A war-torn countryside is no place for a lady—but Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause . . . to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart.
Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he’s offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he’s the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought.
Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?
Why This Book:
After enjoying Michelle Griep’s The Innkeeper’s Daughter, I have decided to read as much of her writing as I can squeeze into my schedule.
Opening Line (from Chapter 1):
Fort Wilderness,
upper New York, 1759
Five years into the French and Indian War“It ain’t right. You ain’t right.”
First Impressions:
From the very first scene the dialogue pulled me into the lives of Griep’s characters. Mercy is a very different sort of heroine for the era, to say the least. Her relationships with the people around her are therefore necessarily unique as well. I was immediately intrigued by her life and her story.
Main Characters:
Mercy Lytton – One might expect a woman with her background to be bitter or downtrodden in some way, but instead, Mercy is a bold and determined young woman. Sure, she has issues she needs to work out, but she doesn’t let them consume her the way a weaker person might have. Still, she learns things along the way that significantly change how she views her life, the people around her, and even God.
Captain Matthew Prinn – An uncle-like figure in Mercy’s life, Matthew Prinn is a trail-toughened spy and partner to Mercy.
Elias Dubois – A man caught between warring countries and accused of treason, there are too many people that want him dead to list. I can’t say too much about his character without giving something away because the biggest questions pushing this story along have to do with who he truly is and where his loyalties lie.
Emotional Engagement & Pacing of the Story:
This story had my attention from page one and never lost it. There were just enough “pauses” or slower moments in the scenes to let the reader catch their breath in time to lose it with the next twist. At no point did I want to put the book down or felt that the story dragged at all.
Elements I especially liked/disliked:
I particularly liked that Mercy, while notably different from the typical female of the time, still felt completely plausible.
I also appreciated the complexity with which each culture’s perspective was portrayed, from the French to the English to the Native American tribes. The various tribes were rightly portrayed as such – not all washed together as one culture the way some books have done, but represented as separate peoples. No one group was completely in the right and no one was completely in the wrong. To me, this seemed more true-to-life because life is messy and people are sinful regardless of what culture they belong to.
As with The Innkeeper’s Daughter, the descriptions in this novel were so rich I felt I could see, feel, hear and taste everything that happened in the story.
Themes:
You can’t truly understand another person’s choices unless you’ve walked in their shoes.
Be careful judging others because not everyone is as they seem.
Ending:
The ending was thorough and satisfying. It made me smile.
Overall Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Let’s chat!
Which of Michelle’s books is your favorite? Or if you haven’t read any yet, which aspect of The Captured Bride, most appeals to you?
TWEETABLES:
Psst! Feel free to borrow any of the photos above for sharing on social media and remember to tag me @KathleenDenly !
About the Author
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of historical romances: The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, A Heart Deceived, Undercurrent and Gallimore, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Guest Post from Michelle
A Visit to Fort Niagara
Whether you’re a history buff or don’t have a clue what the French and Indian War was about, there’s a destination in upstate New York that’s fun to visit for the whole family . . .
My husband and I made the trek to this living history site last summer. I had no idea what to expect, other than what was advertised as a “reenactment camp.” For those who don’t know, this is when volunteers who adore history come together to present a particular event, such as a battle. These people usually choose a real person from the era upon whom they fashion their modern day persona. They dress, speak, eat and live as that person might have. Here I am with some of my new friends:
Generally around the 4th of July, the 1759 Battle of Fort Niagara is recreated in a 3-day extravaganza of soldiers, muskets, canons and an entire market place to peruse selling period-related items.
Some of the things that surprised me about stepping back into the mid-eighteenth century were:
- How much smoke muskets kick out
- Once the battle begins, it’s hard to see who is your enemy or ally
- Canons are really loud
- Everything wasn’t as black and white as it seems in pictures—gowns and uniforms were very colorful
What makes this event so spectacular is that they take the entire 20 day siege and condense it into 3 days. If you visit every day, you’ll see and experience exactly what happened. You’ll be there to see the British, Colonial regulars and Iroquois allies sneak out of the tree line to shoot at some French soldiers who were pigeon hunting just outside the fort. You’ll hear the war whoops and barrage of angry French epithets roaring on the air. You’ll even get a chance to taste some of their food as you wander around inside the French Encampment set up inside the fort walls.
To experience a bit of the danger, sights and sounds of what Mercy and Elias lived through in The Captured Bride, Fort Niagara really is a fantastic place to visit.
Blog Stops
Vicky Sluiter, June 9
Fiction Aficionado, June 9
Blossoms and Blessings, June 9
A Baker’s Perspective, June 9
History, Mystery & Faith, June 10
Inklings and notions, June 10
Just the Write Escape, June 10
Faithfully Bookish, June 11
The Power of Words, June 11
Genesis 5020, June 11
Bakerkella, June 11
My Writer’s Life, June 12
Christian Chick’s Thoughts, June 12
Luv’N Lambert Life, June 12
Among the Reads, June 13
Book by Book, June 13
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, June 13
Moments Dipped in Ink, June 14
Splashes of Joy, June 14
Artistic Nobody, June 14 (Spotlight)
Bibliophile Reviews, June 14
Pause for Tales, June 15
All-of-a-kind Mom, June 15
Mary Hake, June 15
Bigreadersite, June 15
Connie’s History Classroom, June 16
Simple Harvest Reads, June 16 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
Two Points of Interest, June 16
The Christian Fiction Girl, June 17
Daysong Reflections, June 17
Novels corner, June 17
Kathleen Denly, June 18
A Reader’s Brain, June 18
Remembrancy, June 18
proud to be an autism mom, June 19
Texas Book-aholic, June 19
Christian Author, J.E.Grace, June 19
Reading Is My SuperPower, June 20
Red Headed Book Lady, June 20
Margaret Kazmierczak, June 20
Mommynificent, June 20
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 21
Janices book reviews, June 21
Jeanette’s Thoughts, June 21
With a Joyful Noise, June 22
Pink Granny’s Journey, June 22
Carpe Diem, June 22
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away a grand prize of a signed copy of The Captured Bride and a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card!!
Click below to enter.
