Customer Reviews

A Perilous Proposal (Carolina Cousins #1)

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In A Perilous Proposal, Michael Phillips does the hard work to make it easy for the reader.

The good storytelling and excellent writing make this a delight to read. There are few unnecessary words. The smooth flow effortlessly carries the reader along.

Phillips can turn a phrase with the best of them. He writes, "It was a time of the year when the earth seemed fresh and alive and full of hope, and when you just couldn't help thinking that no matter what happened, somehow everything was going to turn out all right."

The realism gives a glimpse of life through the eyes of a runaway slave. The cruelty and hardships that Jake Patterson experience as a boy leave him with deep-seated anger and resentment. He blames his father for leaving when in reality his dad was deliberately sold to separate Jake's family. After his mother dies from an attack by a drunken white man, Jake flees out of fear that someone will find out about a terrible secret that he carries. It's one that haunts him on his journey to reconnect with his father and find himself.

Jake begins to soften when he experiences the kindness of others. He learns that not all white people are oppressors. Along the way he meets two young women, one white and one black, who struggle to keep a plantation going. The black woman, a former slave, takes up the narrative half way through the book. This is a classic coming of age story in the post-Civil War south.

It's also the first book in the Carolina Cousins series, which is related to the popular Shenandoah series.

Occasional reflections are especially rewarding. One character offers an observation on an overlooked response to hardship. "Anger's not a pretty thing. It makes people miserable inside. Then there's other folks that get sad and discouraged at all the hardships that come in their lives. Maybe they don't get angry, but they go around being sad and miserable and letting people know it. They want people to feel sorry for them, and that's not too pretty to see either."

Another section includes an insight on what it means to be a man. "Most men go through life trying to prove how brave and tough they are. But a real man is one with courage to face what's inside where no one else sees. Growing into a man with that kind of courage is a hard thing. But it's the only way to be a whole man."

Phillips has honed his writing skills to near perfection. He is at the top of his craft, which is why I enjoyed this as much as any of the books that he has written. It's a light, pleasurable read.

During the Civil War slave child Jake detests his yoke and though young shows open signs of rebellion against his master in spite of the warnings from his father. Jake's anger explodes when his dad vanishes as he assumes foul play. Out pf control, he kills a white drifter who he caught molesting his mother. Knowing that in the Confederacy, no black can get justice when a white is involved, Jake runs away.

Confederate soldiers capture Jake, but he escapes and joins the Union army. There he meets a kind mentor, Micah, a black soldier, who counseled the lad to let his anger go. Holding a grudge, he deserts the army heading to North Carolina where he is shocked to meet up with his father and a young black woman Mayme who he falls in love with. Even in this southern state Jake goes out of his way to alienate whites who burn crosses on their lawn.

Using the Civil War as a backdrop, Michael Phillips provides a rousing exciting inspirational tale that makes a strong case that racism destroys everyone even the innocent. Jake is a fabulous protagonist struggling with devastating blows to his heart. He knows he must forgive his father for deserting his mother and him, but finds it difficult to do so in spite of the encouragement of several women including Mayme to let it go so that he can move on. The cast makes the tale as readers will obtain a taste of how crippling hatred is.

Harriet Klausner

Michael Phillips has done it again. A wonderful yet heart wrenching tale from the south after the War between the States. If you enjoyed his Shenandoah Sisters series, you will like this too. My recommendation is to read the entire Shenandoah Sisters series first.

This book is a very simple yet enjoyable read. I don't fully know how historically accurate it is but I do know it makes you stop and think and appreciate the path paved before us by those who have since passed. I loved it and would definitely recommend this book and the following one. I intend on starting the Shenandoah series soon.

This book does keep you on the edge of your seat at times. It is a nice story, and is, most definitely HISTORICAL fiction. You could easily place it as a true story way back then. In my opinion, if you love history and some action/adventure, then you will most likely find this book enthralling, but if you are more like me you will find it okay. Average. I still did enjoy it, and I can't deny it was interesting. It did keep me wondering what would happen. I would recommend this as a good book.

I absolutely adore this series. The books in this series are Christian historic fiction with strong female and male characters. The action happens during America's slave history and post slavery period. The books are well written and they make excellent gifts. The books are great for high school to adult level. These are the only books I feel comfortable giving as gifts. The subject matter is respectfully explored and the material is appropriate for secondary age children. The moral messages are simply superior. I read the first book in the series out of sequence, but the others I have read in sequence. I recommend reading the series in sequence because you get so much more enjoyment. I especially like this series for secondary level girls. The books are also excellent for introducing multicultural and biracial themes.

A Perilous Proposal and the Carolina Cousins Series are popular among historical fiction readers in my church library. May Tabor

Reading A Perilous Proposal reopened my eyes to the struggle made by the slaves of the south to gain their freedom - something they never allowed themselves to dream.

Jake is a young black man in the south, a slave on a plantation, he is fortunate to still remain with his parents. One day the owner changes that, and with his decision, changes Jake's life forever.

Years later the War Between the States looms on the horizon, and slaves everywhere start to allow glimmers of hope for a life like they have never known. Jake's Ma makes him vow to search for the father who disappeared so long ago. But the anger that has been building in Jake for all these years towards a father that was never there, takes Jake on a perilous journey through a war torn south.

Finding love with a young woman, a former slave, Jake starts to find peace. But pieces of her and Jake's past are not far behind, and their love is tested. Will Jake be able to forgive his Father and move on?

I'll admit I wasn't all that impressed by the first 100 or so pages, but after that, the story picked up pace and interest in a hurry. If you haven't read the Shenandoah Sisters series yet you might want to hold off and read that first. IMHO they're much better, but this one's great to read after them b/c you see Jeremiah's story in more detail. He becomes more than just a bit player...developing into a young man of character and courage.
Michael Phillips doesn't disappoint.