My review of The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz

About the book:

Lovely but tough as nails, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's former captivity with the Shawnee Indians, as well as the secret sins of her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. Though she faces the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, and the affection of a Shawnee warrior, Lael draws strength from the rugged land she calls home, and from Ma Horn, a distant relative who shows her the healing ways of herbs and roots found in the hills. But the arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself—and the power of grace and redemption.

My review:

The Frontiersman's Daughter was very engaging and I read it for five straight hours until I finished the book. I could not set this novel aside once I hit the middle of the book. It carried me through to the end. There were some slow spots and I thought it was a bit too long, but the story itself was fantastic! I particularly enjoyed the romantic elements.

There were some poignant and sad moments in this story where I was on the verge of tears as I read. This author knows how to write with passion, too, and I felt as breathless as the heroine did during the kissing scenes. They were awesome, especially the scene under the waterfall. Wow! I'd buy more books by this author for the romantic elements alone! At times I felt just as confused as Lael had in regards to which relationship to pursue. That's a sign of good writing.

While reading this book I felt as if I'd been pulled into a movie and I lived in Click county with the characters. There were some interesting cultural elements in this story as well as fabulous tension between characters. My heart ached more than once for Lael. I also nearly went crazy from the stress of knowing something that the main characters didn't know, and therefore they made poor choices based on misinformation. That always makes for great conflict. I highly recommend this book.

The Frontiersman's Daughter was published by Baker/Revell and released in Aug. 2009