Carolina Gold

Carolina Gold 

Dorothy Love

Thomas Nelson 

2014

Historical, Fiction

The war is over, but at Fairhaven Plantation, Charlotte's struggle has just begun.

Following her father’s death, Charlotte Fraser returns to Fairhaven, her family’s rice plantation in the South Carolina Low country. With no one else to rely upon,smart, independent Charlotte is determined to resume cultivating the superior strain of rice called Carolina Gold.  But the war has left the plantation in ruins, her father’s former bondsmen are free, and workers and equipment are in short supply.

To make ends meet, Charlotte reluctantly agrees to tutor the two young daughters of her widowed neighbor and heir to Willowood Plantation, Nicholas Betancourt.  Just as her friendship with Nick deepens, he embarks upon a quest to prove his claim to Willowood and sends Charlotte on a dangerous journey that uncovers a long-held family secret, and threatens everything she holds dear.

Inspired by the life of a 19^th-century woman rice farmer, Carolina Gold pays tribute to the hauntingly beautiful Low country and weaves together  mystery, romance,and historical detail, bringing to life the story of one young woman’s struggle to restore her ruined world.

Because I'm a sucker for historical fiction I thoroughly enjoyed the South Carolina history in this book. I was unaware that there were rice plantations before the Civil War. I loved that this was inspired by a real woman as well. That being said, this book was a slow mover. I wasn't sure where we were going and after 100 pages I wasn't sure I cared. There were a number of "dramatic" moments that were anticlimactic. Overall, it was an easy, if not sleepy, read. 

My thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my real and honest review. 

Beauty for Ashes

Beauty For Ashes
Dorothy Love
Reviewed by: Melissa J. MacDonald
Genre: historical fiction
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date: 2012

Carrie Daly is a Civil War widow who is somewhat content with her rather ordinary life. She and her brother are happily living together on their childhood farm and her soon to be fiance is a steady likeable fellow. Things change drastically in her ordinary life when her brother takes a peckish wife with two rambunctious and rude boys. Then mysterious horseman Griff Rutledge comes into town and sets Carrie's heart to beating. Unable to endure her mean-spirited sister-in-law Carrie sets out on her own to pave her own wave. However, there is a depression going on and when her brother has to leave to find work and her sister-in-law discovers she is pregnant Carrie moves back in to take over the home. Meanwhile Griff keeps showing up and causing her to rethink what she has always known. Add to this that her "fiance" ran away and got married and you've got a recipe for an interesting book.

Neither Griff nor Carrie are perfect and it's always refreshing to see real characters portrayed in a book. I particularly found the historical aspects of the book to be quite interesting. The depression of that time was really quite severe and it was intriguing to watch the characters struggle through. Griff himself struggles through forgiveness and misunderstanding that adds depth to his character. While it is plain to me that Love had a number of good ideas for some reason the book did not completely mesh and come together for me. The characters could have used a good deal more developing and at times the story line was a bit confusing and down right dull. There were moments of interest and laughter but for the most part this book did not hold my attention for long. I do think Love has great potential and I look forward to reading more from her. If you're looking for an easy read that looks at a time of history in a different perspective than you just might enjoy this read.

Rated: PG 

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.