Christine Johnson (3)

I liked the two main characters, Fiona and Sawyer. I liked Fiona's desire to keep her promise to her sister to raise her niece (even if I wasn't in agreement with how she decided to go about it--but it was a different time in history when not as many options were available to women.) I liked Sawyer's attempts to work his way up from the ground floor but to keep his gentlemanly manners in the process. I'm glad he didn't follow in his father's footsteps.

In most mail order bride books I've read, there's been an agreement between the mail order bride and a man prior to the bride traveling to marry him. I was surprised that several women travelled to answer a newspaper ad (I think it was anyway) without ever corresponding with the man. Apparently several women showed up in answer to his ad and he picked one of them. Fiona was one of the women who answered that ad, but she wasn't the one picked. She stayed in the town because she'd been fleeing an untrue story that tarnished her reputation.

Fiona seemed to feel that she needed to snag a rich man in order for her to support her niece. I'm not sure why that was. I guess partly because she came from poverty and feared going back to it--and didn't want her niece to have to go through that as well. In fact, given that Fiona seemed to ignore her sisters growing up (she sang louder to drown them out), I'm surprised she even considered raising her niece--but maybe the girl's voice had something to do with it. (Fiona maybe wanted to train her or give her better opportunities than Fiona herself had.)

From the way the back cover was written, I thought Sawyer was going to turn out to be a bit like "Undercover Boss". He was a manager at the mill and for some reason, I thought his family were the mill owners and that he was determined to learn the business from the ground up and didn't want to tell his coworkers that he was the boss's son. Instead, we learn that his father owns a railroad.

I don't understand why Sawyer felt it wasn't the right time to get married (even though he was interested in Fiona). I also didn't understand why it took them both so long to act on their interest in each other. In that aspect, I think the author employed a plot common to this genre.… (altro)

Title: Freedom’s Price (Keys of Promise #3)
Author: Christine Johnson
Pages: 331
Year: 2017
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Tom Worthington is a captain of a ship that aids disabled ships to their destinations for a fee as well as legally recovers goods from wrecked ships. Ten years ago, his father had his own ship stolen from him by a dastardly villain. His father couldn’t make enough money to support his family without his ship and thus fell into debt. He lost everything and his reputation was ruined. The family had to leave Boston and relocate where his father had to work for someone else as a fisherman to support his family. He died soon afterward, a broken man. Tom has promised himself he will find his father’s ship and the man who stole it to exact justice. Then, he meets Catherine Haynes, who is aboard a ship that barely survived a storm and needs repairs. He helps her find passage to New Orleans, but can’t seem to let her go without his protection. He feels bound to see her settled with family she has never met. He also can’t get her out of his mind or his heart.
Catherine Haynes is forced to leave England or she will have to marry someone she doesn’t love thanks to her cousin inheriting the family estate. Her father has died, leaving her at the mercy of a cousin. The cousin plans to sell the estate that has been in the family for generations. She decides to leave all she has ever known and go to America to live with her mother’s family, even though there has been no contact with them for several years. They might not even know Catherine exists! She meets Tom and is immediately drawn to him. After spending some time together, Christine realizes there can be no future for them together. He longs for the sea and she is bound for New Orleans. Upon arriving there, however, she soon discovers that all is not as it seems and she has got the fight of her life on her hands.
In this third book of the Keys of Promise series, readers will learn that more than one character is willing to sacrifice for someone else to gain freedom and that it comes with a cost. Dreams of revenge, justice and romance are just a few of the subjects depicted in this historical romance. There are also elements of danger, suspense and evil too. The life of the South before the Civil War is in the spotlight and the cruelty of slavery exposed. Catherine and Tom encounter much more than they could have imagined in their quest, and I liked seeing their reactions to the different situations. Catherine’s faith is woven into her life, but Tom struggles to let go of his anger and bitterness as they both must make choices that will change their futures.… (altro)

Imagine you are 23 years old, your mother has died and now your father. In the 1850’s there are not many options for you to support yourself, other than a life of drudgery or a marriage of convenience. This is what Catherine Haynes was facing. Neither had she wanted. With great courage and faith in God, she leaves her home in England and faces a difficult journey to America. There in Louisiana she plans to find her mother’s family and the plantation where she once lived. Even though they do not even know of her existence she hopes to claim her inheritance in the Black Oak Plantation. As if overwhelming grief and loss of all she held dear were not enough she finds herself shipwrecked. In this tragic situation, sailor Tom Worthington enters her life. Although their relationship mixes as well as oil and water, he becomes an important part of her life.
Upon her arrival she finds the plantation her mother shared such love of in a horrible state of deterioration and neglect. To make matters worse, it has fallen under the management of an evil, dishonest man and the family she hoped for is gone. She is appalled at the cruel and inhuman treatment of the slaves. This was Pre-Civil War era so her ideas of equality for all men were very foreign at that time. Catherine soon finds herself thrown in to danger and mystery.
This was a hard book to put down, a real page turner!!! There were times I realized I was tensed up wondering what would happen next! I loved the way the author showed the characters trust and reliance on God no matter how seemly impossible their circumstances were. The historical information was well researched and gave a clear picture of Louisiana in this era. I found this extremely interesting. An extremely captivating historical romance. Thank you Ms. Johnson for another very entertaining book!
I received this book from Revell Publishers in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.… (altro)