The Magnolia Duchess

The Magnolia Duchess by Beth White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The long-awaited third book in the “Gulf Coast Chronicles” does not disappoint. Beth White takes us back to the bayous during the end of the war of 1812. Lots of really good history in this one.

Fiona Lanier lives with her uncle, brother, and cousin in the backwater coastal area known as Navy Cove. She tends the horses she loves and cares for the men in her family. Her life is simple, uncomplicated. Until a body washes up on her beach.

Charlie Kincaid regains consciousness in the arms of a beautiful woman. He has no memory of how he became beached on this shore, in fact, he has precious few memories at all. The wound to his head makes even thinking painful.

Fiona remembers. She remembers the charming boy she met in Scotland years ago, a man with the same eyes and the same smile as the one she finds on the beach.

The Lanier clan are patriots who fought for their country’s independence. Now the British are back, and they will fight again. But the enemy might be a lot closer than they think.

These books have come out one per year. It’s hard to keep all the characters – how they are related or not – straight at the beginning of this one. I’d recommend, if you have time, rereading “The Pelican Bride” and “The Creole Princess.” They are worth another read-through anyway!