Historical Fiction is not a genre I normally read. If all books in this genre are half as good as this one, I will most certainly be reading a lot more of them. I couldn’t put this book down, and often felt frustrated that my half an hour lunch break was over, as I had to close my kindle, and begrudgingly go back to work.
‘Discerning Grace’ is the first book in ‘The White Sails Series’ by talented fellow Aussie author, Emma Lombard. Emma has created engaging colourful characters, unsuspecting twists and turns, romance, and heart stopping adventure on the high seas.
Young Grace Baxter is our heroine. If you are a fan of protagonists with lots of spunk, you will fall in love with Grace. She has a difficult and strained relationship with her wealthy parents. When she finds out her father has promised the disgusting Lord Silverton her hand in marriage, she decides to flee London, in a desperate bid for freedom.
Donning a disguise as a lad, she gets recruited onto the ‘Discerning’ as part of the ships crew. Seeing her chance to escape, she goes along with the ruse. Grace is thrown into ship life as one of the lads, however her strong will gets her into trouble, and she is sentenced to a flogging for her behaviour, revealing Grace’s gender to the ship’s crew.
Lieutenant Seamus Fitzwilliam vows to protect her, but there are men on the ship who do not approve of her presence. How far will they go to rid the ship of her? Can the Lieutenant keep her from harm? Will Lord Silverton track her down? Will she be returned to London to face a life of misery?
There is an element of romance, but this book offers so much more than that. There are the friendships Grace forms with her fellow ship mates, stories of betrayal, dark moments, and funny heart-warming moments, along the way.
I highly recommend this well written and entertaining book. It will have you turning the pages with great haste. I am happy it is the first of a series, as I wanted more. I give it 5 stars *****
If you would like to check out this wonderful book, click on the links below.
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