Shiloh
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
Award-winning author Lori Benton delivers a rich historical novel of faith, hope, and second chances.
December 1795
A year has passed since Ian Cameron reluctantly sent his uncle's former slave Seona and their son, Gabriel, north to his kin in Boston. Determined to fully release them, Ian strives to make a life at Mountain Laurel, his inherited plantation, along with Judith, the wife he's vowed to love and cherish. But when tragedy leaves him alone with his daughter, Mandy, and his three remaining slaves, he decides to return north. An act of kindness on the journey provides Ian the chance to obtain land near the frontier settlement of Shiloh, New York. Perhaps even the hope for a new life with those he still holds dear.
In Boston, Seona has taken her first tentative steps as a free woman, while trying to banish Ian from her heart. The Cameron family thinks she and Gabriel should remain under their protection. Seona's mother, Lily, thinks it's time they strike out on their own. Then Ian arrives, offering a second chance Seona hadn't dared imagine. But the wide-open frontier of Shiloh feels as boundless and terrifying as her newfound freedom—a place of new friends and new enemies, where deep bonds are renewed but old hurts stand ready to rear their heads. It will take every ounce of faith and courage Ian and Seona can muster to fight for their family and their future . . . together.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Benton continues her saga of the Cameron family in this enjoyable follow-up to Mountain Laurel. In the 1790s, Ian Cameron, a plantation owner in North Carolina, freed his light-skinned mixed-race lover, Seona, along with their son and Seona's mother, and sent them to live as free citizens with his family in Boston. When Ian's wife dies in childbirth, he frees the rest of his slaves and resolves to court the woman he loves. On his way to Boston, Ian helps out Judge William Cooper, who offers Ian the opportunity to settle in the outskirts of Cooperstown, N.Y. In his short time in Boston, he begins to rebuild his relationship with Seona, but leaves to establish a home in the foothills and convinces Seona and her family to join him. Seona struggles with her newfound freedom and trusting in God now that she has to make decisions for herself. She also worries about how the people of New York will treat her and her illegitimate son. Seona's mother and another former enslaved person teach her that she needs to count her blessings and rely on God. While it can be read as a standalone, readers will want to check out Benton's full series to get the most out of this impeccable work.
