This Here Is Love

by Princess Joy L. Perry

Three people—two enslaved, one indentured—live beside each other, fighting, and sometimes failing, to be more than their pasts say they should be.


1690s, Tidewater, Virginia. Bless, born into slavery and taken by her masters to toil in the house, faces her mother’s fury, learning that cruelty can come from any side. David, an enslaved child of a freed father, dreams of the promise of liberty made to him. Jack, an impoverished Scots-Irish boy, sails to America to be indentured but, in the hellish crossing, finds his hopes fracturing. Yet, somehow, they all will stake a claim to love.


Hurston-Wright Award winner Princess Joy L. Perry tells us a previously unheard story—one in which characters must carve out choices from the narrowest of circumstances and confront heartrending How far would you go to protect your children from enslavement? How to create a lasting family after being torn from your own? What to value a hard-won opportunity or your humanity? This Here Is Love is an unforgettable story from an astonishing new voice.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Race, Romance, African American, Adult

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2025

Reviews

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The first thing slavery severed was love'.

As the 17th Century closes in America, vast tracks of land are being served and toiled over by slaves stolen from across the world, as well as indentured servants who believed that payment for this promised dream might be better than the bereft life they lived in Ireland or elsewhere. A slave who remembers their homeland, a slave who has bought his freedom but his family remains enslaved, an indentured servant who by a twist of fate becomes a master and slaves who were born into servitude, we read all their POVs. We read of their trauma, their fears, their bitterness but also their love for their children and the hope that somehow they might help them towards a better future, 'What if it ain't always gon' be like this? What if you live long enough to get back one thing they took from you? One thing. Ain't that worth holding out for'? As their stories collide together, it becomes clear that although you may try and immunise yourself from the pain of loss, opening yourself to love and connection with others, is the only real way to survive, 'The enslaved were to their love for one another...For the sake of that love, they would do anything - run or stay, fight or surrender - withstand anything'.


This is one of those difficult, confrontational reads that is so worthwhile. Slavery is such an abhorrent word, and enslavement an unutterable verb, but this book examines its reality with lyrical, visceral stories that will break your heart while shining a mirror on our sense of humanity and what it means to love and be loved. Well worth a read.

'Don't seem real there's a world where men lay claim to other men's children'.

[Book Riot Community]

The Best New Books of August in Every Genre:

The lives of three young people in seventeenth-century Virginia, a girl born into slavery, the enslaved son of a freed father, and an indentured servant making the crossing to America, cross paths on the same plot of land. While each of them face horrific circumstances and hardship, they'll all have to decide how to face it and what it will turn them into in this haunting tale of slavery, indentured servitude, and survival.—Rachel Brittain

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS HERE IS LOVE
By Princess Joy L. Perry

Unforgettable Characters and Powerful Storytelling

This Here Is Love is a powerful and moving debut novel that pulls you deep into the lives of three unforgettable characters living at the close of 17th century Virginia. Princess Joy L. Perry writes with heart and honesty, showing how love, family, and freedom are tested in the harshest of times. Conveying the grit and sorrow of slavery and indentured servitude.

Bless is taken from her mother to serve the slaveowner’s daughter and must decide where she truly belongs. David, sold away from his family, keeps his feelings hidden while quietly longing for connection. Jack, an indentured servant, tries to change his future, but risks losing his sense of right and wrong in the process.

Their lives come together where they challenge each other and confront painful truths. As they struggle with their pasts and their choices, they each must decide what love and freedom really mean.

I really enjoyed this beautifully written, haunting, and captivating novel, filled with unforgettable characters. The emotional depth and historical detail pulled me in from the start, and I found myself thinking about the characters long after I finished. It’s hard to believe this riveting saga of love, betrayal, and resilience is the author’s debut—I’m excited to see what she brings us next.

Thank you to BookBrowse for the ARC of this riveting read.

[Kenzie | kenzienoelle.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

IG review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNx0uktWl...

Whewwwww this book just about took me out😭😭 I don’t cry in books (something may be wrong with me) but I had emotional, lump-in-my-throat feeling no less than 5 times reading this story.

