Customer Reviews

Through Tempest Forged

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! Did I get swept away! The characters in this book are so real, so engaging...I honestly felt that I was there in colonial Virginia. This is a wonderful story that will keep you wanting more. This work is extremely well researched, and has the perfect combination of suspense, romance, and history. I did not want to put it down. As a historian, I appreciated the accuaracy coupled, with the pure entertainment factor-a very fine effort in literature!

Through Tempest Forged, set in Virginia in 1775, is the story of the Rogers family and how they cope with their changing world as they and their neighbors must choose between the crown and the patriot resistance. Passaris portrays the rancor caused by these dueling loyalties, and the brutality that sometimes erupts, vividly and sometimes terrifyingly.

This novel, however, is as much as a story of the personal as the political. Paul and Elizabeth's sons and daughters are of marriageable age, and the book follows their heartaches, joys, and tragedies as they mature. The characters, particularly the male ones, are complex and flawed, and Passaris brings them to life deftly. The dialogue is lively and realistic, and appropriately coarse at times. (And lines like "Virginia is what North Carolina would like to be" shows that some things haven't changed over the years!)

Though this novel isn't a romance novel, there are plenty of love stories here, including a very moving, unconventional one between John Peter Rogers and the prostitute's daughter he befriends.

At times, I did think that the novel could have used a little more tightening. Sometimes, for instance, Passaris unnecessarily comments on what the characters are thinking and feeling when it's readily apparent from their dialogue and their actions. This, however, is a decidedly minor flaw in an excellent first novel. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Living in an area rich with history, I love a book that draws you into the past with its settings and characters. As a romance writer myself, this has opened my eyes to a whole new possibility in settings. If you like this kind of romantic read, then Through Tempest Forged is a good book for you. Rich with description and imagery!

A good read. I read it for my class -- I'm the teacher -- and I am putting it on my list of "BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ FOR THIS CLASS." Fine effort!