Review of Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland by Roseanna White

Fiction Monday Review

Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland

By Roseanna M. White

Summerside Press (December 2011)

Roseanna has written a beautiful book.  Her voice is fresh and lovely.  She lends authenticity to the story with her own history of having attended college in historic Annapolis.  Her love for the city is evident in her descriptions.  The story is set during the time Annapolis was the nation’s capital during a short time in 1783-84. Roseanna is a member of Colonial American Christian Writers, a group which I founded, and Roseanna also contributes to Colonial Quills, our group blog.  It was so fun seeing some of the topics we researched together as a group showing up in the book!  That was one of the neatest things about this novel, on a personal level.  We appreciate her acknowledgement of the group, as well! 

The premise for this book is not a typical romance nor even for historical romances.  So if the reader is expecting a cookie cutter romance this is not going to be their book. This is not a “let me settle in for my light romance” read.  Both the hero, Emerson Fielding,  and the heroine, Lark,  are flawed people who have a very significant parting right near the beginning.  This is a Christian fiction and both of these characters have the strongest character arcs I have seen since I can ever remember.  I suspect that is one of the many reasons RT gave this book their top amount of stars and selected it as the December Top Inspirational Pick.  There is profound change in Lark and Emerson, particularly as God leads them to be the persons they were meant to be and not who they had been at home in Virginia. 

One thing unique about this book is that the life issues of the young woman are portrayed with such authentic emotion as are Lark’s interpretation of her former fiance’s actions. Because Ms. White is still in her twenties, I believe she is well able to capture with a freshness and vivacity and authenticity the angst of this age group.  Granted, Roseanna married young and has little children, but it is clear when reading this book that she offers a unique and fresh author’s voice, and a way of characterization that is more in line with how a young person would indeed react. 

If you are going to read this book, don’t pick it up until you have several nights open in a row.  You will want to know what happens and won’t want to set this one aside and come back to it.

Bibliotherapy: The hero is a Revolutionary War veteran with PTSD.  The heroine has been “acting” out a role rather than displaying who God intended her to be.  She has been dishonest with herself and with others in revealing who and what she is.  Forgiveness and mercy and restoration of relationship are main themes.

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