Emily Sullivan’s greatest fear is dying in childbirth, as did her twin sister and their mother. Then she’s thrown in a loyalist prison for her privateering father’s raids on the British, and her accuser—a former beau—promises to recant if she will marry him.
Frank Thomson always loved Emily despite her refusal to return his affections. A patriot spy posing as a loyalist officer, when Frank learns of Emily’s plight, he challenges her accuser to a duel.
Freed from prison, Emily ponders returning the affections of her rescuer—the only man she’s ever loved and who married her twin to save the Sullivan family’s reputation. But Frank cannot afford to be discovered. For the sake of young America, he must deliver his secrets.
Without a goodbye, Amy Abernathy’s childhood sweetheart, Benjamin Hanson, leaves to fight in the American War for Independence. Amy chooses to pick up the pieces of her heart and leave Charles Town to help her sister who is with child.
Benjamin knows he hurt Amy, but he plans to make it up to her after his mission is completed. Then he learns that Amy has been captured by renegade soldiers. Now Benjamin faces his own choice: free the sassy yet obstinate woman he’s never stopped loving or protect Charles Town from vengeful British occupation.
Midwife and healer, Samantha McAlester returns from the front lines to find Charles Town under British siege and the town’s new doctor at war with its citizens.
Dr. Trent Cunningham intends to build a hospital staffed solely with educated doctors. What he doesn’t need is a raven-haired charlatan spooning out herbs and false promises to his patients, while tempting him at every turn.
Then a mutual friend develops a mysterious infection. Trenton is stumped. Samantha suspects the cure but knows treatment will expose her long-guarded secret, risking all she holds dear… including Trenton.
Determined to make her own way in the emerging United States of America, and live free of the dictates and demands of another husband, widow Evelyn Hamilton faces soaring post-war inflation as she struggles to provide for herself and her infant son.
Militiaman Nathaniel Williams is determined to make his fortune on the New Frontier. But during a visit to Charlestown, his heart is ensnared by a smart, beautiful widow, forcing Nathaniel to make the hardest decision of his life.
If you’re looking for something besides Dukes and rakes and nobility, try this American Revolutionary
War historical romance. It was charming and interesting and felt like a mash-up of Gone With the Wind
and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
I loved the plot of Samantha’s Secret. Samantha is a healer and uses herbs and teas and very traditional
practices. Trent is a doctor, trained in the latest and greatest. A mutual friend is injured during a
skirmish with the British and their bedside manners clash over how to treat him. While they were
butting heads over how to care for the patient, sparks are flying between the two of them. I liked these
two together, even if Trent came off as a bit condescending sometimes.
Aside from the romance, this story has a great storyline regarding Samantha’s parents, who are British
loyalists, and what will happen to her if and when they leave America. This is book three in a series and
even without reading the first two, I got a good sense of the strong friendship between Samantha and
her friends.
Good, solid story and characters set in an interesting time period.
Four Loves
Betty Bolté writes both historical and contemporary stories featuring strong, loving women and brave, compassionate men. No matter whether the stories are set in the past or the present, she loves to include a touch of the paranormal. In addition to her romantic fiction, she’s the author of several nonfiction books and earned a Master of Arts in English in 2008. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Authors Guild. Get to know her at www.bettybolte.com.
