Adult Review – Like a Ship on the Sea – historical fiction
Roth, Kellyn. Like a Ship on the Sea. NP: Wild Blue Wonder Press, 2023.
The Hilton Legacy #1
Guide to categories: Adult Review – review of books for adults – may or may not be appropriate for a school library
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Summary
If God asks you to confront a storm, how dare you stay in the harbor?
Lady Mary Cassidy O’Connell has a dream that can be summed up in three connecting ideas: a loving husband, adorable children, and a home of her own. Her mother’s lack of care makes life difficult for Cassie, and an escape is necessary. The plan? Marry Aubrey Montgomery, the man her parents have chosen for her, and find the peace she craves.
Unfortunately, Cassie is uneasy about marrying Aubrey. Her apprehension grows as she witnesses her dearest friend’s loving marriage take place. At this wedding, she catches the eye of Patrick Hilton, son of a wealthy American. Like Cassie, he’s also set to marry a woman chosen by his parents—only, Patrick claims, he is content with this choice.
Torn between her desire for happiness and the knowledge that God is leading her in a different direction, Cassie confronts the impossible decision. Is a loveless marriage of obligation better than being alone, or will she set sail on a voyage without a safe harbor?
Like a Ship on the Sea is the first novel in The Hilton Legacy, a stand-alone trilogy featuring characters from the author’s first series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.
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My Adult Review
I love starting new series with authors I read before. That is definitely the case with Kellyn Roth’s new series The Hilton Legacy. She takes a character we met in the Alice and Ivy series and gives her a series of her own.
Lady Mary Cassidy was introduced in the Alice and Ivy series as a good friend of Alice. Like a Ship on the Sea starts with retellings of several aspects of the previous series but from Cassie’s perspective. This was a good way to introduce readers to the background if they haven’t read the Alice and Ivy books. At times I found my heart breaking for Cassie and Patrick, the male main character of the book. To grow up and not feel loved by your parents – I just cannot imagine the hardship of that. Yet both characters do exhibit a love for God and a desire to do what is right in His eyes.
Readers may at times wonder if Cassie and Patrick will end up together since both sets of parents have promised them to another. The relationship is not without trials, yet as they learn to lean more on God they get stronger.
There are many good lessons in this book, particularly about trusting God when things seem rough. I can’t wait to see where Roth takes these characters and this series in future books. It will be interesting to see which minor characters appear in future volumes with a greater role.
Like a Ship on the Sea is an adult historical romance.There is nothing to prevent the book from being added to a K-12 Christian school library.
I received a complimentary copy of Like a Ship on the Sea. This is my honest review.