A Bound Heart (2019) — One of THE most beautiful novels I’ve ever read!

A Bound Heart (2019) by Laura Frantz is one of the most beautiful novels I’ve ever read! This novel will be available in all forms including eBook on January 1, 2019 (tomorrow!), and is 400 pages in length. With a full-time job and a precocious six-year old at home, this book took me one glorious week to read. I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from Revell via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give this book 10 STARS. A Bound Heart is a Christian Historical Romance.

About the Book

Though Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall grew up on the same castle grounds, Magnus is now laird of the great house and the Isle of Kerrera. Lark is but the keeper of his bees and the woman he is hoping will provide a tincture that might help his ailing wife conceive and bear him an heir. But when his wife dies suddenly, Magnus and Lark find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of accusations, expelled from their beloved island, and sold as indentured servants across the Atlantic. Yet even when all hope seems dashed against the rocky coastline of the Virginia colony, it may be that in this New World the two of them could make a new beginning–together.

Laura Frantz’s prose sparkles with authenticity and deep feeling as she digs into her own family history to share this breathless tale of love, exile, and courage in Colonial America.

Amazon    ♥     CBD    ♥     Goodreads

My Thoughts

DISCLAIMER: I do not have adequate words to describe just how AMAZING A Bound Heart truly is. This review will be insufficient and for that I am sorry. Suffice to say, A Bound Heart is Laura Frantz’s best book yet — an experience not to be missed!

I have to begin by saying that Lark and Magnus truly stole my heart from page 1. They are FANTASTIC characters. Lark is one of the most relatable female characters I’ve ever read, and Magnus is so spiritually strong that his sure faith endeared him to me almost instantly.

I believe that God made women natural worriers. Christian society tells us that to worry means we don’t trust God, but I don’t think that is necessarily true. I think that fretting is a signal to us ladies to go to God. Let’s be honest. Most women don’t need anyone. Women are capable, strong, dependable, and hard working. We carry the world on our shoulders. We take what God gave us and we make lemonade. But we do tend to get stuck on islands of our own making seemingly isolated and paralyzed at times. It can be hard for us to go to others, including God, for help. This is why God put a worry button inside all of us women. When it goes off, we should immediately take our fretting to Him, not hole it away to be dealt with on our own. With God, we make the perfect team and are then able to figure out how to solve our issues. Lark is a woman whose life takes a drastic turn for the worse. Jesus says in the Bible that in this life we will have trials and tribulations. Words could not be truer for poor Lark. Her worry meter goes off the charts in this story and for seriously good reason. What I love so much about Lark is that she never lets the worry paralyze her. No matter what happens in her story, no matter how much she frets, Lark isn’t stopped. She attempts to do what is right by God always. Her thoughts and actions are all based off of the question, “What would God want me to do in this situation?” Lark even acknowledges that “when she [is] the most tired, most overwhelmed by [her] work, she [frets] the most,” which is so true to most every woman I know today, but she never stops turning to God. To Lark, God is not some far-off deity, but rather He is a close and intimate Father and King. No matter how bad it gets for Lark — and, man, does it get rough — she takes everything to God. Lark is a fantastic example of a Christian woman, and her actions in this novel serve as a great reminder to me for how I need to act when worry hits me square in the chest.

Magnus is a wonderful illustration of a righteous man. He is kind, compassionate, and loyal. He is hard working, dependable, and just. It matters not a person’s station in life, if Magnus can offer help, he will. Magnus is a man who loves Jesus with his whole being, and works very hard to be Biblical in all he does. Magnus is not a prefect superman though. He does have some big fears. But, what I loved so much about Magnus’s character is that his faith is so BIG and STRONG it eclipses all of his fears. As I was reading, I was often very encouraged by his faith. He is 100% confident in God, and he never wavers in that assurance. And, his faith is so sure he is able to help Lark through her fears and help her see God’s goodness in even the darkest moments. Honestly, that is how men should be today in their faith — so sure in God that they can help confirm for others when they might be slipping a little. It is so refreshing to read about a male character so strong and sure in God.

What I love so much about A Bound Heart is how encouraging this story is. I walked away from this book lighter and more hopeful because of its beautiful message. God has put us all in exactly the place we need to be for Him. Sometimes that is a really hard fact to accept. Sometimes life seems so dark and scary it’s like God can’t possibly be there. But, A Bound Heart reinforces the fact that if God puts a person in a particular place, He will be with that person in that place no matter what. There is a moment where Lark is fretting, as she does so well, and Magnus consoles her by stating, “God has seen us here and promises to turn things in our favor no matter how dark. If He promises to bring good from all this, should we not look for the good too?” This is exactly what Lark needed to think upon. These words put her back on track, and they reminded me of Romans 8:28: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” God is not a BIG meany in the sky waiting to move things just right so we fall and are ruined. If God puts us somewhere, He means it for our good. As Magnus implies to Lark, we just need to see past the bad to find the good that God has in store for us. Especially in today’s scary, dark times, this message is a balm to my soul.

A Bound Heart is wonderful. I purposely took a whole week to slowly read this book because with a Laura Frantz novel you have to savor every beautiful word, setting, character, and plot line. I am SO sad that my time with Lark and Magnus is over. I will miss these characters very much. But I am blessed to have read this book. Filled with timely messages and excellent faith reminders, I am walking away from this story a little lighter and more hope-filled. It goes without saying, but I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this amazing, engaging, beautiful story. It is a 2019 MUST READ for sure.