The war is over, but her struggle is just beginning.
Charlotte Fraser returns to her late father’s once-flourishing rice plantation on the Waccamaw River, determined to continue growing the special kind of rice known as Carolina Gold. But Fairhaven Plantation is in ruins, the bondsmen are free, and money is scarce.
To make ends meet, Charlotte reluctantly accepts a position as tutor to the young daughters of Nicholas Betancourt, heir to the neighboring Willowood Plantation. Then Nick’s quest to prove his ownership of Willowood sends Charlotte on a dangerous journey that reveals an old family mystery—and threatens all that she holds dear.
Inspired by the life of a 19th century woman rice planter,Carolina Gold continues Dorothy Love’s winning tradition of weaving together mystery, romance, and rich historical detail, bringing to life the story of one young woman’s struggle to restore her ruined world.
Learn more at Dorothy’s website.
A former journalist, free-lance writer and college professor, Dorothy Love explores the intersection of history and human relationships to create novels that speak to the hearts of women everywhere. She is the author of the acclaimed Hickory Ridge novels set in her native state of Tennessee. After earning a masters degree and Ph.D, she authored dozens of magazine articles before breaking into book publishing with a number of award-winning novels for preteens and young adults. The Hickory Ridge series marked her adult fiction debut. Currently she is working on several stand-alone historical novels set in the South. When she isn’t busy writing or researching her next book, Love enjoys hiking, traveling, and hanging out with her husband Ron and their rambunctious golden retriever. The Loves make their home in the Texas hill country.
Carolina Gold by Dorothy Love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I must admit that this book was better than I thought it would be. As I began reading it, I assumed that it would be a typical Christian historical romance, and much of it was. I was intrigued to read about the Reconstruction period, and I believe that the author captured this troubled time in U.S. history quite well. I was unaware of the way in wish the freed slaves behaved, and I found this most captivating. Add in the yellow fever epidemic and a few stunning episodes along the way, and I learned more than anticipated. I honestly cannot fault the writing style of the author, and she certainly lived up to expectations. The romance in the book was sweet and almost plausible.
My complaints involve the predictability of the story line as well as the weak gospel message. While the author did provide a couple of unexpected bumps, most of the story followed conventions. But my most considerable complaint revolves around the water-down version of the gospel in this book. It is disconcerting in the extreme when Christian authors only give the barest mention of the gospel and God as if it is an afterthought. Certainly, this is a clean book with a positive message. And yes, they do pray to God. But if someone who did not know God were to sit down and read this, he/she would not be any closer to solving the God puzzle than they were before the book. I believe that Christian books should be held to a higher standard, and they should not merely mention God in passing just so Christian publish companies will distribute them. But that is just my opinion.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was no financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
