The King's Mercy

Lori Benton writes historical fiction that includes Native American tribes in the early years of the colonization of this country.  The King's Mercy begins in Britain and sails across the Atlantic to the Carolinas.   In the beginning Alex is taken prisoner for his part in the Scottish uprising.  Instead of being put to death, he is sent on a ship to the colonies for an indenture. 

Alex's indenture is bought by Edmund Carey whose plantation needs a blacksmith.  Edmund's daughter, Joanna, oversees most of the slaves of the Severn plantation but the field hands are watched by an Overseer named Reeves.  That is where Alex and Joanna met. 

Because of Reeves, Edmund gets sick, the slaves are mistreated, and various buildings around the estate burned down.  Reeves has a slave named Demas whose very size is intimidating, and will up to a point do what Reeves wants him to do.  When Reeves blames Alex for all the misfortunes happening at the plantation, he is locked into a shed, but Reeves lets him go and he runs away. 

After a few days, he finds one of the really young slaves following him and she wants him to take her to the Cherokee encampment. What she has hidden from everyone is that she is pregnant.  When her labor starts, the Cherokees find her and take them both captive until she reveals that she is part Cherokee. 

This book contains everything from mystery to jealousy to love to anger to lust to finding faith when it is needed most. 

Lori is one talented author whose books will always make my TBR list and THIS book is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and an Eden for a new settlement.

I want to thank Waterbrook/Multnomah for their dedication to high quality publishing and to NetGalley for providing the galley I read for this review.