It is 1755, and the threat of war with France looms over colonial York, Virginia. Chocolatier Esmée Shaw is fighting her own battle of the heart. Having reached her twenty-eighth birthday, she is reconciled to life alone after a decade-old failed love affair from which she's never quite recovered. But she longs to find something worthwhile to do with her life. Captain Henri Lennox has returned to port after a lengthy absence, intent on completing the lighthouse in the dangerous Chesapeake Bay, a dream he once shared with Esmée. But when the colonial government asks him to lead a secret naval expedition against the French, his future is plunged into uncertainty. Will a war and a cache of regrets keep them apart, or can their shared vision and dedication to the colonial cause heal the wounds of the past?
★★★1/2
1755 in Virginia --- As the Revolutionary War revs up, twenty-eight year old chocolatier Esmee Shaw is in her hometown of York, settling into assumed spinsterhood after having a painful heartbreak a decade earlier. To her surprise, the past makes an unexpected drop-in with the arrival of her former fiance, Captain Henri Lennox. Henri is back in town, quietly toying with the idea of once again taking up the building of a lighthouse property on a nearby island...a project that was originally the brainchild of Esmee, something they talked of doing together after they were wed. But once their engagement ten years earlier went south, Henri just sort of packed up ship and took off. So here he is now, fielding the 17th century equivalent awkwardness of someone who never answers texts or emails and then has to look those people in the eyes and explain, after an uncomfortably lengthy amount of time has passed. 😄
Henri knows the worst of this is going to come with trying to reconnect with Esmee, when it's clear these two never entirely got over each other. But what is it everyone likes to say to those struggling in the love department?
If it's meant to be, it will be.
Fair enough. There actually is some truth in that.... and sure enough, life rearranges itself to put these two back in the vicinity of each other, whether they go willingly or not. A conversation here and there and in no time these two see the spark never went anywhere, they just wasted a lot of time being stubborn. Hey, we're all guilty of it from time to time.
*Sidenote: I just find it hard to understand that this guy would be out to sea for a full DECADE and never come back home in that time?! Even centuries ago, no ship was THAT slow.
Their interests still align as well. For one, both are charitably-minded and are led in life by their mutual sense of good values. Esmee spends much of her free time (and donates the little extra cash she might have) towards helping her less fortunate neighbors at the poorhouse. Meanwhile, it is rumored that Captain Henri puts part of his wealth into funding abolitionist groups.
There are some kinks in the works though. Henri discovers he may have to compete with his ship's pastor for Esmee's affections. Next to that, he also hears the government wants to sign him on to head up a secret spy mission against the French, something that will require him to be out at sea again for a good while.
Esmee certainly stays busy on her end as well! She starts off the story holding down the family chocolate shop business, helping out at the local poorhouse, then she's scheming to become the first female lighthouse keeper of the Colonies on top of trying to keep war and plague off her doorstep all while silently pining for her guy while he figures out his mind. Phew! She seems to have little to de-stress her outside of the occasional moment of book reading and tea dates with friends, but she definitely takes it all on with a strong and straight backbone.
Though I tend to love Laura Frantz's world building in most of her novels, this one was a little of a slow burn for me, but my interest in the plot elevated once Esme took up remote island life.
Though Esmee's younger sister, Eliza, starts the novel off appearing as somewhat shallow and even a tinge bratty at times, I loved seeing her transformation towards the end, especially her moment in the spotlight where she comes out almost as a 17th century Elle Woods, surprisingly saving a man's life.
If you're at all interested in the concept / topic of twin flame / Kingdom spouses, it could be argued that there is an element of that to the love story of Henri and Esme.
FTC Disclaimer: Baker Publishing kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
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