In Spite of Lions ~ Review

In Spite of Lions
By Scalette Pike

First off let me just say this is an absolutely gorgeous story that I highly recommend to any reader who wants to get lost within the pages of a fantastic story!

Anna is determined to leave the life she has known behind and if breaking with the protocols and expectations of society will aid her she will do it. Offering none her surname but rather her first name. By faith, Anna set out on her new life with her final destination unknown.  Boarding a ship to an unknown destination was not what was to be expected of a young lady of Anna's social standing but she was determined. 

And this journey led her to Mary Livingstone who with her two children was returning home and her husband David in the southern reaches of Africa.  Unfortunately, the captain of the ship she boards knows Anna from her former life and she knows Captain Dunna as well and the knowledge benefits neither in their estimation of the other.

But despite the hardships of weeks aboard ship Anna is not dissuaded from the path of faith that she is following. Attaching herself to Mary Livingstone Anna soon finds herself traveling into Africa to Kolobeng to aid Mary and lodge with the Livingstone family.

Anna's journey will change her as she leaves behind the pain that has shaped her but one can never run from the memories that one carries... Anna will discover who she truly is and just how far she will go for those she loves.

In Spite of Lions will introduce the reader to a world only briefly touched upon in history books. The harshness and isolation of Africa in the 1840s and 1850s is both daunting and beautiful as seen through the glimpses one is offered in this book. But be forewarned there will be a sequel that one will most eagerly be awaiting.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review ~ all opinions expressed are my own.

About the book:

How does a young lady of means escape her high society fate? By booking passage on the first ship to Africa and promptly tossing her petticoats overboard! Now Anna is trading London’s luxuries and restrictions for the wild unknown. Of course, shedding her old life would be much easier without the disapproving looks of a handsome sea captain and the demons in her past haunting her from worlds away.

About the author:

Scarlette Pike became a writer by being an avid reader of Georgette Heyer and many other Regency authors. She is a senior in UVU’s English program with an emphasis in Literature Studies. In Spite of Lions is her first finished novel inspired by her love for the Regency era. The story has been carefully researched in order to preserve and promote historical accuracy.

Excerpt:

“My future was vague and friendless. I had no indication of where I would sleep, who should help me, or how I could reach a new home. I had made no plans and knew little to nothing of how to fend for myself. I had never spent a single night away from my mother’s house. Yet faith, when used in proper context, dismisses anxiety with an iron hand. Carts and horses pushed along the street, trying, I believe, to make as much noise as they were capable of. Vendors cried out from their seats on the ground and little boys and girls ran down the center of the road. Yet from the mayhem I could discern the Thames rushing by, singing her methodical and lovely song. I was a quiet island in the midst of chaos. I realized now that I had always been so.”