Rebecca Reviews ~ Tidewater Bride by Laura Frantz

Paperback, 416 pages; Published January 5, 2021 by Revell

Selah Hopewell, Virginia Colony's most eligible woman, is busy matchmaking for a ship of brides, though she has no wish to wed.

Xander Renick is perhaps the most eligible tobacco lord in the settlement, but he is already wedded to his business and still grieves the loss of his wife, daughter of the Powhatan chief.

Can two fiercely independent people find happiness and fulfillment on their own? Or will they discover that what they've been missing in life has been right in front of them all along?

"Time will tell I love thee well."

As the daughter of a successful town merchant, Selah Hopewell's days were full, even before she was tasked with overseeing a ship load of tobacco brides. Everyone was hopeful that bringing in an abundance of purported genteel ladies would help tame the often raucous nature of the James Towne port community. Selah had no clear intentions of marrying anytime soon herself, if at all, for there was only one man who had managed to capture her attention; the widower Xander Renick, and his attention, as the most successful planter in the entire region, was almost always on fields of liquid gold; his prized tobacco. But perhaps she had judged him too severely, because there were those rare moments when his gaze would linger, or amusement would flare up briefly in the corner of his eyes . . . just long enough to give Selah cause to pause and perhaps wonder.

 

Attraction aside, there were many things that Selah didn't know or pretend to understand about the elusive Master Renick, who had hurriedly married an Indian princess, only to grieve deeply following her death, leaving their young son behind in Scotland after a trip they had taken there. Xander's friendly relations with the local Indians increasingly put him in the middle of heated political discussions among those who wished to push the indomitable Powhatans further out of the region. When Selah begins to avoid unwanted advances from a man that Xander loathes, their relationship takes a sudden turn towards friendly, and then yet again towards something more precious, for once Xander makes his intentions crystal clear, Selah is incapable of denying her heart.

The Tidewater Bride is the quintessential embodiment of inspiring historical romance. Vividly describing life in colonial James Towne, the author adds her own aura of elegant enchantment to the colonists' daily struggles to fight the elements while managing vast fields of valuable crops, endeavoring to treat those indentured into employment with fairness and grace, continually diffusing political squalls, and yet carving out enough time to bare one's heart and soul before another . . such were the circumstances that surrounded Xander and Selah's tender beginnings. . . until things took a turn for the unimaginable worse.

In her end notes, Frantz credits the words of well known historical figure John Rolfe, penning his eloquent words from the mouth of Xander Renick; "It is she to whom my heart and best thoughts are and have been a long time so entangled, and enthralled in so intricate a labyrinth that I could not unwind myself thereout."

It's no wonder that this is one of the author's favorite stories. "Truly joy cometh in the morning. And the evening too."

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Senior Reviewer, Rebecca Maney

Rebecca is a graduate of Bryan College with a degree in Christian Education, and is currently serving at the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina as the Director of Children's Ministry. With over 30 years of experience in her field, she has had many opportunities to use her love of reading and writing in creative ways across the generations. A wife, mother of four "nearly" grown children, and grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren, Rebecca has been able to return to her love of reading and more recently reviewing, with a renewed passion for the "beauty of story".