Culper Ring Series
#2
By Roseanna White
Harvest House,
August 1, 2013
Reviewed by Marian Baay
~5 stars~*****
I LOVED THIS
BOOK!!
Do I have your
attention now? Yes? Good!
Roseanna White
takes the reader back to 1814, to the war of 1812, where we meet again with the
main characters from the first book in this series Ring of Secrets—Winter
and Bennet Lane. Their son Thaddeus Lane is our hero and he also is Mr. Culper
now.
Our heroine is the
daughter of the British General Fairchild—we met him in the first book as
Colonel Fairchild. Gwyneth Fairchild is being sent away by her father to
America. He believes their lives are in danger and he wants Gwyn to leave
immediately. He sends her to his American friends—the Lanes. Just before she
enters the carriage to leave, her British suitor – Sir Arthur Hart – asks for
her hand in marriage. Excitedly Gwyn runs back to the house to talk to her
father. But instead of talking to him she is a witness to his murder. Panicked,
she runs back to the waiting carriage and leaves England and Sir Arthur behind.
After a long and
horrendous sea journey, Gwyn finally arrives in America. She has been sick and
has had terrible nightmares. She did not tell anyone that she saw her father
being murdered. Fear that the killer might follow her to America has kept her
awake and made her sick. Her servants thought she was seasick, but she cannot
tell anyone what is really plaguing her.
When she finally meets Thad – the only person she knows she can trust because her father trusted him – she falls asleep in his arms.
Captain Thaddeus
Lane – or Thad – has received a letter from General Fairchild, but the content
doesn’t make any sense. He assumes there must be a hidden message in it, but he
can’t figure it out. Not even his parents can break the code—if there is one.
When Gwyn arrives
at his doorstep, he doesn’t know what to do with her. Can he trust her? She is
British after all…and America is at war with England.
Back in England
Sir Arthur and Gwyn’s uncle are looking for Gwyn, but they don’t know where she
went. When Arthur finds a letter from the Lanes in General Fairchild’s study,
her uncle believes that is where the general has sent her. Together they follow
Gwyn to America—Arthur in hopes to claim her as his bride and Uncle with
another purpose.
Gwyn’s trust for
Thad – because her father trusted him – runs deep. She will have to learn to
put her trust in Someone else to find peace and healing from the monsters in
her nightmares.
Thad is a widower,
but doesn’t talk much about his deceased wife. For some reason it is a
sensitive subject. While he starts to care more and more for Gwyn – and his
feelings are returned – he neglects to tell her why it is such a sensitive
topic. When his best friend, Alain, spills it all out during a fight, Gwyn is
shocked to learn what happened and runs away to hide in her bedroom. Before he
has a chance to talk to Gwyn, Thad is called away on a dangerous sea journey to
spy on the British fleet approaching America.
Can an American
Captain and the daughter of a British General find love?
Will Gwyn
understand that he had to leave before they could talk it all out? Will she
forgive him?
And what about Sir
Arthur? Will he find Gwyn to claim her for his own?
Will her father’s
killer find Gwyn?
And General
Fairchild’s letter…will they ever break the code and learn what secret message
is hidden inside it?
There’s a lot of suspense and intrigue in this fabulous book. Murder, spies, secrets, war, love, grief, forgiveness, faith... There’s so much to enjoy in this story. The characters and plot were very well developed and the writing is clear and exciting. I’m already looking forward to the next book in this series. Fantastic job, Roseanna!
*Thanks to the
publisher for providing me with a review copy through NetGalley.*
________________________________________________________
GIVEAWAY: A copy of Roseanna's new book, choice of format. (Outside of USA ebook only.) "Like" Roseanna's Author Facebook Page and leave a comment to enter.
WHISPERS FROM THE SHADOWS sounds absolutely wonderful. Something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Mary! It's been great getting to know you a bit at my big giveaway this month. =)
DeleteWhite is an incredible author and I am not surprised to see that she has come out with another deep, complex, original book. Se has such a unique and refreshing voice and style. I love reading her work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review and giveaway!
ks4readin(at)yahoo(dot)com
And I love you reading it--looking forward for hearing your thoughts on Thad and Gwyn after you have!
Delete*happy dance* I'm so excited to read this book! Love the trailer, and that cover? Gorgeous :)
ReplyDeleteI'm *happy dancing* with you. ;-) Aren't those visuals awesome?? Harvest House really wowed me with these!
DeleteCan't wait to read this book! It sounds so very very good and after loving Ring of Secrets I'm sure I'll love this one too!
ReplyDelete(I can't like Roseanna's facebook page cause I don't have facebook-I would if I could though!)
gatorade635(at)gmail(dot)com
No worries on the FB thing, Abbi. =) And I hope you get the chance to read it and love it too!
