Author: Rebecca DeMarino
Publisher: Revell
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2218-0

“Barney, I am at the point where I question what I am required to put myself through. I do not understand you. I cannot seem to reach the secret places of your heart. There is a place you hold so deep inside, that I cannot touch,” Mary explains to her husband in Rebecca DeMarino’s debut novel, A Place in His Heart.

First in the Southold Chronicles series, this three hundred and thirty-six page paperback targets those that like historical romance set in the late seventeenth century in England and the New World. With no profanity, overtly sexual scenes, or extreme violence, it would be appropriate for teenage to adult readers. The ending includes a note from the author, a short preview of the next book in the collection, and the author’s biography, as well as advertisements for other Revell romances.

In this tome set in the 1630s, Mary Langton has been jilted at the altar in England. Knowing her father wants to marry her off quickly, she refuses his suggestion to marry a friend of the family. Instead, she determines to marry Barnabas Horton, the town’s baker whose wife died three months ago.

Barnabas knows he is desperate for a mother to help raise his two young sons, so willingly asks Mary’s father for her hand in marriage, even though his is of the Puritan belief, opposite the woman’s Anglican upbringing.

While Mary is convinced she can love this man who grieves the death of his past wife, she is unaware of his overwhelming guilt dwelling on the past.  Once the two marry, he confesses he wants to flee to America to start anew, where his religious beliefs will not be persecuted.

As they travel overseas and land in the New World, Mary’s life continually gets uprooted by her husband’s constant focus on his previous wife and his desire to produce more children. While he apologizes for every misstep he makes with her, he never lets his heart show his true feelings.

With a good beginning, the well-written book gets tedious until the conclusion, which explains why Barnabas is so aloof and uncommitted to his new partner. As her first published novel, DeMarino references the storyline to her family’s heritage coming to America, allowing plenty of redeeming characters for future adventures in the series.

Thanks to The Book Club Network Inc. for furnishing this complimentary book in exchange for a review based on the reader’s honest opinions.

Follow Here To Purchase Place in His Heart, A: A Novel (The Southold Chronicles)