Love's Reckoning

Back Cover

On a bitter December day in 1784, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of blacksmith Liege Lee in York County, Pennsylvania.  Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship quickly and move west.  But because he is a fast worker and a superb craftsman, Liege endeavors to keep him in Lancaster by appealing to an old tradition: the apprentice shall marry one of his master’s beautiful daughters.

Eden is as gentle and fresh as Elspeth is high-spirited and cunning.  But are they truly who they appear to be?  In a house laced with secrets, each sister seeks to secure her future.  Which one will claim Silas’ heart—and will he agree to Liege’s arrangement?

In this sweeping family saga, one man’s choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come.  This is the Ballantyne Legacy.

Review

This is the first novel I have read of Laura Frantz’, but I can quickly tell you it won’t be my last.  Love’s Reckoning was an absolutely amazing piece of written work.  It captured my attention from the first page and would not let go until I finished.  I often found myself thinking about the story and the characters throughout the day when I wasn’t absorbed in the book itself. 

A recommendation on the back of the book by award-winning author Julie Lessman likens Frantz’ work to that of Liz Curtis Higgs; I couldn’t agree more.  Frantz’ writing has the same character depth and heart-pounding romance as Higgs’ and fantastic story-telling.  The only part that I found lacked was the ending.  I felt it could have been re-tooled and tweaked a bit more, as some of the characters’ actions didn’t feel realistic or plausible, given what I knew about the characters and their personalities from the first ¾ of the book. 

That said, it was still a brilliant piece of work and I will read it again.  I will also be looking forward to the second instalment in the “Ballantyne Legacy” coming out in the fall of next year.  

 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.