Monday, May 16, 2016

My Bookshelf: The Magnolia Duchess by Beth White

As the War of 1812 rages across the newly formed United States, another war rages in Fiona Lanier’s heart—one that threatens to tear her family apart.
        Fiona can scarcely take in the news of her brother’s capture and imprisonment by the British Navy. It is almost as unbelievable as the half-drowned British sailor who is washed ashore on the beach of Navy Cove.
        Charlie Kincaid claims to have no memory of his life before being discovered by Fiona, but in a world that seems saturated with treachery, she cannot be sure he is telling the truth.
        As Charlie’s memory returns in agonizing jags and crashes, he and Fiona discover that falling in love may be as inevitable as the tide. But when political allegiances collide, they’ll each have to decide where their true loyalty lies.

 
        The Magnolia Duchess is the third book in Beth White’s Gulf Coast Chronicles series, coming after The Pelican Bride and The Creole Princess. I really enjoyed the first two novels, so I have been eagerly anticipating reading this novel for quite some time. When Beth so graciously offered to send me a copy to review, I was ecstatic, and I’m so glad I’ve finally had the chance to read it! I’ve been reviewing so many books for the Litfuse Groups on Tuesday that I’ve had to fit this in on a different day, but I’ve finally squeezed it in and I’m so glad as this is such a wonderful book!
        Fiona Lanier is such a headstrong, passionate young woman! She knows what she believes in, what she cares about, and she will stop at nothing to make things right. The amount of dangerous situations she places herself in is astounding, and I found myself worried about her safety on more than one occasion. That just goes to show how much she cares about her country and those she loves. If I had half as much spunk and tenacity as her, I would be satisfied. It is definitely safe to say that she is probably my favorite heroine of the three books in this series.
        Charlie Kincaid is such a great character. I think I fell in love with him from the very beginning, even though I wasn’t sure if he was to be trusted, and I loved him all the more as he began to develop feelings for Fiona. And by the end, the way he fought for her, oh my goodness there was no going back after that. I won’t spoil it for you, but if you aren’t in love with him by the end of this book, there’s something wrong with your feeler because he is just one of the most perfect men I have ever encountered. Yes, he has a bit of a wrong perception of many things in the beginning—he is British after all—but he makes up for it admirably as the story goes on.
        All in all, I really loved this book, and the last third of the book is my favorite part. There are so many wonderful twists and turns, and so much love, that I could read it, or the whole book even, over and over again. I think it’s definitely safe to say that Beth knocked it out of the park with this one, and I think it’s my favorite novel in the series. I just never knew what was going to happen, which lent to an air of mystery, and the way it worked out was perfect! I couldn’t give this book anything but all five bookshelves, and it has a place on my all-time favorites list, that’s for sure. I highly recommend reading this book, but I would definitely advise reading the previous novels first. Either way, this is a fabulous novel I know I’ll be reading again!
        Happy reading!
  

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for only my honest review.

To see here I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

Photo credits go to my sister, Allie, whose blog you can visit here.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Beth White and Revell Publishing.

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