#historicalfiction #histfic #historicalromance #romance
Book Blurb
June 1775, amid the Revolutionary War’s early stirrings, Irish Yankee Jeremiah O’Brien, seizes a British armed schooner off the Maine coast to thwart the cargo of lumber she was escorting from reaching British forces in Boston. Inspired by this daring victory, Jeremiah abandons his lumber business to command privateer vessels, relentlessly pursuing British merchant ships across dangerous waters.
Defying the British navy’s tightening grip on the Massachusetts coast, he risks his life and his ships to capture many prizes. Yet his greatest battle may lay onshore: winning the heart of Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, a fiercely independent woman who loves the freedom he fights for. Only a man worthy of the title “the hero of the Lexington of the Sea” could earn her love and prove himself worthy of her strength.
My Review:
In Pursuit of Love and Liberty – a captivating start to a new series: 5 stars
The Irish Yankee is the first book in Regan Walker’s The Dawn of America series, which features lumber businessman turned privateer Jeremiah O’Brien and Elizabeth Fitzpatrick who has recently moved from Nova Scotia to his hometown of Machias in Maine. The read combines romance with danger and suspense and expertly explores the impact of the Revolutionary war on individuals and communities.
I particularly enjoyed the realistic portrayal of hardships endured by the colonists and how they come together with fortitude and tenacity to fight and ultimately defeat the representatives of the British crown who have ruled and exploited them. The scenes where the revolutionaries gather in the local taverns, places of worship and within their homes, to unite against the British rule and ultimately overcome them were particularly evocative, as were the descriptions of the skirmishes and battles at sea carried out by Jeremiah and his fellow privateers. I now have an understanding of just how important the American privateers were in seizing British merchant ships and disrupting their supply lines during the Revolutionary war.
I appreciated how the author once again features scenes with key historical figures such as General Washington. The book gives and insight into how the general and those in his circle interacted with and supported the privateer Jeremiah and the small community which he represented.
As for Jeremiah and Elizabeth, they are well matched in their strength and determination to defeat the British, and both become key players in the local community. The development of their romance is a gentle one, but it is clear from the start that they were destined for each other. There are a number of scenes which I found extremely moving as the conflict impacts on their life together.
This page turning read is well paced as it explores the themes of loyalty, bravery and honour and the growing love between a strong man and an independent woman. It is recommended to lovers of historical fiction and historical romance alike.
Reviewed by Tina Williams
Please note that a copy of the book was given to me by the author and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
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