THIS HERE IS LOVE places us in late 1600s Tidewater, Virginia where we follow the lives of three people. David is the enslaved son of a free Black man. Jack is a poor Scots-Irish boy coming to America to be an indentured servant with his family. And last but never least, Bless, an enslaved girl recently taken into the big house to work personally for her enslaver’s family.

What this book showed so brilliantly, is how terrifying and brave to love was for those enslaved. To love someone was to know that that was your deepest pain point and it could and often would be used against you in the most cruel and excruciating ways. Children stolen away from mothers. Husbands sold from their wives. Mothers bringing new life into a hellish world.

Princess L. Perry please never stop writing. Your words are so beautiful. This prose was moving and rich and evocative. I still can’t believe this is a debut!

In saying all of that, because of the subject matter this book is a dark, horrific, painful read. I had to go through it slowly. So just know yourself and protect your peace if this isn’t the right book for you right now!

But I can’t recommend this book enough. One of my favorite books of the year and a new all-time favorite.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the egalley!!

[Cassey Forck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, heart wrenching, an important book that everyone should read.

[Neha Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as an electronic ARC and my god, it is one of the most profound, captivating, and truthful accounts we have of American slavery. It is likely going to be one of my favorite books of this year if not all time. The storyline weaves together the lives of no less than four different families, from white indentured servants to slave owners to African slaves sold into slavery at the beginning of the North American slave trade.

This book by its description and nature is a heavy topic and features the realities of slavery that are horrific. However, I applaud the author for handling these horrors and suffering in a manner that only
the suffering inflicted. I think this work deserves to be read to completion and needs to so that more people truly understand the physical and psychological horrors of slavery.

The writing style itself is deep, rich, evocative, and captivating. Truly some of the best prose I have read, and all the more laudable considering this is a debut work. It helps create a rich tapestry of stories that effectively weave so many different characters and people and worldviews into one cohesive unit.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, W. W. Norton and Company, and the author for a copy of this electronic ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

[Ana Medeiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You don't have to see a thing to know its power to harm."

"The first thing slavery severed was love."

"All of these people found themselves stranded in the present with nothing to do but survive it."

"Esther discovered that it was only possible to live enslaved if she did not feel deserving of more."

"Don't seem real there's a world where men lay claim to other men's children."

"The enslaved were bound to their love for one another and that alone. For the sake of that love, they would do anything -run or stay, fight or surrender-withstand anything."

[Sheila The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Here Is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry is a sweeping historical novel set in 17th-century Tidewater, Virginia. The lives of three unforgettable young people intertwine in powerful and unexpected ways: Bless, an enslaved girl with fierce determination; David, the son of a freed Black man holding tight to his family’s dream of liberty; and Jack, an indentured Scots-Irish boy learning the true cost of freedom. As their paths converge on the same piece of land, each must face what love, identity, and belonging mean in a world shaped by race, power, and survival.

This was a deeply emotional and challenging read. There were moments that cut straight to the heart, and the heavy subject matter offered few bright spots, which reflects the harsh realities of the time. The writing is lyrical and evocative, with language shaped by the voices of the period, which at times made it harder for me to stay fully engaged. It is also a quiet novel, one that unfolds slowly and demands patience. I occasionally struggled to connect with the shifting perspectives, but Bless’s story especially stayed with me.

While it was a difficult book to sit with, I admire the author’s dedication to historical accuracy, the textured details of the setting, and the emotional weight carried by every page. This Here Is Love is an important and meaningful story that highlights injustice and resilience. I’m giving it four stars for the depth of its message and the thoughtful care that clearly went into its creation.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton and Company for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Cheryl McGhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

To all my Historical fiction, African American fiction and Women's fiction lovers (or friends that just love GOOD story telling), this book is for you! This Here is Love is a heartbreaking story of sacrifice and love that captures your heart within the opening pages of the book. What do you call an author who knocks her first novel “right out of the park?” SIMPLY GIFTED! 💐

This novel is a MASTERPIECE, full of passion, that carried me on an emotional, thought-provoking, historic journey. I love a book that grabs my attention and holds it, but also teach unforgettable lessons in the process. (I’d rated it 5⭐ BEFORE p. 30). It was THAT good.🧡

For those of you who were fortunate to be a part of the book tour and have read it, YOU ALREADY KNOW. If not, I encourage you to pick up a copy and see for yourself. Absolutely one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read! 💯
Thank you @princessjoywrites.

