FOR HER LOVE

Author: Paula Reed ISBN:0821777246 10/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: Zebra
Time Period: Caribbean - 1600's

Giles Courtney may be the captain of his own ship, but he's not yet certain he's the master of his destiny. His reckless privateering days behind him, Giles is determined to make a respectable name for himself, yet where to begin is the question at hand-especially when he must inform his first patron that his convictions forbid him to traffic in slaves. But while wealthy sugar planter Edmund Welbourne is astounded by Giles' refusal, his beautiful daughter Grace is quite obviously intrigued-and Giles is instantly attracted. As intelligent and spirited as she is lovely, Grace is everything Giles wants in a wife-but their hasty marriage soon proves to be a challenge that will test everything both of them believe about the nature of freedom and the overwhelming power of love...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

As the follow up to Paula Reed's intro novel, INTO HIS ARMS, FOR HER LOVE is another book that makes you ponder things that you may have never even given a small thought to. She writes an impressive tale of a woman, Grace, who is entangled in the world of slavery by finding out at a very young age she is 1/4 African. The time before that stunning revelation, Grace spent believing she was white, despising the way the slaves were treated on her father's Jamaican sugar plantation. Now she finds that at any time she can become one of them.

Grace's hero, Giles, is duped into marrying her, though he certainly feels attracted to her. He has no idea what type of secrets her family harbors, though he suspects some horrendous offenses have been committed on Grace. Since Grace struggles with her own identity, along with where she fits into Giles world, she does not supply him with many answers and things take an unexpected turn for them both.

I am not sure how Paula Reed writes something so believable, but this tale is, at times, heart wrenching and confusing to the observer, making it truly moving and unforgettable. The unsung hero to me is Grace herself, as she navigates the strange place she inhabits as neither one thing or the other, though everyone around her seeks a category to place all people in. It's sad that in this day and age there are still people that continue to do the same thing.

Shannon Johnson