Love's Fortune--Book Review

Love's Fortune

The Ballantyne Legacy #3

by

Laura Frantz

About the book:


Sheltered since birth at her Kentucky home, Rowena 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, Rowena makes the journey with him and quickly finds herself in a whole new world--filled with 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, Rowena 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, Laura Frantz brings 1850s Pennsylvania alive with a tender story of loss, love, and loyalty. Fans will cheer for this final installment of the Ballatyne saga.

My Review:

I am a huge Laura Frantz fan. Laura has a way with words that makes everything in the story's that she writes flow seamlessly together. Add her attention to details and wonderful characters, and you have perfection in my opinion.

In Love's Fortune, we read about the entire Ballantyne family, but namely Wren, the granddaughter of Silas and Eden whom we met in book one. Not only was Wren uprooted from her Kentucky home, where life was simple and she was free, then moved to Pennsylvania, but now she is also expected to act the part of high society belle. Sweet Wren is not a fan of all the rules that come along with this role. She desperately wants to be back home in Kentucky where she can be herself, and make fiddles in her father's shop.

James Sackett has been a friend of the Ballantyne family since childhood, and happened to be the pilot bringing Wren and her father upriver to Pennsylvania. He had no idea Silas had another granddaughter until that day. From the moment she stepped into pilothouse of the steamboat, which was against the rules, James was hard-pressed to keep his mind on his work. And he had a lot going on at the moment, what with the secretive transporting of slaves to free states, being hunted down by pro-slavery bounty hunters, and the Ballantyne business to boot. Little did he know what was yet to come.

I very much enjoyed the story of Wren and James. How they met, were placed together for her debut, and came together in the end. I can't point out a theme for this book except that family is a strong thing when they stick together. I really think this series could just keep on going, and I would happy with that. But alas, it has come to an end. And a good one at that.

I was so excited for the third book in the Ballantyne series to come out because I absolutely loved the first two. Book one, Love's Reckoning, was a very dramatic novel that I have read a few times now. Book two, Love's Awakening, was a bit lighter but quite enjoyable. I found book three, Love's Fortune, a bit weak as far as the story line goes. I guess I am used to Laura's books being pretty dramatic and full of trouble. I didn't feel this book had much either. It was smooth and pleasant with times things could have gone from bad to ugly, but they didn't. The trouble just seemed to wash away.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes! Would I recommend it? Yes! It was written in a way that it is not necessary to read the first two. However, I recommend reading those as well because they are fantastic.

***Thank you author Laura Frantz and Revell Publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.***


Pick up your copy of Love's Fortune at Christianbook.com, Amazon, or your local bookstore. 

To find out more about author Laura Frantz, please visit her website and find her on Facebook.

About the Author

Christy Award finalist and author, Laura Frantz, is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Her family resides in Kentucky and Virginia. She currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons.