My book club is reading The Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz this month. It uses the marriage of convenience trope of which I have mixed feelings. But I have to say that Frantz does it really, really well! I loved this book. Read about it and my impressions below.
Virigina plantation life is all she has ever known.
But could the life she was meant to live be waiting on a distant shore?
In 1774, Juliet Catesby lives with her father and sister at Royal Vale, the James River plantation founded by her Virginia family over a century before. Indigo cultivation is her foremost concern, though its export tethers her family to the powerful Buchanan clan of Glasgow, Scotland.
When the heir of the Buchanan firm arrives on their shores, Juliet discovers that her father has arranged for one of his daughters to marry the Scot as a means of canceling the family’s crippling debt. Confident it will be her younger, lovelier sister, Juliet is appalled when Leith Buchanan selects her instead.
Despite her initial refusal, Juliet realizes that fleeing Virginia is her only choice after finding herself in the midst of a scandal. The ship just leaving the harbor for Glasgow is her only hope. But she will soon realize that being part of the complex and calculating Buchanan clan is not the sanctuary she imagined–and the man who saved her from ruin is the very one she must now save in return.
Bestselling, award-winning author, Laura Frantz, has been writing stories since age seven. She is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century and her novels often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Proud of her heritage, she is also a Daughter of the American Revolution. Though she will always consider Kentucky home, she and her husband live in Washington State.
Readers can find Laura Frantz at http://www.laurafrantz.net.
My Impressions:
Laura Frantz writes novels set in the early days of America really, really well. And her latest novel, The Indigo Heiress, is no exception. Set in the final years leading up to the American Revolution it is set in both the Virginia Colony and Scotland. Main character Juliet Catesby is an independent thinker, yet Frantz portrays her as a true-to-life woman of her time. She fights for the enslaved, yet subjects herself to her father’s will. I liked this about the portrayal. It gave me a heroine to love and root for in her historical context. The story employs the marriage of convenience trope, and Frantz handled it in a believable manner, given Juliet’s penchant for going her own way. It didn’t hurt that the man she was to marry was extremely swoony. LOL! Their love story was certainly romantic, and they both grew in their relationship and faith. The political context of the book was secondary, but really interesting. I don’t think I have ever read a story that portrayed British loyalists in such a way. In other books they are usually one-dimensional traitors 😉 , but Frantz provides a realistic view of their choices. The novel also contains a good amount of intrigue and suspense that kept the pages turning. I really did not see the ending coming!
I really liked The Indigo Heiress and am looking forward to a wonderful discussion with my book club.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
I found a copy of this book at my favorite used bookstore yesterday! Because it was a recent release it was a bit more than I would usually pay for a used book, but it was in great condition, so I couldn’t pass it up!