The Lacemaker ~ Review

The Lacemaker
By Laura Frantz

Williamsburg of 1775 is on the verge of war as those who call the colony home take sides between the Independence Men and those loyal to the King. Lady Elisabeth Lawson finds herself the talk of Williamsburg with her upcoming marriage to Miles Cullen Roth for she is Williamburg's bride and the daughter of colony's lieutenant governor, the Earl of Stirling.

But her intended is not a man of her choice but rather her father's. And Miles is a less than attentive fiancé - frequently late, fond of drink, cards, and his own well-being. Miles's cousin Noble Rynallt, unlike Miles, is on the side of liberty. And when Elisabeth's world comes falling down around her, Nobel alone seems concerned with the situation in which she finds herself. 

Experiencing independence herself, Elisabeth has a choice before her side with the Loyalist or the Revolutionaries. Where will her heart lead her? And can she make her own way in this world in flux? Elisabeth is determined to reclaim her life as she discovers who she really is. And her skills as a lacemaker may just be what will give her the means to support herself. But a life of labor is unknown to her but she refuses to go back to the life she's always known just another pawn in her father's political machinations. 

But there are those who refuse to believe Liberty, as she now calls herself, to be anything other than a loyalist to the King, to England and a spy for her father. And with her life very much in danger, Liberty must decide where her loyalties lie and her heart.

The Lacemaker is another example of Laura Frantz's skill at work as she again presents readers with another intense trip to the past. This time her pen takes us to the days when Revolution was in its infancy and breaking from England was not yet a certainty. Fans of historical romance fiction will delight in this latest standalone from Frantz. The characters are ones that the reader can connect with. And then Liberty's father and fiancé UGGGGH - there really is nothing more to say about these two. This would be a great choice for a book club.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectation of a positive review - All opinions expressed are my own.    

About the Book:

It is the eve of a new age of freedom in the colonies. 

But can a proper English lady dare hope for her own independence?

Lady Elisabeth "Liberty" Lawson has nearly everything a lady of her position could want. Daughter of the British lieutenant governor of the Virginia Colony and a darling of fine society in a rugged land, she is anticipating an advantageous marriage. That her betrothed is a rake and love is lacking is of little consequence--or so she tells herself.

Though her own life seems in order, colonial Williamsburg is a powder keg on the verge of exploding, and her fiancé's cousin Noble Rynallt carries the flame of revolution in his heart. Those with connections to the British nobility are suspected as spies, and Liberty soon finds herself left with a terrible choice. Will she stay true to her English roots? Or side with Noble and the radical revolutionaries?