The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green - Historical Fiction Bethany House [Review & Giveaway]

My thoughts: If you're a history buff, you will love this book. If you're not really "into" history, this story will grab your attention and give you a new appreciation for the people who came before you and I and settled in this land of the free.

In 1719 life in Paris, France was either good if you had the money, or terrible and inhumane if you had no money. Being accused of dastardly crimes took only the word of a jealous person to land you in prison and marked for life. There was no recourse, until, the King wanted to populate the Louisiana (named after King Louis) area. So prisoners were given the choice to stay in prison or go to Louisiana but the catch was they wanted to populate the land so that meant as a Catholic nation that the settlers must be married. So prisoners were matched, chained, married, and shipped.

Life in Louisiana was as hardscrabble (or mud-scrabble) as it could get. There wasn't enough food, there was war with the British and war and terror from the Indians. There was corruption amongst the French which caused their problems to magnify. And there was love and there was life.

Jocelyn Green is a consummate storyteller and a persistent historian who researches tenaciously the times and settings of her stories. The result is a choice read that doesn't disappoint.

About the book: Life in this new world requires more strength than she ever imagined.

After the death of her client, midwife Julianne Chevalier is imprisoned and branded, marking her as a criminal beyond redemption. Hoping to reunite with her brother, a soldier, she trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling French colony of Louisiana. The price of her transport, however, is a forced marriage to a fellow convict.

New Orleans is nothing like Julianne expects. The settlement is steeped in mud and mosquitoes, and there is no news of her brother, Benjamin. When tragedy strikes, she turns to military officer Marc-Paul Girard for help, but does he know more about her brother than he will admit?

With her dreams shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous land, where only grace---and love---can overcome the stigma of the king's mark upon her shoulder.

Meet the Author - Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning author of ten books to date, including Wedded to War, a Christy Award finalist in 2013; Widow of Gettysburg; Yankee in Atlanta; and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman.

GIVEAWAY ~ FLASH

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ENDS February 9 12:01 a.m. EST

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DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Litfuse Publicity Group on behalf of the author and publisher, Bethany House, to facilitate  a review of my own opinions. I was not compensated.

The Amish Princess (The Paradise Chronicles #2) by Patrick E. Craig [Review & Giveaway]

This book is not to be missed!

My thoughts: I thoroughly expected an expertly crafted story by Patrick E. Craig since I have found his previous works to reveal his prodigious skills as a word smith. I did not expect such a powerful story that plowed deep into the heart and mind of frontiers people as well as the Indians whose land and way of life was being stolen.

The spirituality of this book encompasses the naturalist belief of tribal Indians and the Christian faith of Amish and Moravian Christians as they each confronted life and their own faith in the midst of horrific events.

There is a great deal of intensity and terrible tragedy powerfully described by Craig's pen as the struggle and battle to own the land is waged. 

And who is the Amish Princess? And such is quite a misnomer as the Amish are, traditionally, quite a self-effacing people who would shy away from claiming to be Princess or highly elevated or esteemed. The Amish Princess is the daughter of a mighty Indian chief whose grandmother was a member of the French Aristocracy who was captured by the Indians many years prior to the story's beginnings. She is beautiful, fair skinned (for an Indian), and much beloved. And in the story she comes to believe the Christian faith at the leading of an Amish young man who has been captured by the Indians.

Her story is moving and powerful, but it is not the only story in the book. Readers will find the multiple story lines quite interesting, compelling, and riveting. This is a book not to be missed.

About the book: Opahtuhwe, the White Deer, is the beautiful daughter of Wingenund, the most powerful chief of the Delaware tribe. She is revered by her people–a true Indian princess. Everything changes when the murderous Delaware renegade known as Scar brings three Amish prisoners to the Delaware camp. Jonathan and Joshua Hershberger are twin brothers that Scar has determined to adopt and teach the Indian way. The third prisoner is Jonas Hershberger, their father, who has been made a slave because he would not defend his family. White Deer is drawn to Jonathan but his hatred of the Indians makes him push her away. Joshua's gentle heart and steadfast refusal to abandon the Amish faith lead White Deer to a life-changing decision and rejection by her people. In the end, White Deer must choose between the ways of her people and her new-found faith. And complicating it all is her love for the man who can only hate her.

About the author: Best-selling Author Patrick E. Craig is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful career in the music industry after two albums on Warner Brothers Records and years of live performances in one of San Francisco's most popular music groups to follow Christ in 1984. He spent the next twenty-six years as a worship leader, seminar speaker and pastor in churches, retreats, seminars and conferences in the Western United States. In 2013 Harvest House published the first of his Apple Creak Dreams series, A Quilt For Jenna, followed by The Road Home and Jenny's Choice. A Quilt For Jenna recently moved into the #1 bestseller in Amish Fiction on Amazon. His new book, The Amish Heiress is the first in his new series, The Paradise Chronicles.

GIVEAWAY

1 winner to receive a print copy

Begins January17

ENDS February 7 @ 12:01 a.m. EST

Open to USA addresses only.

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DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review of my own opinions. I was not compensated for this review and opinions are solely my own.