The King's Mercy

GIVEAWAY

BENTON, LORI
THE KING'S MERCY

How can a man accept mercy when it feels more like a curse than a blessing?

When captured rebel Scotsman Alex MacKinnon is granted the king's mercy -- transport across the Atlantic Ocean and exile to the colony of North Carolina -- he's indentured as a blacksmith to Edmund Carey, prosperous owner of Severn Plantation. The arrangement devastates the Scot, who mourns the life he lost and finds life on a slave plantation intolerable.Unwittingly, Alex is drawn into the plight of Carey's slaves, particularly those connected to Casey's stepdaughter, Joanna.

A mistress longing for a different life, Joanna Carey is expected to wed the plantation overseer, Phineas Reeves, who has no patience for her kinder vision for Severn's future. For guidance, Joanna relies on itinerant minister Reverend Pauling, who travels to the plantation seasonally, bringing the gospel to all with ears to listen.

Despite his growing bond with Joanna, Alex longs to break the chains of servitude and forge his freedom, until he's faced with the choice that hounds him: continue down his destructive, rebellious path or embrace the faith of a man like Pauling, whose freedom in Christ no earthly power can steal. But the price of such mercy is total is total surrender and perhaps Alex's very life.

My Review:

"Look to the Almighty in faith. Believe that He is who He says, then you will see beyond what meets your eyes." (p 118)

Wow --- just....wow! What an epic thrill of a historical read! The King's Mercy delivered way more than I was expecting. (And I love the double meaning in the title, by the way -- so profound!) It is clear that Lori Benton is a master storyteller. She brings such depth and realism and historical accuracy to her novels and I found myself completely immersed in Alex and Joanna's story the instant I opened this book.

They are at such odds in the beginning -- Alex, a fierce warrior, willing to rebel for a just cause, he's now suffering the consequences of his actions as an indentured servant to an Englishman in the colonies. And Joanna, the mistress of a vast plantation. Neither are content with their lives; both are dreamers bound by duty. And romance between the two? Impossible!

And then the gut-twisting, tummy-churning, hair-raising stuff happens and I was a mess of nerves and heart-hurt. And broiling anger. Gah! There is this one particularly malevolent slime-ball of a brute -- shudder! I was on to him from the start but nobody else was and I could feel my insides churning with anxiety as the plot thickened and this ne'er-do-well goes unchecked.

Benton doesn't pretty up the brutality of the times or dance around tough issues but she doesn't leave her characters floundering in the darkness. The light of Christ brings them safe passage...though not as quickly as my gentle reader sensibilities would have liked! :-) My emotions were all over the place during this read! And that's just the way I like my fiction!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The King's Mercy, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 17 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!