The American Revolution is one of my favorite eras in American history! There is something so thrilling, and so profound, about this era. I sometimes get chills reading about it.

There were many things which led to the start of the war, the Stamp Act, the tax on tea, colonists being forbidden from having public meetings, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party. All of this reached its boiling point on the morning of April 19, 1775 at Lexington, Massachusetts, when the ragtag militia and the superior British army, came face to face on the village green. This became known as the ‘Shot Heard Around the World’. Later the next year 1776, the Declaration of Independence was written, and the men boldly signed their names to the document. The winter of 1777-1778 known as Valley Forge was one of the worst the Continental Army endured, but they survived to fight another year. Victory came on October 19, 1781 after the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia, when General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington ending the war. In 1783 the war officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.

This is an era fraught with danger and change. The chains of a tyrannical government were thrown off, a revolution began. Families were torn and divided by differing loyalties, great documents were written, battles were won and lost on both sides, brave men and women risked their lives and spent their fortunes for this cause. Our founding fathers took a stand and fought for what they believed in, and because of them the United States was formed.

It is hard to pick a favorite novel from this era! So, I am picking a novel and a series. Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz is a wonderful story set on the frontier and during the revolution. She covers life on the frontier, military outposts, and the fear of Natives in the area. And the series, Daughters of His Kingdom by Amber Lynn Perry is amazing! She covers a variety of topics in each novel, politics of the time, discussions between Patriots and Loyalists, an arranged marriage and espionage.

Listed below are novels for your perusing. I hope you enjoy this stop on our historical tour. Next up we will be heading into the nineteenth century, where we will cover after the war for independence as well as the War of 1812, the Underground Railroad and so many other fascinating things.

1770 The Captive Heart – Michelle Griep

The wild American wilderness is no place for an elegant English governess.

On the run from a brute of an aristocratic employer, Eleanor Morgan escapes from England to America, the land of the free, for the opportunity to serve an upstanding Charles Town family. But freedom is hard to come by as an indentured servant, and downright impossible when she’s forced to agree to an even harsher contract—marriage to a man she’s never met.

Backwoodsman Samuel Heath doesn’t care what others think of him—but his young daughter’s upbringing matters very much. The life of a trapper in the Carolina backcountry is no life for a small girl, but neither is abandoning his child to another family. He decides it’s time to marry again, but that proves to be an impossible task. Who wants to wed a murderer?

Both Samuel and Eleanor are survivors, facing down the threat of war, betrayal, and divided loyalties that could cost them everything, but this time they must face their biggest challenge ever . . .Love.

1773 So Fair A Lady – Amber Lynn Perry

Shards of Eliza Campbell’s life crash to the ground when she discovers a devastating secret: her father was a spy for the Sons of Liberty. Determined to uncover the truth, not even a marriage proposal from the dashing British Officer Samuel Martin can dissuade her. When rescued from British capture by handsome patriot Thomas Watson, Eliza discovers what her father risked his life for and yearns to know more. But will her budding attraction to this courageous patriot damage her already wounded heart?

After years of being blackmailed by Officer Martin, Thomas plans to start a new life in the small town of Sandwich. However, when his actions place Eliza and her sister in danger, he must act quickly to protect them from falling into enemy hands. If the three of them are discovered, their lives will never be the same. Now, not only must he protect Eliza, he must protect his heart from a love that is sure to wound him far greater than any British soldier ever could.

There are several other books in this series that are absolutely excellent as well!!!!

1777 Road to Deer Run – Elaine Marie Cooper

The year is 1777 and the war has already broken the heart of Mary Thomsen, a nineteen-year-old colonial woman from Massachusetts. Her brother, Asa is dead — killed by the King’s army, so when she stumbles across a wounded British soldier, her sense of right and wrong is challenged. Should she help a soldier of the enemy who took her brother’s life, or let him die, cold and alone?

The war has also broken British soldier Daniel Lowe’s spirit. A severely wounded prisoner of war, he escaped his rebel captors while on a death march to Boston. As the pain in his injured leg worsens, he wonders if the young woman looking down at him is an angel or the enemy.

Need and compassion bring these two young lives together, but will the bitterness of war keep them apart? Or can they find their way to love and forgiveness on the Road to Deer Run?

1778 Courting Morrow Little – Laura Frantz

Morrow Little is haunted by the memory of the day her family was torn apart by raiding Shawnee warriors. Now that she is nearly a grown woman and her father is ailing, she must make difficult choices about the future. Several men–ranging from the undesired to the unthinkable–vie for her attentions, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a forbidden love that both terrifies and intrigues her. Can she betray the memory of her lost loved ones–and garner suspicion from her friends–by pursuing a life with him? Or should she seal her own misery by marrying a man she doesn’t love?

Anything by Laura Frantz is excellent! Most of her novels are set in the 1700’s.

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