Tidewater Bride (2021)

About the Book

Book: Tidewater Bride

Author: Laura Frantz

Genre: Historical Christian Romance

Release Date: January 5, 2021

Selah Hopewell seems to be the only woman in the Virginia colony who has no wish to wed. True, there are too many men and far too few women in James Towne. But Selah already has her hands full assisting her father in the family’s shop. And now she is in charge of an incoming ship of tobacco brides who must be looked after as they sort through their many suitors.

Xander Renick is perhaps the most eligible tobacco lord in the settlement. His lands are vast, his crops are prized, and his position as a mediator between the colonists and the powerful Powhatan nation surrounding them makes him indispensable. But Xander is already wedded to his business and still grieves the loss of his wife, daughter of the Powhatan chief.

Can two fiercely independent people find happiness and fulfillment on their own? Or will they discover that what they’ve been missing in life has been right in front of them all along?

Bestselling and award-winning author Laura Frantz takes you to the salty shores of seventeenth-century Virginia in this exploration of pride, honor, and the restorative power of true love.

Click HERE to purchase your copy!

My Thoughts

I have a confession to make. I still haven’t read the last twenty-five pages of the last Harry Potter novel. I just never wanted it to end. I do that with books that worm their way into my heart. I hate saying “good bye” I guess. Well, it’s sort of the same with Laura Frantz’s novels. Don’t worry, I finished Tidewater Bride, but I procrastinated like crazy with this one. See, Frantz’s novels are one-sitting reads for me. I know they are going to be excellent stories filled with characters I’m going to fall in love with. I know the plots will be engaging and I won’t want to put the books down. I know the themes and messages of the stories will be timely, and I will ponder the narratives long after I have finished reading them. I procrastinated reading Tidewater Bride because I knew that if I picked it up to read, I wouldn’t put it down and the beauty and joy that is reading a Laura Frantz novel would be over too soon. And, wouldn’t you know it — I was right. Tidewater Bride is a phenomenal read. I loved every single second I spent in this story and now I’m sad. Sad because I have to wait for the next Frantz novel. But you know what? Laura Frantz novels are well worth the wait!

Selah is an amazing character. Actually, she is more than that. She is someone I wish to emulate. One of my favorite things about her is her innate ability to just pray. It’s so natural to her, prayers roll right out of her mind straight to God’s heart. If you could see my copy of the novel you would see that I have marked a TON of pages with quotes and moments from the story that I love or that struck me. Many of my tabbies are for moments when Selah prays. I appreciate a faith in God so strong that talking to Him is second nature. We should all aspire to this level of faith in and relationship with God. Later in the novel, Selah loses someone close to her and it wrecks her world. Life becomes dim. She has much to be thankful for. She is blessed completely. She even recognizes that her life is good. But this loss has forced her into a melancholy she’s never experienced before. It’s like the joy has been sucked out of her life. There is this poignant scene in church. Selah has woken up on the wrong side of bed, so to speak. She’s a little prickly and closed off. Her loved ones notice and worry, but give her space. While sitting in church, the place where she should have access to comfort, she finds she just can’t. Her sadness is like a cloak and it’s consuming. This bothers Selah and internally she asks where is her faith and trust? But minutes later, the pastor of her church reads from God’s Word and it pierces Selah’s heart. It’s like the passage read was God speaking directly to her. God was able to break through her sadness and depression and get her mind and heart back on track. It’s beautiful to me how wonderful God is to His children. He sees our broken hearts and He wants to heal them. So He gives us a Word — someone says a prayer with just the right words, or a passage from the Bible is read, and it stops us in our tracks and we KNOW God is talking to us. It’s a tiny scene in the novel, almost insignificant to the larger narrative, but to me, it was breathtaking. I’ve been Selah so many times I’ve lost count. Filled with sadness and depression, wondering if I’m a fraud as a Christian because I feel so lost and alone and scared, BUT God swoops in with a timely Word that fills my heart with the encouragement and support I need, and then I know that I am seen and loved by the Creator of the known and unknown universes. This moment in the novel may be small, but it’s a beautiful scene in a beautiful story that will stick with me for a long time.

Tidewater Bride is wonderful. It’s the kind of story that weaves its way into the reader’s heart and takes residence. It’s a historical romance that’s so well written, you’d swear you were in Virginia with the characters in the 1630s. Tidewater Bride is remarkable and I cannot recommend it enough.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author, Laura Frantz, via NetGalley. I also received a paperback copy of this novel from the publisher, Revell, in order to read and review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.