Read Online A Bound Heart edition by Laura Frantz Religion Spirituality eBooks

Product details File Size 12259 KB Print Length 411 pages Page Numbers Source ISBN 0800726642 Publisher Revell (January 1, 2019) Publication Date January 1, 2019 Sold by  Digital Services LLC Language English ASIN B07F3F84VG

A Bound Heart edition by Laura Frantz Religion Spirituality eBooks Reviews

• I always promise no spoilers in reviews. The promise has never been as difficult to keep as it is with A Bound Heart because there is so much I want to exclaim and expound. When a book moves me this way, I am hard-pressed to remain quiet about all its many virtues. But I don’t want to ruin any of them for other readers. A Bound Heart is the kind of enduring tale on which book lovers and book clubs can reminisce for hours. Long after closing the pages upon Lark and the laird, I lay awake beside my snoring husband with an imagination full to overflow of their story world and ponderings on the ever Scottish theme of freedom. ‘Tis not the first time, Laura has left me thus. I pray it shall not be the last. (And no, I don’t actually talk like that, only while under the influence of Laura Frantz magic.)
• My Scottish heart loved the beginning of this book. The setting on the Isle, the Scots speech, and all of the other little cultural details painted a beautiful picture of a land my heart longs for. So the beginning third of the book was a really quick read. The endearing details along with the exciting occurrences with the smuggling, stillroom, Magnus, and Isla made for an enthralling adventure. The second third of the book was interesting as well. The journey on the ship, the uncertainty of their lives ahead, the budding romance, and the nefarious schemes kept the pace moving along quite well. I loved the addition of Larkin to the story and how he molded into Lark's life and kept her safe and from falling apart. The third and final section of the book was a bit of a stretch for me. There were things going on but they did not have the same adventure and gravity as the parts before. Along with Lark, my heart longed for the times in Scotland, which held the most appeal. Lark and Magnus' romance is a patient and distant one. Still, I wish we had more time to live within the discovery of their romance, really building up their feelings for each other so the reader can feel it along with the characters. Even though they made declarations, I wanted to infuse the other senses along with it to really experience the longing along with them. The romance did build at the very end of the book, but if it had been built a little sooner, the reader would have better felt their longing for each other all through their separation and would have been more pulled to see them back together. It is also interesting how in each of the three sections there is a man who wants to have Lark for their own but cannot because her heart belongs to Magnus. The ending was sweet, and I loved how you could really feel Magnus and Lark's feelings and commitment to each other. Their plans and position for their future was very tenuous, so I didn't really like how they were left with that future. They spent a lot of the book talking about how people die when they go to the Caribbean, so it would have been nice to have an epilogue about them living in Virginia safe and sound after their years on the tropical island. That would have made the story feel completely wrapped up. Otherwise, there were a lot of elements with Lark's stillroom work, beekeeping, lifestyles of the time in Scotland, on a ship, in Virginia, and in the Caribbean, and laws of the time that kept interest throughout the story. I enjoyed this look into different pieces of the world during such a tumultuous time.
• A slow start and no satisfying closure. So many unanswered questions. Did Osborne really capitulate so easily to their marriage when he had recently granted betrothal privileges to powerful plantation owner? Would her new husband and former laird really risk bringing her and the infant to Jamaica knowing the health threat was so great-risk Yellow Fever which nearly took his own life? That last chapter left me smh.
• I am a HUGE Laura Frantz fan and have given all of her books before this one 5 stars. She is a master story teller and her attention to detail, especially historical detail, give all of her books incredible depth and interest. This is a sweet story, and includes all of the detail and good writing Laura is so wonderful to provide.
  
  But Not Her Best
  But, this story began to wane for me about 2/3 of the way through. It became very predictable and uninteresting. I rushed through the last part of the book to get to the end.
  
  SPOILER ALERT!
  The end seemed to me to be where she could have taken the story much earlier and had a much better finish to the book. Magnus and Lark could have wed and gone on to Jamaica, and we she could have developed a better ending with them undertaking the challenges there, working through them together.
  
  Even though it's not her best, I still recommend it. All of her books are top notch, this one just isn't quite up to the standard of the others.
• I expect Laura Frantz’s books to be captivating and deeply affecting. A Bound Heart is no exception. The two main characters, Lark MacDougall and Magnus MacLeish come to vivid life on the page and quickly captured my heart. And the Scottish setting of the story’s beginning is so evocatively and tenderly portrayed that I wanted them to find a life together there forever. But that becomes impossible when a deep injustice shatters their world. And even when granted the opportunity to make a new beginning in America, they face difficult challenges that keep the reader hoping against hope for the fulfillment of their dearest desires.
  
  The unwinding of Lark’s and Magnus’s story and that of little Larkin, given into their care as an unexpected blessing amid their thorny troubles, carries readers along to a soul-satisfying end. For God’s good purpose hovers over all, guiding each one surely to the safe haven so long yearned for.