Summary: The Rebel Bride (Daughters of Mayflower #10) by Shannon McNear
Can Love Form Amidst Tensions of War?
During the clash between Union and Confederacy, quiet Tennessean Pearl MacFarlane is compelled to nurse both Rebel and Yankee wounded who seek refuge at her family’s farm. She is determined to remain unmoved by the Yankee cause—until she faces the silent struggle of Union soldier Joshua Wheeler, a recent amputee. The MacFarlane family fits no stereotype Joshua believed in; still he is desperate to regain his footing—as a soldier, as a man, as a Christian—in the aftermath of his debilitating injury. He will use his time behind enemy lines to gather useful intelligence for the Union—if the courageous Rebel woman will stay out of the line of danger.
During the clash between Union and Confederacy, quiet Tennessean Pearl MacFarlane is compelled to nurse both Rebel and Yankee wounded who seek refuge at her family’s farm. She is determined to remain unmoved by the Yankee cause—until she faces the silent struggle of Union soldier Joshua Wheeler, a recent amputee. The MacFarlane family fits no stereotype Joshua believed in; still he is desperate to regain his footing—as a soldier, as a man, as a Christian—in the aftermath of his debilitating injury. He will use his time behind enemy lines to gather useful intelligence for the Union—if the courageous Rebel woman will stay out of the line of danger.
Book Review of The Rebel Bride (Daughters of Mayflower #10) by Shannon McNear
When Pearl MacFarland is forced by Confederacy to take in seriously wounded Federal prisoners to give makeshift nursing care, she resists with everything she’s got. Meeting Federal Sergeant Joshua Wheeler who fights to end secession and slavery, they are both in for an eye-opening experience becoming aware of the not so black and white elements of war. While suffering under the weight of enormous responsibility, hardships and occasional experiences of danger, Pearl learns to still show compassion towards the enemy soldiers.
This makes for a very interesting story for readers
who are interested in how nursing might have been carried out in a makeshift
hospital during the war. We get to follow Pearl as she tries to nurse the
heavily wounded, sometimes dying enemy soldiers, with little or no supplies relying
on the simplest activities of care. Having no medicines, main task would
be to keep wounds clean and pray patients would survive. Food supplies were scarce
and irregular at best, so Pearl had to dip into the family’s emergency rations
to feed soldiers.
In spite of all her everyday hardships nursing
the ever increasing number of patients, Pearl’ is thankful. It impresses and
humbles me that she is able to feel like that in her situation. While reading
this story, I felt my appreciation for running water increase. How labor
intensive it would have been to take a bath, which we all take for granted
nowadays, is quite eye-opening. As is descriptions of the labor that
went into changing bed sheets and do laundry by hand to keep all her patients
clean to get better.
Pearl and Joshua’s relationship gets off to a really
rocky start as they find themselves on opposite sides of the Civil War. Pearl
blames Joshua for her loss of 3 brothers to the war and thinks the Federals are
invaders who do not care about the slaves at all. That it’s all about politics.
Joshua is equally adamant that the war is all about ending secession and
slavery. However reluctant they both are to admit it, it cannot be
denied that a closer relationship between them is developing.
I found this story to be a bit of a learning
experience about American geography in addition to the Civil War history.
As the story is inspired by real events, I feel there are plenty of facts to be
picked up along the way. I think that is why I like historical fiction genre so
much. The mix of fact and fiction spikes my interest in learning more about the
issues being dealt with in the story. As a nurse there was the added bonus of learning
more about makeshift nursing during the war, which I found sad, scary and
entertaining in a curious mix. I wish Pearl had an easier time of it.
The faith element
was an added bonus running like a read thread through the story. Pearl’s father
quotes scripture, insisting Pearl should feed the enemy. Patients are also comforted
by Bible reading sessions. There are quite a bit of space used for scriptures
quotes which I found probably realistic, as the MacFarlands lived a quite hard
life where they leaned on the Bible for strength and hope. Feeding the enemy
was quite essential to the plot.
The
Rebel Bride is book #10 in the Daughters of The Mayflower series. I read this
as a standalone, which worked well. I would recommend this work to fans of
Shannon McNear, to readers of historical fiction in general or those interested
in Civil War History.
Thank
you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
My
rating 4 stars / 5
About The Author of The Rebel Bride
Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. A Midwestern farm
girl who lived in Charleston, South Carolina, for more than two decades before
being transplanted to North Dakota, she's a military wife, mother of 8, and a
member of ACFW and RWA. When not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her
fingertips, she enjoys being outdoors, basking in the beauty of the northern
prairies.
For more information about the author, please visit:http://www.shannonmcnear.com/
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