Review: A historical romance that is a must read for any romance reader
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2014
This book intrigued me because I have this fascination for the Salem Witch Trials. I enjoy reading about history and the fictional takes on individuals in this environment are always fun to read, as you see how the author managed to give them new life in the pages. One of the more interesting reads for me, was the character of the Governor, and seeing how Ms. Ballance managed to portray him, and while Bradstreet is only in the novel for a page or two, it was enough to see that she had in fact managed to capture what I think is a believable portrayal of a real character. The way that Ms. Ballance wrote the novel is unique in that she kept with the dialogue of the times. That gave it another hefty weight in its favor. While sometimes the language of the puritans is difficult to read, a couple of pages in and you feel as though you were reading any other novel with the ease of the language. It was not difficult or hard to understand what was being read or said, due to the ease and knowledge that Ms. Ballance has of her characters.The main character of Lydia is also believable, and there was a part of me that felt as though I was reading about a grown up version of some of my other favorite Salem novels. This too intrigued me, and pulled me into the story. The story though, isn't ALL about the accusation of witchcraft and the trials, and that is a good thing. It centers around the lives of Lydia and Henry, her “claimed” husband. Their relationship and the fact that she was running from a torrid past, and he was trying to find his brother, brought two characters together that maybe would have never found one another before. It was a good story, a believable one at times, and intriguing characters, including the horse!Overall, I do recommend this to historical and non historical romance readers. You won't be disappointed by the familiar and yet different world that has been created by Sarah Ballance.