Thursday, February 6, 2025

The Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 


What's a book that you think should be turned into a movie?  I think about this every time I read a book.  When I read The Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz, I realized I would love to see this book as a movie or a series.

Juliet Catesby lives in the State of Virginia in 1774 on the Royal Vale plantation with her father and sister, Loveday.  The plantation is a mix of slaves and indentured servants, and Juliet and Loveday work secretly to help slaves escape to their aunt in Philadelphia.  Juliet also is a great help to her father keeping their plantation running, but they find themselves weighed down by debt that is mostly from the tobacco lords from Scotland.  One of those lords, Leigh Buchanon is coming to Virginia for a visit, and Juliet is not pleased.  Even more so when she discovers that her father has promised Leigh one of his daughters to cancel his debts.  Will Leigh chose Juliet or Loveday?  Can true love bloom from an arranged marriage?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I greatly enjoyed this novel.  I literally couldn’t put it down and kept reading too long into the night.

·       I loved the unique story.  The book was partially set in colonial Virginia right before the start of the Revolutionary War and partially set in 18th century Glasgow Scotland.  I found both settings to be fascinating.

·       I loved the characters.  Juliet was a strong woman making her way in a man’s world with grace.  She was willing to make changes in her life and trust that God would lead her through.  I also loved Leigh Buchanon.  He has not had the easiest of lives although he is from a wealthy family.  I love how considerate he is to Juliet in their arranged marriage.

·       Love bloomed between Juliet and Leigh over time, and I enjoyed the romance.

·       There was a great mystery about the death of Leigh’s first wife and a lot of suspense in the last part of the novel.

·       Loveday had an orange cat named Hobbes that traveled with them to Scotland.  I loved the cat.

·       The story is told in alternating chapters between Juliet and Leigh.

·       This was a clean romance.

·       I knew nothing about the tobacco lords and found that piece of history to be fascinating.  There is a great author’s note at the end on the topic as well.

Overall, The Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz is a well written captivating historical fiction novel with great characters in a fascinating setting. It’s a story you won’t soon forget.  I highly recommend it!

Book Source:  Review copy from Revell Books as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

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 secretly arranged for one of his daughters to marry the Scot as a means of canceling the family's debt. Confident it will be her younger, lovelier sister, Juliet is appalled when Leith Buchanan selects her instead.

Despite her initial refusal of him, an ensuing altercation forces Juliet to flee Virginia. Agreeing to marry, she sails with Leith to Scotland, hopeful of a better match for her sister, who accompanies her. But once in Glasgow and faced with the contentious, powerful Buchanan clan, she realizes that the man who saved her from financial ruin and scandal is the very one she must now save in return.

AUTHOR BIO

Laura Frantz is a two-time Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of 15 novels, including The Seamstress of Acadie, The Rose and the Thistle, The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Lacemaker,and A Heart Adrift. She is the proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. Though she will always call Kentucky home, Laura lives with her husband in Washington State. Learn more at LauraFrantz.net.

1 comment:

  1. Laura, THIS Laura is thrilled that you also enjoyed another Laura’s fabulous novel. I’m also delighted that you fancied the cat Hobbes. Our orange tabby has found a fan in author Laura Frantz, and we were thrilled when she wrote him in. He is our “Golden Prince,” and he knows it! 🤣 (Pics on my Instagram @LauraHartness.)

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