Amazon Reviews For A Place In His Heart
Read what others are saying in Amazon reviews about A Place In His Heart, the book that began The Southold Chronicles, now on sale for 99 cents (in ebooks)!
As we prepare to celebrate the July release of book #3, To Follow Her Heart, my publisher, Revell, has a special price for a limited time for both books 1&2 in the series! A Place In His Heart, my debut novel is 99 cents and book #2, To Capture Her Heart is just 4.99 in Ebooks.
I would like to thank the readers who have read and loved my books and taken the time to write a review! I’ve read your kind words and they have touched my heart. I’m thrilled to know how much you’ve enjoyed The Southold Chronicles! And I thank you!!
Here’s just a sample of the praise in Amazon reviews for A Place in His Heart:
To Capture Her Heart
A Gentle Historical Romance on August 3, 2015 Format: Paperback
For the most part, this story is a romantic triangle set in the earliest days of European colonization. Heather Flower finds herself caught between two men, a childhood friend and the man who rescues her from an enemy tribe. I felt as if I was there, experiencing the same emotions and confusion that Heather Flower did as she tried to decide the course her life would take. Unlike many other romantic triangles I have read, there did not seem to be one clear-cut frontrunner for most of the novel—I was kept in suspense literally until the closing pages. And it was hard for me to even decide who I preferred; both potential heroes were good men who wanted what was best for the woman they loved.
The historic detail demonstrated the pull and tug between cultures in Heather Flower’s life, which I found very interesting. I would have perhaps expected the white characters’ families to be the reluctant ones about intermarrying, but instead we got the native perspective on that. The fear of a people being lost to history was contrasted with the desires of the heart, and it was both poignant and powerful as she faced the conflict between duty and love.
Another unexpected bit of history was the persecution people faced because of their religious convictions, this after coming to the New World. I never considered that those who came for freedom would have struggled with it here as well, but the prevailing mentality seemed to be that of keeping the groups and beliefs separate. Rather than living in the same towns, perhaps influencing current residents to worship or believe a different way, those who thought differently were excluded, having to find and settle their own land and form their own communities. These details were related through thoughts and dialogue with other characters, and it helped me to see through the eyes of the people living during that time rather than feeling as if I was reading a history text. Instead, I was an observer of a rich environment given depth and flesh by the amazing details contained in the writing.
I really enjoyed the spiritual component as well. Heather Flower struggled to trust God with her future, feeling Him untrustworthy because of her husband’s death on their wedding day. Given my own native heritage, I found the tension between the Great Spirit and God to be fascinating and loved how the novel addressed this topic throughout, culminating with a beautiful scene of redemption and understanding towards the end of the novel.
But perhaps my favorite part of the novel is where love, strength, and sacrifice all came together in the mind of one of the main characters. There was a lot of truth and beauty in the passage where this occurs and it served to highlight one of the major themes running through the novel. Again, however, it was so intertwined in the text that it occurred naturally; it wasn’t until the novel was complete that I realized it had been there from the beginning.
I would highly recommend this novel to both romance readers and those interested in history, especially early colonial America. I don’t think the reader has to necessarily be a fan of both because there is so much here that will appeal across genres. Because historical romance is my favorite, however, this novel was perfect for me and proved to be an outstanding story with excellent writing. It will be hard to wait for the third installment, coming in 2016.
As the story moves along the author continues to give us a bit of insight into the beginnings of our great nation. It’s easy to romanticize it all but even after leaving the persecution and establishing a colony there were many obstacles to face and conquer.
I enjoyed the continuing story of the characters that we met in A Place in His Heart. I also look forward to the third book in the series. There’s a sneak peek in the back of the book that will make you wish it would hurry up and be published! Rebecca DeMarino does a splendid job of combining history and romance to keep the pages flying.
When a book is part of a series I’m always asked if it can be read as a stand alone novel. The answer this time is probably but you’ll be missing out on so many details from the first novel that I wouldn’t recommend it. In my opinion I think you need to know the background of the Horton family to understand some of the dynamics going on. I say just treat yourself and read both books . . . and then pick up the third when it is out!
To Follow Her Heart
To Follow Her Heart releases July 19th and is available for pre-order now!
Duty and love are powerful forces. Only one has the power to make her life complete.
It is 1664 and Patience Terry is devastated to learn that Captain Jeremy Horton’s ship has been shipwrecked off the coast of Barbados. There were no survivors. She had hoped that Jeremy would someday give up the sea and settle down with her in Southold, Long Island.
Unaware his memorial service is being planned, Jeremy sails aboard a British warship with secret orders to attack New Amsterdam and claim it for the British Crown. When he makes his surprise return to Southold—and to an overjoyed Patience—it’s not quite the happily-ever-after his beloved had hoped for.
With a finely tuned sense for authentic historical characters and settings, Rebecca DeMarino plunges you into a world of tall ships, daring journeys, and yearning hearts.
“A Satisfying, Emotionally Rich Conclusion to The Southold Chronicles Series”