Published June 5th 2018
by Revell
Five years after the final shot was fired in the War Between the States, Selah Daughtry can barely manage to keep herself, her two younger sisters, and their spinster cousin fed and clothed. With their family's Mississippi plantation swamped by debt and the Big House falling down around them, the only option seems to be giving up their ancestral land--until a hotel management agent for the railroad offers her hope for the future.
If she'll turn her home into a hotel, Levi Riggins says, he can all but guarantee it will be saved. Selah isn't sure she entirely trusts the handsome Yankee. Yet what other options does she have? She'll have to stay on her guard . . . but she never expected to have to guard her heart.
If she'll turn her home into a hotel, Levi Riggins says, he can all but guarantee it will be saved. Selah isn't sure she entirely trusts the handsome Yankee. Yet what other options does she have? She'll have to stay on her guard . . . but she never expected to have to guard her heart.
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Meet the Author:
Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she writes historical romance with a Southern drawl and is the author of The Pelican Bride and The Creole Princess. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award.
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My Thoughts:
This is the first book in a new series, The Daughtry House, from Beth White. This historical sweeps the reader back to Mississippi approximately 5 years after the civil war where people were dealing with the aftermath of the war and the rebuilding of their lives. The story details shows how much research the author put into the writing of the life and times of the era.
As the story opens Ithaca Plantation is being raided by rebel Confederate soldiers as the daughters, as instructed, hid under the porch. This is where we are introduced to Selah Daughtry, who by the way is my favorite character. Being the oldest of three she is instructed by her mother to keep her sisters safe and out of harms way. She takes this charge not only seriously, but to heart. As the story progresses we see how she is always putting her sisters first and making decisions based on what's best for everyone. One example is when she makes the decision to leave Ithaca after the death of her beloved mother to keep her sisters safe, then when she returns after the war to take charge of what was left of their plantation until her father returns from the war. She is not domineering towards her sisters, but rather seeks their counsel when necessary in making decisions. What I liked best about Selah was that instead of letting her past define her as a person, she used it to shape her instead by not only learning from mistakes, but also listening to her heart. She takes in young man and tries to help him even though she can barely feed herself. She listens to Levi and places trust in him even though she has learned to trust no one but her family since the war started. She shows her strength of character from the first page. She goes from being a belle of the plantation to being the one who is in charge of making decisions she feels ill equipped to make, but learning to trust and depend on others for help.
This historical romance also includes elements of mystery, faith, forgiveness, grief, trust and love. The plot quickly pulled me in from page one and held me with each page turned. This is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves a good, clean book. I am really looking forward to the next installment in this series.
**I received this book from the publisher via their book bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
