Shiloh

 

Most of the time I love Lori Benton's writings.  Her early American novels are  well-thought out and well-researched, and they give an accurate glimpse into the history and events of the era.  Shiloh does all this, but it does so with a slow-moving plot--almost as slow as molasses in January.  

Ian Carmichael has watched his wife and son die during childbirth, and has made the decision to move back to Boston, where his son and his "hand-fasted" wife live with his parents. He wants to make a family with Seona, the mother of his son.  He has to overcome the animosity of his brother, as well as Seona's reservations toward him.  Every movement Ian makes is explained in excruciating detail, which makes the reading a slog through mud.  

Lori has included the good guys, the bad guys, the hurting guys, and the not entirely good or bad guys.  She has included a couple of romances happening in unexpected places, a kidnapping to make tension in the plot, and a welcome return home.  But, the reading is slow, and I found myself finding excuses not to read the book.  This is not to say that Lori has lost her touch in writing, rather, it is to say that this didn't fit my reading mood.  I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had reading her other books.  Three Stars.  

I do want to say that this won't be the last book by Lori Benton I will read.  Tyndale House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.