Customer Reviews

The Noble Fugitive (Heirs of Acadia Series #3)

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The third book in the Bunns' Heirs of Acadia series is destined to become just as popular as its predecessors, and with good reason. This is historical fiction done right --- rich in detail, abounding in authenticity, and lacking in mush. THE NOBLE FUGITIVE shows once again why T. Davis Bunn has become a household name among readers of Christian fiction and provides plenty of evidence that Isabella Bunn is likely to become the same.

Serafina is a young Venetian woman who has given her heart to her art tutor, a dashing young man named Luca. ("ER" fans may have a hard time not thinking of Dr. Luka Kovac, which is just fine. The image fits.) Her mother discovers the two together in a questionable but innocent situation, and Serafina is punished with the nineteenth-century equivalent of a grounding, locked doors and all. With the help of a conspirator, she escapes in search of her beloved. But she is found and forced to set sail for America with her parents.

This simply will not do. She has not seen Luca since the day their relationship was discovered, and Serafina is determined to find him so they can begin a life together. The ship her family boarded in Italy makes a stop in England, and with the help of another conspirator, Serafina makes her escape. After finding her way to an aunt's house outside of London, the girl who was born to privilege ends up working long and hard hours as a chambermaid.

Meanwhile, John Falconer, a slave-trader-turned-Christian, is on a quest to make right all that he has done wrong in his former life. He leaves the Caribbean, where he is wanted on a murder charge, and seeks refuge with an anti-slavery family in the United States before finding safe passage to England. There, he intends to provide evidence that the slave trade is continuing to flourish in those Caribbean islands that are part of the British Empire, despite British laws against slavery. He ends up at the very mansion where Serafina is employed. If you sense a romance in the making, well, you won't be disappointed. But in the skillful hands of two seasoned writers, the course the romance takes isn't all that predictable.

One historical figure who looms large in the background of Falconer's story line is one of my personal heroes, William Wilberforce --- the man whose relentless opposition to slavery is credited with nearly single-handedly ending the slave trade in the British Empire. The Bunns, who, as an aside, are thorough researchers, seamlessly weave in the actual historical events, as well as the influence and significance of Wilberforce, without making readers feel as if they've just sat through a history class.

Finally, one more strength (do the Bunns have any literary weaknesses? I think not) is the convincing settings they manage to create --- no mean feat, considering the distinctly different geographical areas in which the action takes place. The Caribbean islands, South Carolina, Venice, the ports and countryside of England, as well as London --- all are vividly depicted and ring true to what we know of those places at that time.

If you've never read historical fiction, this book is a great one to start with. Though part of a series, it's definitely a stand-alone. There's no need to read the other books in the series, though I can't imagine not wanting to.

There is nothing I enjoy more than reading a historical novel where the reader can tell that a fair amount of research has gone into the details. Any fan of historical novels will find this element in "The Noble Fugitive."

Serafina is the youngest daughter of a well respected Venetian leader. She is aware that she must do her duty and marry, but she has already given her heart away to an artist named Luca. After her mother catches her in a compromising situation they sequester her until they decide what to do with her. Her father and mother than decide to start a new life in a new place...America. Serafina goes along with this plan on the surface. Secretly she has made plans...plans that she will see through. But when she escapes the ship that is bound for America she realizes sooner rather than later that her dreams of love and a happy life with Luca are just that...dreams. With no other recourse she finds herself a chambermaid at Harrow Hall where she meets John Falconer. John seems like a kindered spirit. He has his own scars both externally and internally, and his life is in danger due to his stance on slave trading. Together a bound forms that neither expected. But will they be able to find a balance and will faith and love be enough when outside forces press in?

As a fan of anything historical this read truly fed that aspect of my soul. Serafina and John are such wonderfully created characters that the reader will truly care about what is going to happen to them and their bond is truly unique and special. Although this is book three in a series it is still a strong stand alone read and the authors have done a fine job setting up the next in this series. This is a entertaining read and one that I recommend.

Official Reviewer for Romance Designs

This third book in the series "Heirs of Acadia" is generally on par with the award-winning first.....the one that got me hooked on the series.

Keeping a series going, and keeping my interest, is not easy. By the 3rd book of Left Behind I was in the "lets get it over with" mode. But The Noble Fugitive somehow manages, once again, to knit a tale of romance and morality together with historical accuracy, and come out with a winner. Each of the 3 books stands on its own. One really need not read the previous two to follow this one, nor have to wait for the fourth in the series to answer dangling questions; rather, it is complete enough in itself. Yet, each book is so enjoyable, with the primary characters becomming comfortable friends, its hard not to anticipate the next.

