Tidewater Bride. Laura Frantz. 2021. [January] 416 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: Alas, she was not a tobacco bride, but she had been given charge of them. A daunting task for a young woman of six and twenty, even if she was the cape merchant’s daughter.
Laura Frantz's newest historical romance is set in James Towne, Virginia Colony in 1634. Selah Hopewell, our heroine, has been placed in charge of the "tobacco brides" young, single women sent to marry colonists. Selah herself is single and still available, but marriage and future family isn't first on her list. The new arrivals will have plenty of colonists/settlers to choose from--and it wouldn't be surprising if more than one fell for the successful tobacco planter, Alexander Renick. But this widower (with a young son) isn't looking for a new bride--at least not from this group of arrivals. He's got plenty on his mind--things that are cause for concern--primarily the tense relationship between the (white) settlers and the Naturals. (Frantz uses the term Natural almost exclusively in place of Indian or Native or Native American. Occasionally she refers to a specific tribe. I am curious if this is a modern label or a historic one. I have not done any research to see what language, what words, what labels, the original Virginian settlers would have used. Not that she'd be bound to follow actual history necessarily.)
Tidewater Bride is historical fiction with some Christian elements--the characters pray, for example, and topics like evangelism come up fairly regularly.
There is a romantic element to the story--as you'd expect with the word BRIDE in the title. But it isn't exclusively a romance novel. There is plenty of history. For those wanting only a romance, the focus almost exclusively on the hero and heroine falling in love, facing obstacles and overcoming them, and ending with a happily ever after, this one may prove a slower read. It is very much grounded in history. I'd say a love of historical fiction--and American history--is a must.
I had not heard the term tobacco bride before reading this one.
I enjoyed this one. I did. I love Laura Frantz's books typically. This one was a bit slower for me honestly. (Though I still enjoyed it.) But I think that has more to do with how I read it--stretched out over two or three weeks--then the book itself. I appreciated the fact that the obstacles facing the characters seemed authentic or legitimate to the time period and not the work of an author seeking drama, drama, and more drama.
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