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The Captured Bride: Daughters of the Mayflower - Book 3
by Michelle Griep - Mercy Lytton is the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Englishwoman, and her unique upbringing and especially keen eyesight has earned her a place as an army scout. She has been chosen to accompany a team secretly delivering gold to another fort. Her longtime mentor, an army ranger that has been a father figure to her, leads the team, and they are accompanied by another young soldier and a captured Frenchman. Elias Dubois is expecting to be hanged as a traitor, but is instead offered freedom if he accompanies this shipment. The entire group is to pose as a family of settlers, with Elias and Mercy pretending to be married.
Mercy is not happy about the assignment, and is puzzled about Elias right from the start. If he is a traitor, why is he so conscientious about their safety and well-being? Why would he want to make the trip in a timely manner if prison time awaits him at their destination? And why doesn't he take advantage of the opportunities he has to escape? As the group meets setbacks and danger, Elias proves himself to be trustworthy and honorable, defending Mercy and caring for her, and despite her skepticism, she realizes that she is falling in love with him.
It's apparent to the reader from early on that Elias has secrets that his captors don't guess, and his loyalties may not be as obvious as they seem. For his part, Elias is determined to arrive at the fort and complete his secret mission, and he is soon torn between following his orders and protecting Mercy. For awhile, it seems he can do both, but when an attack by the enemy Wyandot tribe puts all their lives and his mission at risk, and reveals the likelihood that there's another traitor at work, Elias faces an almost impossible decision and extreme danger and risk no matter what he chooses.
I was a bit skeptical as I started reading, but soon was drawn into the story by curiosity about Elias's real loyalties and mission, and by interest in how the characters interacted. I found the spying and intrigue elements a little vague or hard to follow in places, but it didn't really take away from the story. Although this is the third in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, there is no connection to the previous two stories other than the family tree. The relationship and ancestry isn't even a factor in the story, so this book can be read as a stand-alone. I don't know how the connection between the women in this series could be strengthened, given the generations between, but at the same time, it's disappointing that it's being promoted as a series but the stories are not actually connected in any meaningful way. This one is definitely an enjoyable read, however, with its unusual setting (French and Indian War) and characters.
From the Publisher:
A War-Torn Countryside Is No Place for a Lady
Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause . . . to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart.
Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort--but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought.
Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
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by Stephen R. Lawhead, page 71
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