Heart's Safe Passage by Laurie Alice Eakes ~ review

Product Details

• Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: Revell; Original edition (February 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800719859
• ISBN-13: 978-0800719852

Book Description from Amazon.com:

Publication Date: February 1, 2012 | Series: The Midwives (Book 2)

It's 1813 and all Phoebe Lee wants out of life is to practice midwifery in Loudon County, Virginia. When Belinda, her pregnant sister-in-law, presses Phoebe to accompany her onto a British privateer in order to cross the Atlantic and save her husband from an English prison, Phoebe tries to refuse, then finds herself kidnapped.

Captain Rafe Docherty is a man in search of revenge. His ship is no place for women, but he needs Belinda in order to obtain information about the man who destroyed his family and his life. Between Belinda's whining and Phoebe's hostility, Rafe can't help but wonder if he made the right choice.
When it becomes apparent there is an enemy among them on the ship, the stakes are raised. Will they reach the English shore in time? Can love and forgiveness overcome vengeance?

Book 2 in The Midwives series, Heart's Safe Passage is a stirring tale of love, intrigue, and adventure on the high seas. Readers will feel the salt spray and the rolling waves as they journey with Laurie Alice Eakes's vivid characters on the treacherous path toward redemption.

My take on this book:

This book starts out in Williamsburg Virginia in October 1813. The only thing Phoebe Lee really wants to do is practice midwifery, so when her sister-in-law asks her to go to sea with her so that they can rescue her husband who is being held prisoner in England she refuses, after all the country is at war. She soon learns though that she has no choice when she finds herself aboard a ship, and not just any ship, but a British privateer.The captain of the ship Rafe Docherty wants one thing revenge and he thinks that Phoebe just might be able to help him. When he starts having feelings for Phoebe will his priorities change?

I thought the author did an amazing job of making this story seem realistic to the time period. While most of the story takes place aboard ship there was still a richness of detail that I enjoyed, it was so hard for me to imagine a female let alone a pregnant female aboard a privateer ship but with amazing clarity the author pulls it off. While some of the  language was a bit hard to follow although it did give the book a more authentic feel.I really enjoyed the relationship between the lead characters. Phoebe and Rafe both have issues from their past that they are dealing with, that added an extra layer to their building relationship.

"Hearts Safe Passage" is the second book in The Midwives Series and while I actually read the first book I feel like this one could be read as a stand alone work. This book worked for me on so many levels, it's a historical romance fiction with strong characters, along with action, suspense, and mystery woven in. What made it a stand out story for me  was learning about midwifery during the time period. Overall "Heart's Safe Passage" is another great book from Laurie Alice Eakes.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Available February 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.