. All opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.