From the Back Cover

It is 1776, and all along the eastern seaboard the American struggle for independence rages. But in the British-held southern port of Mobile, Alabama, the conflict brewing is much quieter-though no less deadly.

Lyse Lanier may be largely French in heritage, but she spends most of her time in the company of the ebullient daughter of the British commander of Mobile. When a charming young Spanish merchant docks in town, Lyse is immediately struck by his easy wit and flair for the dramatic. But is he truly who he makes himself out to be? Spies abound, and Spain has yet to choose a side in the American conflict. Is Lyse simply an easy mark for Rafael Gonzalez to exploit? Or are his overtures of love as genuine as Spanish gold?

My Review

The Creole Princess by Beth White was an interesting read for me for many reasons. White writes about a different kind of character, with a much different type of heritage and family than most books that fall into this genre. The very fact that the main character was Creole intrigued me. Further, I enjoyed the history lesson White teaches as she writes this title. As much history as I have read and studied, I really feel like I missed out on knowing the role Spain played in the American Revolution.

Where I began to struggle with this book was the long list of characters and the wide span of time the pages cover. I sometimes found myself flipping back just to be sure I wasn’t confused about certain characters and the role they were playing in the story. The first chapter is set in August 1776 and concludes in March of 1780. As I turned from one page to the next, time was passing in chunks and I am not sure I kept pace very well. I do think the novel ended nicely and that White tied up all of the loose ends.

The Creole Princess stands alone, but I can’t help but wonder if I would have felt differently had I read the first book in the series. Overall, I feel this title is 3.5 stars. It has not been my favorite read this year, but I appreciate it for its uniqueness and depth of history. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by its publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I have not been compensated.