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The Mark of the King by Jocelyn Green - The beautiful artwork on the cover of this book drew my attention, and the story itself was compelling and at times heart-wrenching. In the opening pages, French midwife Julianne Chevalier is attending a difficult birth, and when the mother dies, Julianne is accused of murder. The story then picks up after Julianne has been in a French prison for some time, and hears that convicts are being sent to the fledgling colony of Louisiana to settle. Since her only remaining family is a younger brother who had gone to Louisiana as a soldier some years earlier, Julianne manages to be selected to go as a colonist. To her shock, all of the potential colonists are forced to marry before they get on the ship, and she must choose a husband from among the male prisoners.
by Jocelyn Green - The beautiful artwork on the cover of this book drew my attention, and the story itself was compelling and at times heart-wrenching. In the opening pages, French midwife Julianne Chevalier is attending a difficult birth, and when the mother dies, Julianne is accused of murder. The story then picks up after Julianne has been in a French prison for some time, and hears that convicts are being sent to the fledgling colony of Louisiana to settle. Since her only remaining family is a younger brother who had gone to Louisiana as a soldier some years earlier, Julianne manages to be selected to go as a colonist. To her shock, all of the potential colonists are forced to marry before they get on the ship, and she must choose a husband from among the male prisoners.
The voyage is unpleasant, to say the least, and the conditions when they arrive in Louisiana are little better. Julianne and her new husband, Simon, do their best, but Julianne seems destined for suffering and loss. Just when she and Simon find some hope for happiness, he is murdered while away from their home - while searching for Julianne's brother. The kind Captain Marc-Paul Girard tries to protect the newly widowed and newly pregnant Julianne, but even so one of the other soldiers exposes her murderer's brand and she is whipped in public. Marc-Paul makes sure Julianne is cared for while she is recovered, and convinces her to marry him so he can protect and care for her. Love grows between them, but there are also secrets and guilt that mar their relationship, especially when Julianne discovers that her brother is still alive, after Marc-Paul had told her that he'd died before the colonists had arrived in New Orleans. Is there anyone Julianne can trust, or will her mark and the secrets of the past continue to come between her and Marc-Paul?
This well-told story is a glimpse of the difficulties and injustices faced by those who first settled the area of New Orleans, and is also a story of grace and hope.
Visit the Baker Publishing Group for more info on where to buy.
by Julie Klassen - Finished this the previous week, but didn't post the review until after my weekly reading update. (Read my full review 
On my blogs last week . . .