My Favorite Quotes:

“The enslaved were bound to their love for one another and that alone. For the sake of that love they would do anything---run or stay fight or surrender---withstand anything.”

“They clapped as Cassie dipped her torso and rippled her back. Her hip shakes were celebration, prayer, and summons. She wanted and took more than joy from the dance. Odofoley danced things that only they, fellow marooned souls, could decipher and echo and answer with their throats and thighs and feet.”

“Where Shango came from, it was uncommon but possible for a servant to become a chief, because everyone, even the most arrogant masters, respected the one inviolable imperative of nature: Man was born for the utter and absolute service of God and God only.”

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well developed characters and storylines. VERY hard to read due to the realities of slavery.

[Amy Constant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar. Just stellar. I ripped through this book in a week (fast for me). This is a story of slavery first and foremost. It brings you right into the daily lives and miseries of slaves. It's also a story of vulnerability and how we compromise ourselves for what we think we want. And, in the end, it's about redemption and hope. It's so beautifully written and the characters are so real. Fantasic read.

[Olivia Zerger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt surprisingly epic in scale considering it’s under 400 pages

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

One wouldn't expect a book about 2 enslaved children and an indentured boy in the 17th century to be upbeat and that. would be correct. Perry's This Here Is Love is not a cheerful story and at times seems quite dismal, but there is a brutal honesty to it.

David, Bless and Jack stories begin in various locales, and Perry gradually builds on their stories so the reader begins to know and feel for these children. The book shifts with each chapter from one character to another.

The book does end on a positive and life affirming note for those who are concerned that it will be to depressing.

It is a book that gives you much to think about and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC book, "This Here is Love", from BookBrowse. This is a vital book that every Caucasian should read. The author, Princess Joy L. Perry brings to life a world of slavery not written about in books. While this book is called a novel, it felt real to me, so much so that I had to regularly put the book down & walk away from it because of all the feelings it evoked in me. Is it disturbing? Yes. Might it trigger some people because it talks about rape and abuse? Also yes. But it is so beautifully written that I am so very glad I read it. This is NOT a book that leaves you after reading it.

We all have our own definition of love. It's personal. Sometimes we interpret love as just a selfish kindness shown. But if that is all we have...

[Turquoise Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

probably the best book I have read in 2025! I never wanted this to end even though the pain the kidnapped and enslaved people suffered was intolerable, I just wanted to sit with Bless, David, Jeremiah and Cassie longer....
the intertwined worlds of these characters who didn't seem like characters at all but rather ancestors and truth tellers.

[Roxanne Meek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a special story.
Another book that I knew nothing about, that was sitting in just the right spot in the bookstore.

I always love these unknown books just a little bit more than the ones that get all of the buzz. They are magic all on their own.

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What was slavery if not life stealing?"

From Virginia Colony of 1692 through 1710, Princess Joy L Perry weaves the tale of three people: Bless,Jack and David as they live their lives in a world of accepted slavery.

Bless is the last child, the one promised by Cassie's owner to stay with her as the others were sold. But promises aren't worth anything as Bless is forced to be the house maid of the owner's daughter until something changes and she is sold

David is the son of a freedman and his journey is one of many tales told of young black men of the time. His father may be free but he and his siblings are scattered as his father does everything he can to find them again.

And then there is Jack, a white boy sold into indenture by his father on the boat taking them to America after his mother dies giving birth to his sister. Is slavery the same for white children? Jack never forgives his father for giving his two children up. But Jack has a better life in some ways because of it.

These three come together on Jack's land. They are now grown and still fighting for the lives they have, however small they are.

