She's made big promises. It'll take everything she's got to keep them.

Crisscrossing the Great Lakes onboard her father's freighter ship, the Mary Elise, Elise Wright has grown up cooking and caring for the crew. It is a life she loves. Unlike her estranged sister, Elise has turned down numerous opportunities for a "respectable life" with their wealthy relatives. And now, because of promises she made to her dying mother, she's bound to the ship and her deeply grieving father more than ever.

Nick Clark is grateful to be hired on as the Mary Elise's first mate as he works to overcome his own guilt and others' censure for a fatal decision he made captaining another ship. He feels protective of the Wrights and their generous natures, especially when a rough new sailor seems intent on causing serious trouble.

As the sailor's misdeeds grow, tragedy swells up from another corner. Left to pick up the pieces of the commitments they've made to themselves and to each other, Nick and Elise will have to rely on their faith to see them through.

My Review:

Oh goodness, this was such a good read and it had me sucked in right from the beginning! Although it took place long before my time, it was still fun to see familiar places like Oswego, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. I loved the characters in this one, and each of them were well developed and played their own unique role in the overall story that simply wouldn’t have been the same without them. I liked that I was surprised by the twists and turns, and that it managed to bring out several different emotions as I read… and I always say I love a book that makes me FEEL something. Booker Duran? Let’s just say you’ll understand once you read it for yourself. I like that each of the characters had their flaws. The faith element was very well done, especially as each of the characters experienced growth regardless of how far a long they were with their walk with the Lord. There wasn’t anyone who had it all “figured out” and that was kind of the point. At no point do you stop needing Jesus.

Although this is the third book in the Ladies of the Lake series, it is also a standalone story so it wouldn’t have to be read in any particular order. This was a really great series though, and one I would easily give my recommendation to other historical romance fans.

*I received a copy of this book from the author. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.