The American Queen by Vanessa Miller

This historical fiction set in the south right after the Civil War is about Louella Montgomery a former slave who traveled with her family to establish a place for her people to live in. Louella has to deal with bitterness and hatred of those who enslaved her and this at first this seeps through to her relationship with others. When Louella and her husband have to leave the plantation they were enslaved at, others go with them as well. Going north they encounter more former slaves who decide to go with them. Eventually they all settle in a place that they establish the Kingdom of Happy Land, a community that looked out for each other and Louella and William, her reverend husband, are proclaimed the King and Queen of Happy Land. Louella endures struggles and heartache throughout the journey and throughout her life, but she finds joy in the Lord and her family and community. 
This was a fascinating book about something I did not know about. I liked Louella’s strong character and liked the dynamic between her and her husband William. The difficulties and joys of Louella and her family and community were told well and honored Louella and William and what they accomplished at that time. 
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Thomas Nelson and Vanessa Miller for letting me review an arc copy from NetGalley 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Powerless by Lauren Roberts

In the kingdom of Ilya being a person without powers is forbidden and Paedyn has to navigate through this world hiding that she is without powers- an Ordinary. After her father is murdered by the king, Paedyn survives by stealing and pretending to have psychic powers. When she saves Kai, one of the princes, she comes to the notice of him and others. Kai has been trained by his father to be a killer; a killer of Ordinaries and threats to the throne. He is drawn to Paedyn and when she is added to the Purging Trials, she becomes his distraction. Paedyn has to hide her identity from the Elites- those who have powers and deal with her attraction to Kai. Through the trials they become close and she also becomes friends with his brother the heir to the throne Kitt. Kai and Paedyn have feelings for each other but in the end hatred will separate them. The first book in a trilogy, this set up the series well and was a fast paced plot. The banter between Kai and Paedyn was well developed as well
Read more

Review: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Jessica, Norah and Alicia were just girls when they lived with thier foster mother and grew into sisters. When a body is found under the house they lived in during that time, questions about their foster mother and what she was capable of spur them to remember thier time with her. All three girls had difficult lives and this plays out with Jessica and Norah, while Alicia tries to help kids like she had been. All suspect thier abusive foster mother of doing something to someone, but they don’t have proof. Eventually the truth comes out and it frees the sisters to live thier lives. I thought this was disappointing story in that it was slow and was predictable. The twist at the very end was good, but I couldn’t get into the characters either. I liked Hepworth’s other books like The Younger Wife and The Soulmate better. Content warning: child abuse sexual abuse and strong language  ⭐️⭐️
Read more

Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

One of my favorite Austen books, this follows the Dashwood sisters Elinor and Marianne and their trials finding love. The sisters differ in temperament and in the men they choose- Elinor is a more restrained and she falls for reserved Edward and Marianne is passionate and unreserved in showing her feelings and she falls for Willoughby, a charismatic man who matches her personality. Each sister falls for their suitors, but difficulties ensue, leaving Marianne devastated when things don’t work out with Willoughby. Elinor and Edward have a happy ending and Marriane finds lasting love as well. I love both sisters and I like thier sister relationship.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read more