Most romance novels with a female lead tend to paint her as a delicate flower who wilts under too much heat, and then needs to be rescued. The combination of Davis's ability to construct these sudden twists and turns in Serafina's life that seem natural and not at all contrived, and the obvious influence Isabella brings by steadily developing the strong character of Serafina in a manner that a woman can identify with...even look up to....makes this wonderful and edifying reading.

I suppose we all look for different things from a fiction book; I love the way Davis and Isabella can carve out a moment in time and take me back to an era I would like to have lived in. And, just like in real life, chapter by chapter new faces come and most go, each with their own special influence on Serafina's life.....though she might not have realized their impact as it was unfolding.

This is quick moving, yet thought provoking, reading; and it demonstrates how only God can bring together strange situations and an unlikely variety of people for a common cause that surely is under His watchful eye and ever-guiding hand. I recommend this to my Christian bretheren, especially, because its not easy, anymore, to find an interesting book that reflects our values and hopes, yet does so in a way that isn't blatantly idealistic or merely a disguised sermon.

In 1832, Alessandro Gavi decides to move his family from Venice to America. However in Portsmouth his stepdaughter Serafina, used to having her way having been raised in affluence, flees the ship to find her true love, her former tutor Luca. Her plan fails and for the first time in her life she has to make her way without her father's wealth. She obtains work as a chambermaid at Harrow Hall as she lacks any marketable skills.

At the same time that Serafina seeks employment, sea Captain John Falconer eludes thugs who want to silence him before he reveals the outrageous slave trade practices to the Parliament. John and Serafina meet with both extremely attracted to one another. However, duty and honor comes first so he sends her away to keep her safe while he tries to complete his quest.

Book three of the Heirs of Acadia is an entertaining historical tale. Serafina is an interesting protagonist as she chases after the only person she feels treated her nicely ever since her biological father died, but instead finds she has given up luxury and needs to work with no time to sleuth. John is a courageous person trying to do the right thing by exposing the odious slave trade practice, but his morals place him and Serafina at risk. Though less inspirational than the previous two tales, NOBLE FUGITIVE is a fine early nineteenth century saga.

Harriet Klausner

I picked up The Noble Fugitive, by T. Davis and Isabella Dunn, largely because of the setting. The word Venice is a siren call to me, and one day I will have the wherewithal to visit it--hopefully before it sinks into the sea. I wasn't disappointed with my choice.

The Noble Fugitive chronicles the lives of Serafina Gavi and John Falconer. She is the spoiled daughter of a Venetian doge, intent on running away with her art instructor, a young man named Luca. Even after she is caught and falls ill, she can think of nothing else. Her father is sent on a secret mission to America, and he takes his wife and daughter with him. Though she loves her parents, she again runs away when the ship docks in Portsmouth. Her plan is to find her aunt, Agatha Donatella, and enlist her aid in returning to Venice.

Luckily for young Serafina, Agatha is having none of it. She is dying, but she shares with Serafina, the truth about her lover. In possession of a broken heart, but no money and no other options, Serafina is forced to enter service as a scullery maid at the great house of Harrow Hall.

John Falconer is a man with a past that hangs over him like a cloud. Once a slaver, he has since given his life to Christ. Although he knows God has forgiven him, he cannot forgive himself for the reprehensible things he has done. He, and a couple of other men on the island of Trinidad, are determined to prove to Parliament that although trafficking in slaves has been outlawed for years, it is still going on. The stakes are magnified many times when they discover that the governor of Trinidad has been bribed into renewing the license for at least one such market. The conspiracy leads as high as the court, if not the crown.

When one of Falconer's cohorts is murdered, he must begin a perilous journey to take the proofs they have gathered to England, so that the matter can be put before Parliament. His progress is complicated when he is accused of his friends murder and becomes an outlaw. He frog-leaps his way across the Caribbean and up the American coast until he reaches Georgetown. Here he throws his lot in with an invalid, Gareth Powers, and his young daughter, Hannah. Gareth is a pamphleteer devoted to ending slavery. Danger stalks their progress as they cross the Atlantic together.

Serafina and Falconer meet at Harrow Hall, when Gareth seeks refuge there from his enemies. After Falconer rescues her from an attack by the Duke's son, she leaves her employment there, to act as a caretaker for little Hannah Powers. Falconer quickly falls in love with the beautiful, young Venetian, but he knows nothing can ever come of it.

