July's Group Buddy Read - A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz

[Beth]

July's Group Buddy read is A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz. Here is the GR Summary:

Though Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall grew up on the same castle grounds, Magnus is now laird of the great house and the Isle of Kerrera. Lark is but the keeper of his bees and the woman he is hoping will provide a tincture that might help his ailing wife conceive and bear him an heir. But when his wife dies suddenly, Magnus and Lark find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of accusations, expelled from their beloved island, and sold as indentured servants across the Atlantic. Yet even when all hope seems dashed against the rocky coastline of the Virginia colony, it may be that in this New World the two of them could make a new beginning—together.

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Chime in below if you think you'll join in!

[Missy]

Reading this now and can't wait to get home to read more tonight.

[Staci, Book Awards Specialist]

I'm in!

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

I'm in!☺

[Lila]

I just picked this up from on hold at the library, so I will be starting this holiday weekend. 😊

[Loraine]

I read this earlier this year and really enjoyed it.

[Jenn]

I'm reading this now, and I've been enjoying it! :)

[Lila]

Okay, I'm at 67%, and there's only one way this book can end that will make me happy. But there is another 1/3 of it still to read! If something happens to Magnus, I'm going to be so mad! ;)

[Christine]

I see, since the stars you gave it showed up, that you finished it! (view spoiler)[ I am so glad she ended up with Magnus! I am with you, the book DID have to turn out this way! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Lila]

Yes, Christine! I finished and loved the ending, though I think it took a little too long to get there. ;)

[Beth]

Glad to see that you guys are enjoying the read.

Since we're halfway through the month, let's go ahead and start discussing!

My discovery of Laura Frantz started with her debut novel . To be honest, I judged it by it's cover and thought it would be cheesy. Imagine my great delight when I could hardly put the book down! Though now I can see that she has really developed as a writer since that book, I still have a soft spot for it.

You know how a certain author just really clicks with what delights your reading heart? Well, that's how Laura's books are for me. I have genuinely loved every single one of her books. I love her historical details, and while I know many readers feel bogged down by descriptions, etc., I love them. :)

Other than this book, have you guys read any of her other novels?

[Beth]

Lila wrote: "Yes, Christine! I finished and loved the ending, though I think it took a little too long to get there. ;)"

I think I'm an anomaly in that I like a slow burn, drawn out kind thing. It hurts, but I enjoy it?? Weird, right? Haha!

She really put Lark and Magnus through it though, that's for sure. I feel like this story, while still a historical romance, is a bit heavier on the historical than some of her other novels.

[Hannah]

I've always like a drawn-out ending. A chopped-off one is annoying to me.

The book was three stars for me, because I had major issues with the first half of the book. I'd have liked to have had more focus on what happened after the voyage.

[Lila]

That's so funny that we all like different sections of the book! :)

I wast interested in the Scottish history. I would have been happy if the majority of the book was set there. Of course, my father's family the Maxwells were originally a clan in Scotland, so I'm partial to the history.

I already know a lot of colonial history, so I wasn't that interested in all the Virginia stuff, though I admit the little bit with Magnus in the West Indies was very fascinating!

I gave this book 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed most of it. But as I said in my review, having three different men trying to woo her, one in each setting, got a little old. I really wished for a different obstacle, such as the one with the factor Grainger in Virginia. That would have been enough for me without Lark being tempted to marry another man altogether.

I think my main problem was with the character of the captain. Why do we even get his inner thoughts and perspective at one point, if we don't hardly see him after the prison? And his ending? I hated it. After reading the Author's Note at the end, I realize that she included Rory's character because of the caves she visited. But nothing he did really needed to be in there at all, especially considering his conclusion.

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

I think including Rory's point of view was meant to serve as a 'proof' of how much better Magnus was for Lark than Rory was. That said, there wasn't an actual *need* for Franz to do so, considering what we saw of their actions alone, which spoke to where their hearts lay.
While I didn't see any issue with the fact that Lark had 3 different suitors over the course of the novel (wouldn't women of that time frame, even servants, have been expected to marry?), it didn't seem 'in character' for Trevor to just fade into the background. I think it might have been better for him to have left Williamsburg for a longer period of time, rather than to return and be content to stay in the background where Lark was concerned.
All in all though, this was my favourite of the 3 Laura Franz novels I've read ( , and being the other 2). I really liked the setting(s), especially in Scotland (it was reminiscent of Michael Phillips' 'Secrets of the Shetlands' series, which I loved). But, my favourite part was that both Magnus and Lark were people of faith and knew Scripture well enough to use it to encourage each other in the Lord.
(Also, how sweet was Mistress Flowerdew? And Larkin was an unexpected treat!☺)

[Lila]

Kate, I completely agree about Trevor.

And Mistress Flowerdew and Larking were such sweet supporting characters! I do wish we could have had an epilogue or something telling what happened to Larkin. Maybe she'll write a sequel. ;)

[Staci, Book Awards Specialist]

I've also read:



Just finished A Bound Heart today. I enjoyed it. I loved all the details about what life was like in the three different countries.

[Missy]

I loved this book also. I would love to see it continue to see what happens to Magnus and Lark after their servitude is complete and how they settle in the Colonies.