This is a powerful book that tells a powerful story. Author Princess Joy L Perry weaves a gentle resilience into these characters struggling with what cards they were dealt and presents a fascinating story that will keep you reading until the end. Highly Recommended 5/5

[ Disclaimer: I won this book in a publishers giveaway however it did not affect my read or review]

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous, gut-wrenching book with trauma alongside of joy. It's set in the late 1600s and early 1700s, mostly in the new colony of Virginia. It deals with the intersecting lives of Jack, the son of an indentured Scots-Irish indentured servant who is hoping for a better life than starving on the streets of London; Bless, a Black child born into slavery who is separated from her mother and is afraid to feel love; and David, the enslaved son of a Black freedman who fears he will never be reunited with his parents and siblings. How do people learn to be cruel? How do they learn to protect themselves from harm? How do they remember how to love and trust a new relationship? The novel is beautifully written and handles big questions about being human in an untrustworthy world. It's very painful to read, but rewarding. I might read another by this author.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an impressive debut! Set at the turn of the 18th century in the colonies of the south, the author explores the relationships and emotional hardships of enslaved people, and how, for slaves and enslavers alike, the system of slavery is a constant checkmate. As the wealth of southern planters grew on the backs of the Black bodies they owned, there were always aspects of the lives of the enslaved that they could not own. While the white enslavers sought to justify the practice of slavery with their own slant on the thoughts and emotions of those they bought and bartered for, the convenience of looking away didn’t mean they were right, just that they didn’t see what they didn’t want to see. This story follows the lives of one Black family that was deceived and scattered, a young woman separated from her mother after she was raped and punished for being the victim, and a dirt poor indentured English immigrant who learns how to turn a profit in the slave trade at the hand of his master turned father figure. These people and their loved ones harden and soften as they find and lose connection and love. All are challenged, and the character growth throughout the novel is believable and heart wrenching. Enslaved mothers have to face the question of whether their children are better off alive or dead, and what their love for them will mean. Love is a central character in the book, as the characters grapple with their choices and lack of ability to choose. The paths of the characters are complex, and you’re left at the end of the novel with a sense that there is so much more to come.

[Caleb Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Here is Love, is a heart-wrenching yet heartwarming story of family, friends, lovers, and the things that tie these bonds together - love. It is a story in which the characters display that love - true love - is shown by the act of sacrifice. Of putting yourself second so that the one you love can be put first. Of accepting the harder burden to carry, so the one you love can walk light-footed. Of letting your loved one feel alive, even if it means you must be dead - inside or out. It is the love that asks the most of a person. The love that tells you to give - with no expectation of ever receiving.

[Amy]

No
A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)

I do not rate these “tested”
books. This is really for me. I will not be buying, reading borrowing this book.

I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:

Pretty cover
Oh this one is sad. Good reviews. Not many though only 400 and it’s been out for four months. Hum

I tried to read it but the writing really isn’t for me. It’s not bad it’s just idk 🤷‍♀️ boring poetic eh

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

'm. Absolutely. Gutted.
This book is an incredibly hard but necessary read. Although the events took places hundreds of years ago, Ms. Perry has such a powerful way of pulling you right into the middle of the story. I can't believe this is her first novel. Ms. Perry, never stop writing. Ever. I'll never forget this book. This will definitely be in my top-5 reads of the year. 10/5 stars.

[Adena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and complex story about a dark period of human history and how only love is strong enough to transcend hate.

[Maria Giacchino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the importance of this book… but man, the character building took up 80% of the book. Exhausting. Definitely heavy read. It was fine.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this via Whispersync and the narration was excellent.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was just okay - a very promising story and I had high hopes but the writing just didn't hit me or move me the way I had expected it to.

[Meredith Hespe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful, and devastating in turns, Perry’s characters are deeply drawn. A great first read of 2026.

[Jordan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

fave book of this year…

a sad, horrible and painful read but also beautiful in the writing and story.

[Darcy Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly the best book I’ve ever read. Powerful and heavy story telling without frills and fluff. Not a light book but one everyone should experience.