Monday, March 25, 2013

Like Chaff in the Wind by Anna Belfrage

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Read: March 16, 2013

Matthew Graham committed the mistake of his life when he cut off his brother's nose. In revenge, Luke Graham has Matthew abducted and transported to the colony of Virginia to be sold as indentured labour. Matthew arrives in Virginia in May 1661 and any hope he had of finding someone willing to listen to his story of unlawful abduction is quickly extinguished. If anything, Matthew's insistence that he is an innocent man leads him to being singled out for the heaviest tasks. Insufficient food, gruelling days and the humid heat combine to wear him down. With a sinking feeling, he realises no one has ever survived their seven years of service on the plantation Suffolk Rose. Fortunately for Matthew, he has a remarkable wife. Alex  Graham has no intention of letting her husband suffer and die. So she sets off from Scotland on a perilous journey to bring her husband home. Alex is plagued by nightmares in which Matthew is reduced to a wheezing wreck by his tormentors. Sailing to Virginia, she prays for a miracle to carry her swiftly to his side. But fate has other plans, and what should have been a two month crossing turns into a year long adventure - from one side of the Atlantic to the other. Will Alex find Matthew in time? Will she be able to pay the price of setting him free? Like Chaff in the Wind continues on from The Rip in the Veil, taking Alex and Matthew's love story to a new continent.


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I don't know if it was the cover or the premise that drew me to Anna Belfrage's Like Chaff in the Wind, but I jumped when offered the opportunity to read the book and thankfully my enthusiasm was rewarded with a surprisingly engaging story. For the record I haven't read book one of The Graham Saga which is probably why I felt I was playing a little bit of catch up heading straight into book two, but even so I really enjoyed this one.

By far my favorite aspect of this book were Belfrage's leads, Alex and Matthew being comprised of far more dynamic personalities than I'd anticipated. Alex's feisty determination and Matthew's steady resolve captivated me from the very beginning. That kind of attraction is something I look for in books, it is what keeps me up after I should be in bed and what I remember long after finishing the final page. 

Not that Belfrage needs help in that department. Even without such intriguing characters I would have been drawn to this book. More than once I found myself lost in the steady rhythm of her story, stuck by how well and beautifully it is written. I literally tuned out the world while reading this book which is saying something with a nine month old in the house. 

If you haven't realized it yet I'm being deliberately vague even for me. Like Chaff in the Wind is one of those rare books that really does have something for everyone and covers such a wide scope that I am afraid to risk giving anything away. Suffice it to say this one is anything but typical and definitely better than I'd expected going into it.


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May she be alright, he prayed, wherever she is may she be safe and may she always know I love her.
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Check out all the stops on the Historical fiction virtual book tour of Anna Belfrage's Like Chaff in the Wind


Monday, March 18
Review at Layered Pages
Feature & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, March 19
Review at Bippity Boppity Book
Interview at Layered Pages
Wednesday, March 20
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Guest Post at Bippity Boppity Book
Thursday, March 21
Guest Post & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Friday, March 22
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie
Monday, March 25
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court
Tuesday, March 26
Guest Post at Flashlight Commentary
Giveaway at Cheryl’s Book Nook
Wednesday, March 27
Review at The Worm Hole
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Thursday, March 28
Review & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Friday, March 29
Guest Post & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Connection
Monday, April 1
Review at Raging Bibliomania
Review at Ageless Pages Reviews
Tuesday, April 2
Review at Books, Belles and Beaux
Wednesday, April 3
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Guest Post & Giveaway at Books, Belles and Beaux
Thursday, April 4
Review & Interview at Sir Read-a-Lot
Friday, April 5
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader

1 comment:

Angela - Bookaunt said...

I think this book looks like a good one.