The Magnolia Duchess ~ Review

The Magnolia Duchess  
Gulf Coast Chroncles #3
by Beth White

Fiona Lanier is as feisty as they come and she's determined to do it her way.  This has worked for her in the past, but she's about to learn the hard way that her way just may get her in trouble.  The women of the Lanier family have always followed their hearts when it comes to their family and their loyalties.  And all to often their heart has drawn them to men who are politically in opposition to their family.

Fiona has never given her heart to any man.  But when she finds Charlie Kincaid washed ashore near her home that just may change.  Years ago Fiona met Charlie and she is determined to keep him safe and his British ties a secret from her family.  

Charlie Kincaid can't remember how he came to be washed up on the beach.  Nor can he remember Fiona Lanier the young woman who rescued him.  The injury he sustained has taken the last 10 years from him, but when he does remember will he find himself in the enemy's midst or will he be among friends?

War is coming to the Gulf Coast region and families and hearts are about to face the ultimate test.  Where do loyalties lie - king or country? family or true love?  These are the questions that Fiona and Charlie are about to face as the War of 1812 draws to its dramatic and horrific conclusion.

This is the third book in the Gulf Coast Chronicles and though this series follows the Lanier family as they settle and claim the region they call home you can easily follow this story if you haven't read the previous books in the series.  Fans of Historical American fiction will find much to enjoy in this series.  Those who have enjoyed the works of Gilbert Morris and Elswyth Thane will most likely enjoy this series that spans the history of America while following one family that grows with the country.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Revell in exchange for my honest review. 
About the Book:
As the War of 1812 rages across the newly formed United States, another war rages in Fiona Lanier's heart--one that threatens to tear her family apart.

Fiona can scarcely take in the news of her brother's capture and imprisonment by the British Navy. It is almost as unbelievable as the half-drowned British sailor who is washed ashore on the beach of Navy Cove.

Charlie Kincaid claims to have no memory of his life before being discovered by Fiona, but in a world that seems saturated with treachery, she cannot be sure he is telling the truth.
As Charlie's memory returns in agonizing jags and crashes, he and Fiona discover that falling in love may be as inevitable as the tide. But when political allegiances collide, they'll each have to decide where their true loyalty lies.

Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, she writes historical romance with a Southern drawl and is the author of The Pelican Bride andThe Creole Princess. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net.