MY REVIEW:
As a lover of American historical fiction and a southerner, I found “The Pelican Bride” to be practically perfect. I have read hundreds of historical novels during my lifetime and I don’t remember ever reading one about the early settlement of the Mobile bay area. The facts about the French women aboard the Pelican who were brought in as wives was quite interesting as was learning about all the political and religious division during that period of our history.
I liked both Tristan and Geneviève and knew from the beginning that they would end up together. What else would one expect from a man and a woman who were both determined not to marry? Of course even with those expectations, it was quite enjoyable to read their story to discover how that all worked out. Set in what is now coastal Alabama, “The Pelican Bride” is a wonderful overview of the lives of those who settled the area and leaves little to the imagination about the hardships and life-threatening disease those settlers faced day to day. Yet in the midst of it, Tristan and Geneviève not only found true love but learned that God is faithful whether one is Catholic or Protestant.
A diverse group of other characters added depth and realism to the narrative. There were those who were honest and cared about others, some who were totally self-centered and irritating, and a few who were unscrupulous and dangerous. Danger lurks both within the walls of the fort and even more so in the area surrounding it. Both the French and the English want the land and both try to manipulate the native Indians to take their side. With a plot filled with secrets, betrayal, danger, and unexpected twists, “The Pelican Bride” was an intense but enjoyable read. I look forward to the next installment of this series.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
She’s come to the New World to escape a perilous past. But has it followed her to these far shores?
It is 1704 when Frenchwoman Geneviève Gaillain and her sister board the frigate Pélican bound for the distant Louisiana colony. Both have promised to marry one of the rough men toiling in this strange new world in order to escape suffering in the old. Geneviève knows life won’t be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of persecution for her outlawed religious beliefs.
When she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer-turned-farmer whose checkered past is shrouded in mystery, Geneviève realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. Trouble is brewing outside the fort between the French colonists and the native people surrounding them. And an even more sinister enemy may lurk within. Could the secret Geneviève harbors mean the undoing of the colony itself?
Gulf Coast native Beth White brings vividly to life the hot, sultry South in this luscious, layered tale.
Read an excerpt from The Pelican Bride HERE.
Endorsements:
“Fresh as a gulf breeze, The Pelican Bride is the perfect pairing of history and romance. Finely tuned characters and a setting second to none make this a remarkable, memorable story. Beth White’s foray into colonial Louisiana is historical romance of the highest quality.”–Laura Frantz, author of Love’s Reckoning and Love’s Awakening
“Not your usual setting, not your usual historical romance–The Pelican Bride breaks new ground in the historical genre. Choosing to write a story set in the French colony that became Mobile, Alabama, draws the reader into a new and exciting period. A winning beginning to a new historical series.”–Lyn Cote, author of The Wilderness Brides series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Beth White’s day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she is a pastor’s wife, mother of two, and grandmother of one–so far. Her hobbies include playing flute and pennywhistle and painting, but her real passion is writing historical romance with a Southern drawl. 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. Visit www.bethwhite.net for more information.
