Wednesday, September 17, 2014

My Review - Love's Fortune

3 out of 5 stars

LOVE’S FORTUNE, the third installment in the Ballantyne Legacy was good, but not necessarily great.
Rowena “Wren” Ballantyne is something of a lame duck.  Though she is an heir to the Ballantyne fortune, she has lived in relative obscurity in Kentucky.  All that changes when her father is summoned to Pennsylvania and Wren must accompany him.  Thrown into a world of formality, ball gowns, etiquette, and suitors; she must maneuver the upper crust with the propriety expected of a Ballantyne. When she is expected to have a ‘season’, her aunt arranges for James Sackett to be her escort.  Completely taken by the former steamboat pilot, Wren is excited to spend time with James.  She only wishes he saw more in her than just the duty of being her escort.
James Sackett, is like an adoptive son to Silas Ballantyne.  When he is asked to escort his granddaughter through a season, he does so willingly.  Though he feels a growing infatuation for Wren, he must not show it. There are those seeking to harm James for his abolitionist leanings, and he refuses to subject Wren or any of the Ballantynes to such dangers. 
I have had a love-hate relationship with this series.  While I loved LOVE’S AWAKENING, LOVE’S RECKONING fell short.  LOVE’s FORTUNE fall somewhere in-between.  I love the characters of Wren and James, and many of the secondary characters as well.  I just feel as if the story was a bit drawn out and slow.  There were so many sub-plots going on, at times, it got a bit confusing.  The drama towards the end of the book made up for some of the lag time in the middle, I guess I just would’ve preferred more pages being devoted to Wren and James.  I must admit, this time period isn’t one of my favorites so my patience is easily tested. For someone who loves this period, I am sure the book would hold your attention better than mine.
Book provided for review purposes.
Available September 2014 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

 

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