Love's Fortune Book Review

Ballantyne Legacy

Book Three

SUMMARY:  With two very different horizons stretched out before her, one young woman stands n the cusp of an unknown future.

     Sheltered since birth at her Kentucky home, Rowena "Wren" Ballantyne has heard only whispered rumors of her grandfather Silas's vast fortune and grand manor in Pennsylvania.  When her father receives a rare letter summoning him to New Hope, Wren makes the journey with him and quickly finds herself in a whole new world - family members she's never met, dances she's never learned, and a new side to the father she thought she knew.

     As she struggles to fit in during their extended stay, she finds a friend in James Sackett, the most valued steamship pilot of the Ballantynes' shipping line.  Even with his help, Wren feels she may never be comfortable in high society.  Will she go her own way . . . to her peril?

     With her signature attention to historical detail and emotional depth, Laura Frantz brings 1850s Pennsylvania alive with a tender story of loss, love, and loyalty.

REVIEW:  This book is a fitting end of this series.  I felt for Wren: going from the backwoods of Kentucky to the large city of Pittsburgh; from wearing homespun dresses to wearing silk dresses and corsets; from handcrafting excellent violins and playing passionately what her heart desired to playing in the drawing rooms and having to keep a rein on her emotions; from working beside her father making musical instruments every day to him traveling long distances for months on end.  The Ballantynes come along side Wren and tries to help her adjust to this new world.  I like how this book seems to tie up the loose ends and ends on a wonderful note.  

     To get a complete picture of the struggles of all the Ballantynes and how they affect each family members' past, present and future, you need to read the other two books.  If you don't, you should still be able to understand most of the dynamics.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

 

Laura Frantz is a Christy Award finalist and the author of several books, including The Frontiersman's Daughter, Love's Reckoning, and Love's Awakening.  She currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons.  Learn more at www.laurafrantz.net.