To Have and To Hold

By Mary Johnston
Edited by Joshua and Sarah Wean
Available from Vision Forum and Amazon
*****

This is one of the most captivating novels I’ve read in a long time. Originally published in 1907 for the Jamestown tercentennial, it was republished last year for the four hundredth birthday of the Jamestown settlement. Appropriately, the setting is colonial Jamestown. Several history characters are introduced and become a part of the story. James Rolfe is the best friend of the story’s hero. A good writer can bring readers to laughter and tears, and Mary Johnston does both. The story has been revised by Joshua and Sarah Wean. Whatever you may be looking for in a novel, from romance, adventure, intrigue, history, forgiveness, repentance, and the mercy of God, this book has it all.

Captain Ralph Percy is our hero, and a hero worthy of the name. He goes into Jamestown at the suggestion of a friend, who had informed him that he ought to take a wife. Many single young ladies were just arriving from England to be wives of the settlers, so the present time was an excellent opportunity. Captain Percy is a gentleman, and delivers a lovely young woman from being insulted. She accepted his marriage proposal on the spot. He is a Christian gentleman, and vows to love, cherish, and protect his wife with his life, though it’s little she seems to care about it. Throughout the book, Percy battles hostile Indians, Spaniards, haughty English nobles, his wife’s indifference to him, and his own natural desire for revenge, to eventually win his heart’s desire. He constantly affirms and follows through with his duty, even through the many dangerous and precarious situations it brings him to. At last when he can conquer his bitterest enemy, he cannot bring himself to kill him as it would displease and dishonor God.

This book is definitely to be highly recommended for the storyline, never mind the excellent history content. Boys and girls of all ages will relish the adventure, admire a clear picture of a valiant, Godly man, and respect a woman who chooses truth, honor and love.

The Rose and Crown

by Meriol Trevor
Available from Amazon
****
Rafael le Marre is once again the hero in this last of the Letzenstein chronicles. London 1849 is the setting, and the characters from the previous book are once again in the middle of adventure. He has brought young, orphaned Toby to find his people. Of course, Rafael would be happy to have him at his own castle full or orphans, Xandeln, but before he would keep him, he must make sure his family does not want him. Indeed, his closest family does not care much for him, but they consider that they must do their duty. Toby does have a cousin, Melisande, who cares for him, but she is not the one who makes the decisions. His grandfather, who runs the Rose and Crown inn cannot afford to take care of him. No one should be surprised that everyone is still suspicious of Rafael; he seems never to be able to make his political standing plain. The intrigue element of the other three books is not neglected in The Rose and Crown, and it makes for an exciting finale to the series.

Angel and Dragon

by Meriol Trevor
Available from Amazon
****
In this volume, the third of the Letzenstein Chronicles, Catherine from the first book is back. She is visiting Letzenstein from England with her aunt, uncle, and cousin Giles Hawthorne. They become entangled in all kinds of escapades. Rafael le Marr is constantly trying to help people, while it appears to others that he is involved in revolutionary activities against the government. Catherine tries to help, and Giles, who doesn’t think much of Rafael, Grand Duke Constant or Letzenstein, is giving slanted reports of their actions to his parents and Duke Julius. Duke Julius ends up seizing power, Con is abducted, murder is attempted, and Rafael faces the firing squad. In all this, Giles undergoes a serious change of heart, and of course, everything turns out all right. After all The Rose and Crown, not Angel and Dragon is the last of the Letzenstein Chronicles!

Following the Phoenix

Following the Phoenix (Trevor, Meriol. Letzenstein Chronicles, Bk. 2.) by Meriol Trevor
****
This is the second book of the Letzenstein chronicles, a series involving a tiny imaginary country in the nineteenth century. We follow Rafael le Marre as he searches for his lost love, Jeanne. When she heard that he had been shot, she had given up dancing on the stage and taken up nursing. The adventure never stops, and is always taking an unexpected twist. The storyline is great.

This series is intriguing, but there are some subtle things to beware of. The Catholics are the patient, loving, open minded people, and the Protestants are portrayed as strict and sober, narrow minded people, who try to sap the joy out of life. Also, the parents or guardians of the children care only about their own concerns, and not what is true, kind, or right for others. This forces the children to have to make their own decisions and judgments for their lives. The attitudes toward authority are not the best. These are subtle things, and the story might be best enjoyed as a read aloud series, where parents can discuss attitudes and perspectives with their children.

The Crystal Snowstorm

The Crystal Snowstorm (Trevor, Meriol. Letzenstein Chronicles, Bk. 1.) by Meriol Trevor
****
Catherine is the granddaughter of the Grand Duke of Letzenstein, a very small imaginary country in Europe in 1848. She is summoned from England to be the Grand Duke's heir after the death of his previously appointed heir. His wise, older son is not considered, for his father perceives him to be a threat to his authority. Catherine is intended to be a pawn in the game for power, but she understands that all is not right, and becomes active in the intrigue at the palace.

The book was written to give an idea of European politics at this time, but on a smaller scale so as to be more easily understood by younger readers. Although Letzenstein is imaginary, it is set in a historical time frame, as well as actually seeming like part of Europe. Catherine asks questions of the princess of another small, imaginary country. The princess says she must marry the heir of the Grand Duke, to forge an alliance between the countries. Did she like the Grand Duke's son that died, Catherine asks. She was puzzled by the response. No, the princess did not like him, but it did not matter, because the alliance was more important.

Despite ideas you may get from the title, this is not a fantasy. The title comes from a gift the prince gives to Catherine, a crystal globe with a castle inside; when she turned the ball she saw a snowstorm in over the castle, which settled after she put it down. The title is appropriate to the rest of the book because of the political turmoil in Letzenstein that winter.

The story never lags for interest, and once I opened it, I had to finish it the same night. Now I can't wait the get the other three in the series.