North Carolina, 1795. Over a year ago, Ian Cameron sent Seona and their son Gabriel to live with his family in Boston. Seona was formerly enslaved to Ian’s uncle but has now been freed. Ian is wed to Judith due to cruel manipulation, but has vowed to make their marriage work. Then tragedy strikes, and Ian finds himself alone with their daughter Mandy. He decides to head north and has a chance to obtain land in Shiloh, New York. Seona is in Boston, trying to decide whether to stay with Ian’s family or go out on her own with her mother. Then Ian arrives, promising a future in Shiloh. But is that what Seona wants? When evil creeps into their midst, will their faith see them through? This is the second book in the Kindred series.
Benton has taken on the daunting task of creating a sequel to two of her books at once. Shiloh is the sequel to Mountain Laurel but also brings in characters from her first published novel, Burning Sky. The characters are interwoven seamlessly, and the story is filled with historical details, adventure, love, doubt, and fear. As Ian embarks on a journey back to Seona, he is also on a spiritual journey of learning to trust God and become a better man. Seona and her mother, Lily, are each experiencing the ranging emotions of an enslaved person who has been freed, and both think of choosing a different path. The Christian themes of trusting God and each other abound in this book, but the results of greed are also explored through the character of Aram Crane. Shiloh, above all, is a journey of faith and a lesson that as faith grows, love grows along with it.
I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House via Historical Novels Review Magazine. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
See my review of Book One, Mountain Laurel, here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lori Benton was born and raised east of the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by early American and family history going back to the 1600s. Her novels transport readers to the 18th century, where she brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history, creating a melting pot of characters drawn from both sides of a turbulent and shifting frontier, brought together in the bonds of God’s transforming grace.
Lori’s debut novel, Burning Sky, earned the 2014 Christy Award for First Novel, Historical, and Book of the Year.
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