From Goodreads: In 1667, an invisible wall separates settlers in New France from their Huron neighbors. Yet whether in the fledgling city of Quebec or within one of the native tribes, every woman’s fate depends on the man she chooses—or is obligated—to marry.
Although Claudine Deschamps and Gabrielle Giroux both live within the settlement, their prospects are very different. French-born Claudine has followed her older sister across the Atlantic hoping to attract a wealthy husband through her beauty and connections. Gabrielle, orphan daughter of the town drunkard, is forced into a loveless union by a cruel law that requires her to marry by her sixteenth birthday. And Manon Lefebvre, born in the Huron village and later adopted by settlers, has faced the prejudices of both societies and is convinced she can no longer be accepted in either. Drawn into unexpected friendship through their loves, losses, and dreams of home and family, all three women will have to call on their bravery and resilience to succeed in this new world…
My Thoughts: Duty to the Crown is such a great sequel. I loved the first book and was eager to read more about the amazing characters. Duty to the Crown did not disappoint and I was sucked back in almost immediately.
There are a lot of highs and lows in this book. At times it felt like an emotional rollercoaster but I really appreciated the fact that the author kept the story real. She didn't sugar coat anything and events that transpired were in line with what the reality of that time. There were sad moments but when I sat back and thought about them, I remembered that those kinds of events happened all the time in that era and I like that the author kept the story more historically 'real'. (Sorry for being vague, I don't want to give anything away!).
The characters still continue to be great. I loved watching the girls grow into smart, strong young women. Gabrielle experienced some hard times but I enjoyed seeing her strength as she dealt with so much adversity. I think Claudine became one of my favorites in this book. I really didn't like her in the beginning but she changed so much throughout the course of the story and she became such a fascinating character.
This book also showed a little of the legalities of life in the Canadian colony and I found the court proceedings detailed in the story as well as some of the laws pertaining to women and marriage to be really interesting. The laws didn't work out much in the favor of women but I always find it interesting to read about the status of women in different time periods.
Duty to the Crown is another great story from Aimie K. Runyan. If you haven't read any of the 'Daughters of New France' books, I would highly recommend them! 4 stars.
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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