Reviewed by Desere
When you first
start to read this book you think OK he loves her and will do anything to free
her and be with her for the rest of his life kind of romance book.
That unfortunately
is not really the case,the author had a good plot and strong characters. The
book interested me enough and overall really had a few pages here and there
that were very well written,
Having not read
anything by this author before I went in open mined but came up short in the
end. The author somewhat ventures of the original path of what she starts out
with.
It was a little
like one minute I am reading about these two characters in this setting and
these circumstances and the next it was ,wait did I just pick up the wrong book
.
I do see definite
potential for the author to be one of the brilliant authors of our time but I
think she needs to consider adding in a little more passion into her work as in
the end it felt like I was reading a drama and not a romance.
3/5 stars
Reviewed by Maria
Escape is a romance novel, but it's no escapist fairy tale. The obstacles that Daniel and Lori have to face to be together are daunting to say the least. Lori's a slave and Daniel's a free man with abolitionist leanings. Their fight to be together makes compelling reading although some of the obstacles they face are quite horrifying. Yet the book is a joy to read. What warms the heart is Daniel and Lori's simple love for each other and their strong trust in God. It literally shines through Maria's writing. It's not a fairy tale read, yet it manages to be realistic and hopeful at the same time.
What's horrifying for me to read as a Christian is how many so-called Christian people used the Bible to justify slavery and the abuse of people of African-American origin. It is good to know that there were Christians then who truly believed that there is no discrimination in God's eyes.
Well researched historical novels like this are truly educational; they can teach us much about the mistakes of the past. Even in the world today there are people who dare not fall in love with each other for fear of dreadful and horrible retribution.
A very simple, compelling and historically authentic read.
I must add that this book is a romantic story, but it is also part of a bigger, wider, family saga spanning several generations. If you walk into this expecting a category romance with the de rigeur happy ending, you will be disappointed. It is actually part of a trilogy THE UNCHAINED TRILOGY. The story goes beyond the happy ending and we see our main characters dealing with the reality of an inter-racial marriage and the harsh realities of raising mixed race children in a society where the laws may have been changed to suit the times, but where people find it difficult to let go of their prejudices and narrow minded tendencies. Like I said earlier, it is an enjoyable read but not escapist fiction. Yet the author manages to give us a slice of grim life without destroying our sense of hope. There were no hot love scenes although we knew our characters were having a sexual relationship. But the truth is, such scenes were unnecessary. We don't see our friends and neighbours in their bedrooms, nor would we want to. As I said, it's not a category romance. But it's still romantic and beautiful.
As a person who is in an inter-racial marriage, I devoured this and just marvelled at how people in another time and place had to go through so much just to be with the person they love.
I look forward to reading the next parts of the TRILOGY.
Reviewed by Maria
Escape is a romance novel, but it's no escapist fairy tale. The obstacles that Daniel and Lori have to face to be together are daunting to say the least. Lori's a slave and Daniel's a free man with abolitionist leanings. Their fight to be together makes compelling reading although some of the obstacles they face are quite horrifying. Yet the book is a joy to read. What warms the heart is Daniel and Lori's simple love for each other and their strong trust in God. It literally shines through Maria's writing. It's not a fairy tale read, yet it manages to be realistic and hopeful at the same time.
What's horrifying for me to read as a Christian is how many so-called Christian people used the Bible to justify slavery and the abuse of people of African-American origin. It is good to know that there were Christians then who truly believed that there is no discrimination in God's eyes.
Well researched historical novels like this are truly educational; they can teach us much about the mistakes of the past. Even in the world today there are people who dare not fall in love with each other for fear of dreadful and horrible retribution.
A very simple, compelling and historically authentic read.
I must add that this book is a romantic story, but it is also part of a bigger, wider, family saga spanning several generations. If you walk into this expecting a category romance with the de rigeur happy ending, you will be disappointed. It is actually part of a trilogy THE UNCHAINED TRILOGY. The story goes beyond the happy ending and we see our main characters dealing with the reality of an inter-racial marriage and the harsh realities of raising mixed race children in a society where the laws may have been changed to suit the times, but where people find it difficult to let go of their prejudices and narrow minded tendencies. Like I said earlier, it is an enjoyable read but not escapist fiction. Yet the author manages to give us a slice of grim life without destroying our sense of hope. There were no hot love scenes although we knew our characters were having a sexual relationship. But the truth is, such scenes were unnecessary. We don't see our friends and neighbours in their bedrooms, nor would we want to. As I said, it's not a category romance. But it's still romantic and beautiful.
As a person who is in an inter-racial marriage, I devoured this and just marvelled at how people in another time and place had to go through so much just to be with the person they love.
I look forward to reading the next parts of the TRILOGY.