DeleteI just "liked" your FB page and would love to enter to win your book. Sounds exciting and the period of the war of 1812 is such an interesting one.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vera! And it definitely is interesting! Our Second War for Independence has been overlooked by many, but there's so many fascinating tidbits about it. =)
DeleteIt sounds fantabulous!! Wonderful review. :) Can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeletefarmygirl at hotmail dot com
fb follower
It is a wonderful review, isn't it? So glad Marian enjoyed it, and I hope you do too!
DeleteGlad I could make the book sound fantabulous. Thanks for stopping by, Susan P.
DeleteI loved Ring of Secrets and I'm dying to read Whispers from the Shadows! :) (I'm already a fan on Facebook :))
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to read, Amy!!
DeleteI'm sure I will! Whenever that may be....
DeleteFairchild gets murdered!? But--but-- I really liked, him, though - he was a true gentleman, a most honorable man. How else could he have become friends with his rival? And he was no coward about fighting for Julienne. [sigh]
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess now I MUST read the book to find out if/how he is avenged and the murderer brought to justice. My heart may be broken, but I do look forward to reading the novel!
rdalquis(at)css(dot)edu.
Rachael, that's actually what inspired Fairchild's Lady, LOL. My critique partners and editor were all horrified that I planned to kill him off in the first chapter, and my claim of, "But he was happy in between! I promise!" didn't satisfy them a bit. ;-) My editor also tried to get me to make him not REALLY dead, but alas. The villain never would have fallen for that.
DeleteBut I know. Really. I love him too.
I don't know if I should have mentioned that fact in the review. I don't like to add spoilers, but I didn't know how else to write a review without mentioning it. :)
DeleteAnything that happens in chapter 1 is fair game in a review. =) Especially when chapter 1 is included in the back of the previous book, LOL. Thanks again, Marian!!
DeletePhew...I didn't know chapter 1 was included in the previous book. I also got Ring of Secrets from NetGalley and the first chapter of Whispers was not included then. :)
DeleteSounds great! I recently won a copy of the first book on Roseanna's blog in her month long giveaway, so after reading it I will be ready for this one.
ReplyDeletepattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com
I have liked Roseanna's FB page
Here's hoping you like the series, Patty. =)
DeleteI'm looking forward to this book! The first and the freebie Fairchild's Lady were great!
ReplyDeletethissimplemom at gmail dot com
Hope you enjoy this one too, Annette!!
DeleteTalking about suspenseful and intriguing!!! It's exciting!! Great review!! Looking forward to reading "Whispers from the Shadows". Thank you for sharing and please enter me in the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks, Barbara. Good luck in the drawing.
DeleteI've like Roseanna's facebook page and watched the trailer. Enjoyed the trailer.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
Have the first book, looking forward to reading the second as well! :D
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful read--it's on my list and I'd love to win a free copy! Please enter me and thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletedanandlyndaedwards(at)msn(dot)com.
Whispers from the Shadows sounds like another great read. Congratulations, Roseanna.
ReplyDeleteThis book looks like a fun read! Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePlease don't enter me! I just wanted to tell MARIAN I enjoyed her wonderful review and to let her know she is welcome to use my goose down cushioned rocker while she's here! The Quillers have a rocker reserved for me when I guest over here. :)
ReplyDeleteROSEANNA is quite the storyteller of intriguing, romantic books and this one sounds like it's no exception!
Thanks for offering your rocker, Diana. Is there a foot-stool too?
DeleteOf course! Only the best here at CQs!
DeleteOh.. what a GREAT review and book trailer!!! I've only had the privilege of reading one of Roseanna's books, and I've been dying to read this one. Congrats Roseanna on what looks to be a real WINNER. I can't wait to dive into it!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, MaryLu. I hope you get the chance to read this book SOON!!
Deletewould love to win. angela from KY angelachesnut246@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteOkay, confession time. I've yet to read the first book. I've been trying to win it over on Roseanna's 30 Days of Giveaways, but to no avail! Would love to win this book as well, so sign me up for the drawing! God bless!
ReplyDeletedebsbunch5[at]jesusanswers[dot]com
Whispers from the Shadows sounds exciting, a must read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a chance to win a copy.
Blessings, Tina
tfrice@comcast.net
Thanks to all who stopped by. Lots of luck in the contest!
ReplyDeleteI've like Roseanna's facebook page and watched the trailer. Enjoyed the trailer. and would very much like to win the book, it sure does sound good
ReplyDeleteShirley B jcisforme@aol.com
I'm getting farther behind. Congratulations on an awesome series Roseanna!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marian. Just lovely!
I really enjoyed the first one in the series and can't wait to read this one. I already liked your fb page. shopgirl152nykiki(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this. Sounds like quite a mystery to the story. Causes all kinds of questions. I have already liked Roseanne's page, and would love to win this book. Been trying to win the first one on her 30 days give-away, but no luck. Please enter me for a chance.
ReplyDeleteMAXIE mac262(at)me(dot)com
Would love to win this book. Thanks for the opportunity.
ReplyDelete