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Jo Gillespie completed her undergraduate work at the University of Connecticut, and her graduate work at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A Florida snowbird in winter, the rest of the year she lives on a lake in Oakdale, Connecticut with her husband George and their cat Sophie, the primary resident. Jo and George have an extended family of seven children and 19 grandchildren who keep life from ever getting boring.
Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite
It’s a time of turmoil in the colonies. The revolt against British rule is growing. Oliver Tewkesbury is a patriot willing to give up everything to answer the call to serve his fledgling country. As he stumbles, near death, into the town of Granville, Connecticut, things are about to change for all. Once healed, Oliver and two young locals set off to join up with Washington’s forces in New York where they will face many harsh realities and an uncertain fate. Back in Granville, Rebecca White awaits Oliver’s return, even though she knows he is already betrothed to another.
As the battles soon grow more intense, things don’t go as well for Washington’s army with many casualties and skirmishes lost. Back in Granville, the townspeople rebel against their officious loyalist minister and run him from town. Things change even more for Tory and Whig alike as the hardships of war take their toll. Will Oliver and his two young friends weather the storm of battle? Only time will tell.
As a lover of period or historical fiction, I looked forward to reading this book set in New York and New England during the time of the American Revolution. Jo Gillespie's research on the period is outstanding. Within this setting, she has created compelling characters and realistic dialogue. The plotting is simple but enjoyable and shows another side to what historians have labeled a dark time in American history. The ending leaves the reader wanting more, like the first of any series should. I look forward to reading sequel after sequel.
