Pelican Bride by Beth White – A Book Review

Many thanks to Beth White for giving me hours of delightful entertainment immersed in the world of Genevieve Gaillain, Tristan Lanier and their siblings. Her wordsmithing allowed me to truly experience the discomfort and hardships of life in the early 1700s French colony of Louisiane. It also allowed me to experience joy found amidst adversity, which is in direct contrast to our current society in which so many experience material abundance yet lack joy. Genevieve certainly models for us that joy is indeed a choice.

The Pelican Bride is a wonderful blend of history, intrigue, and romance. Responsibilities and traveling mandated breaks in my reading, otherwise I would have read this book in one sitting. There was little about this book that was predictable. Those things an avid reader might think were predictable were always in question. Beth keeps her readers turning pages anxious for the next turn of events.

I believe myself to have a good vocabulary, but enjoyed five or six trips to the dictionary. The new-to-me vocabulary was befitting the times and manner of speaking, and I enjoyed learning something new. I also enjoyed learning about the history of the brides who came over from France to such a hostile environment to marry a virtual stranger. The important role the Indians played in the politics between the French and British colonies played a big part in the plot development of this book, bringing back memories of lessons learned in college history classes. The additional historical information Beth provided at the end of the book was most interesting. Her penchant for history and research was quite evident.

While this is book one of The Gulf Coast Chronicles, I appreciated that the book also served well as a stand alone read. I will however, be eagerly watching for book two, anxious to know about future generations of the Lanier family.

I want to thank Revell, a division of the Baker Publishing group, for providing this book in exchange for my honest review. I give it five stars.