The Pelican Bride ~ Review

The Pelican Bride
Gulf Coast Chronicles #1
By Beth White

I was attracted to this book by the cover and then when I read the synopsis I knew I had to review The Pelican Bride.  I was not disappointed in this, the first in the Gulf Coast Chronicles, nor were my expectations too high.

1704 is a time of upheaval in France - political and religious.  And it is from this very persecution and certain death that Geneviève Gaillain and her sister Aimee are fleeing.   But is the Louisiana a place where these refugees can worship in peace?

But the New World has dangers that Geneviève wasn't expecting and the promises made were mostly empty.  Having made a commitment to marry one of the men who has settled the Louisiana colony, Geneviève is determined to keep her past and her faith a secret.  But secrets have a way of being revealed and Geneviève's could destroy her dreams of a future if hers come out.

What I like best about this story is Geneviève's attempts to join this world she has come to.  She doesn't cling to past, but reaches out to those whom call this region home and learns from them.

I've never read any books set in both this time and place before and found it to be an enjoyable excursion. The stark conditions made for difficult and harsh living conditions.  There are also hints of trouble between the French and British as they vie for treaties with the various Indian tribes throughout the region.  If fact, just such a negotiation is a central story in this book.

Jealousy, betrayal, murder, deception and a desire to worship God freely - the new Louisiana colony has it all.  The Pelican Bride is sure to capture your attention and make you a fan of historical fiction. (if you aren't already).  As an added bonus there is a short excerpt from Book 2 and some historical background information about the region.

I was provided a copy of this book by Revell in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:
She's come to the New World to escape a perilous past. But has it followed her to these far shores?

It is 1704 when Frenchwoman Geneviève Gaillain and her sister board the frigate Pélican bound for the distant Louisiana colony. Both have promised to marry one of the rough men toiling in this strange new world in order to escape suffering in the old. Geneviève knows life won't be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of persecution for her outlawed religious beliefs.

When she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer-turned-farmer whose checkered past is shrouded in mystery, Geneviève realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. Trouble is brewing outside the fort between the French colonists and the native people surrounding them. And an even more sinister enemy may lurk within. Could the secret Geneviève harbors mean the undoing of the colony itself?


Gulf Coast native Beth White brings vividly to life the hot, sultry South in this luscious, layered tale.