A Colonial Tale of Conflict and Hope

I’m a jaded reader, which makes it hard to give glowing reviews for books. My persnickety taste makes it even more difficult to find an author from whom I never miss snatching up a new release. Laura Frantz makes that short list, and I was one of the lucky ducks to get an advance copy of Tidewater Bride…a story you’re going to want to get for yourself.

Frantz captures the struggle of the Colonial era, with all its challenges and detriments and flat-out backbreaking harshness of survival. Even more, she does it with deep characters, complex relationships, and never shies away from dealing with thorny issues that were as much a problem in the past as they are today.

So, meet Selah Hopewell, an independent sort of woman with a compassionate yet careful heart. This is her story, and yet it is so much more. Hero Xander Renick walks a fine line between two cultures, striving to maintain a peace for the benefit of all. With many poignant moments and a whole lot of history—particularly about the fledgling village of Jamestown, the renowned Pocahontas, and the Powhatan people—this is one story that you’ll remember for a long time. Here’s a blurb:

Selah Hopewell seems to be the only woman in the Virginia colony who has no wish to wed. True, there are too many men and far too few women in James Towne. But Selah already has her hands full assisting her father in the family's shop. And now she is in charge of an incoming ship of tobacco brides who must be looked after as they sort through their many suitors.

Xander Renick is perhaps the most eligible tobacco lord in the settlement. His lands are vast, his crops are prized, and his position as a mediator between the colonists and the powerful Powhatan nation surrounding them makes him indispensable. But Xander is already wedded to his business and still grieves the loss of his wife, daughter of the Powhatan chief.

Can two fiercely independent people find happiness and fulfillment on their own? Or will they discover that what they've been missing in life has been right in front of them all along?

Bestselling and award-winning author Laura Frantz takes you to the salty shores of seventeenth-century Virginia in this exploration of pride, honor, and the restorative power of true love.