A Heart Adrift

Starred review from December 17, 2021

Christy Award winner and ECPA best-selling author Frantz's (Courting Morrow Little) latest release is the tale of Esme Shaw, near 30 and reconciled to a life without romance. She and Henri Lennox, the dashing sea captain and unabashed chocolate lover who had won Esme's heart parted ways, and though a decade has passed, wounds remain fresh. Esme spends her time working as a chocolate maker and in charity work, yet the bustle of her life doesn't always dull the ache. When Henri returns to port after years away, more than their past stands in the way of romance. In 1755, war with France is on the brink and Henri is asked to spearhead a dangerous top-secret expedition for the colonial navy. In addition, a wealthy suitor vies for Esme's attention. Full of rich historical detail readers have come to expect from Frantz, this title is rooted in its time yet filled with issues that resonate today such as racial inequalities, economic injustice, and a pandemic. Somehow, Frantz also layers in spiritual threads deftly with themes of forgiveness, redemption, and healing. VERDICT Fans of Christian historical fiction will delight in this sweet tome. Highly recommended.--Julia M. Reffner, North Chesterfield, VA

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December 21, 2021
Ten years have passed since Esm�e Shaw watched Henri Lennox sail away, abandoning her and their love on the mainland in favor of freedom at sea. Now Captain Lennox has returned from his adventures with a reputation as pirate and privateer, and Esm�e cannot deny that sparks of their passion continue to burn. Though Esm�e insists she is content with her quiet life running her chocolate shop, his years adrift have left Henri reconsidering the choice to leave Esm�e behind. But is her heart truly still his, or is she lost to him forever? Frantz's (Tidewater Bride, 2021) latest inspirational romance explores how a broken heart can heal and open to love again. Her characters find affirmation in biblical scriptures, the greater plot orbits the social and political consequences of opposing the slave trade in 1775 in Virginia. Esm�e is an embodiment of patient faith, while her long-harbored and complex love for the captain inspires deliciously romantic longings.

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