Truly repentant for her foolish willfulness, Serafina has been humbled. She recognizes the rightness of the fight against slavery, and with the prompting of the Powers family she agrees to use her artistic abilities in their last salvo. The question of slavery, and whether it should be abolished entirely, is about to be put up in Parliament. In the end, Serafina and Falconer must step beyond what they believe themselves capable of, to fight for a greater cause.

My one small criticism is that the prologue would have been more effective as a chapter in the middle of the book. Written from Serafina's point of view, it doesn't add any information that couldn't have waited until later to be introduced.

I had difficulty getting past Serafina's selfish stupidity in the early chapters. Nobody stone me, but she reminded me of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, another character I didn't really like. But that was the point. In essence, The Noble Fugitive is about redemption. I liked John Falconer immensely, but that was because I met him after he met the Lord. Had I met him as a murdering, thieving, slave ship skipper, I wouldn't have been so impressed. By the end of the novel I was rooting for them both.

I'm one of those er modern types who generally hate the "damsel in distress" stories unless you got a distressing damsel. Anyways, Serafina's a decent character, but goodness gracious does she need to be slapped with a sense stick! As for Falconer, he's all right too...he's more developed as a character in the next book, but so far, we're told how strong he is and not shown all that much strength.

The plot was blah, but it didn't bore me to tears so take that which ever way you'd like.

The book was in great condition. The story line kept me involved until the end. I am enjoying this series and still have one to go. Thank you.

Serafina, the daughter of a powerful Venetian counselor, secretly abandons ship - and her family bound for America - in a desperate attempt to return to her beloved, the dashing art tutor her father had banished. Finding herself alone in England, she finally makes her way to an elderly aunt and takes a position as a lowly chambermaid at Harrow Hall. Heartbroken at the distance looming between herself and her Luca back in Venice, Serafina falls into futher despair over news of a staggering betrayal.

A world-weary ship captain is forced to seek refuge at Harrow Hall as well, hiding from henchmen determined to silence his stunning disclosures about the ongoing slave trade. John Falconer has evidence that British anti-slavery laws are being contravened, implicating even the Crown. As he presses to deliver his testimony to Parliament, unknown enemies are dead set on stopping him.

Deep in the English countryside, the lives of these two become intertwined in startling ways as they discover that the past need not determine the future. A refuge that once seemed only a detour becomes a sacred venue for the unveiling of God's love and forgiveness.

Davis Bunn writes a very good story. It was easy to follow as the time line went on. All of the 5 books in the series are very good reading.

Janette Oke started this type of 'religious' historical fiction and wrote the series SONG OF ACADIA (5 books) plus ANOTHER HOMECOMING, TOMORROW'S DREAM and RETURN TO HARMONY with T. Davis Bunn. This go 'round he has teamed with his wife, Isabella, again; this is the third in the series HEIRS OF ACADIA. A fourth will be out next year, THE NIGHT ANGEL.

Oh, to be first! I keep wondering why on earth I chose this book to review. It's not at all my cup of tea! The characters and their names are somewhat like those of Rosemary Rogers, who I did like. I knew this was a Christian series, but brought it home from the library anyway. Maybe it was God's will be done.

When her family from Venice board a ship in July, 1832, bound for America, Serafina stays behind to look for her first love, the art tutor. You can tell she is from a nobel family by the way she holds herself and the manner of her speech. Instead, posing as a chambermaid at Harrow Hall, she encounters 'a kindred spirit' by the name of John Falconer, a ship's captain on his way to Parliament to disclose evidence about the ongoing slave trade in England. He has stopped there to seek refuge. "The past need not determine the future."

He is pursued by those determined to silence him. As his enemies get near, he sends her to safety. "A refuge which once seemed only a detour becomes a sacred venue for the unveiling of God's love and forgiveness." He finds her young, lovely and highborn and feels he is hoping for the "impossible." They have both been through the ordeal which caused broken relationships and are damaged souls. He knows that there is power in him not to do it, and he must decide what not to yield his mind to as he must endure the separation with hopes for a future with her.

He has commanded a ship's crew, but he will not let his duty be neutralized because of a woman, albeit it such a pretty one. He decides not to belabour this complication but to obtain his goal so that he can return to claim her as his.

Isabella is a counselor (lawyer) in Britain; she lectures at Oxford University on topics related to justice and ethics. T. Davis has written novels alone, eight with Janette and three so far with Isabella. The first novel in the series SONG OF ACADIA, THE MEETING PLACE, won a Christy award for Excellence in Christian Fiction in 1999. They live in England.