Historical Fiction | His Steadfast Love

"In one of the most heartbreaking times in American history, a Southern preacher's daughter makes a tragic error that pits her against the very people she loves most."

I normally include a description of the book in question, usually a snippet from the back cover. I didn't much care for the description on this book, however. The line above was the only one I found intriguing.

There are many fictionalized accounts of the Civil War around, if you haven't noticed. His Steadfast Love by Golden Keyes Parsons is a just-released book that can be added to the list. I've always enjoyed reading about the Civil War, and, because I've previously read and enjoyed novels on the time period, I was pretty sure I would like this one.

The spring of 1861 finds Amanda Belle at her home on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Her budding romance (the "tragic error") with Captain Kent Littlefield is halted abruptly when Texas secedes from the Union and war begins. As the captain returns to the North to join the Union army, Amanda's brother Daniel joins the Confederates. His Steadfast Love is the tale of fighting of all kinds as Kent fights for the North and the abolition of slavery, Daniel fights for the South, and Amanda and Kent fight for each other.

I really enjoyed this book. Having not read any of Golden Keyes Parsons books, I was a bit skeptical, of course. But she is an engaging author and I had no trouble believing anything she said. If you scour some of the reviews of this book, you might find some readers disappointed because of the apparently less-than-accurate historical details. I, however, am not well versed in the Civil War or that time period and cannot claim either side of that debate. I suppose if you are a real history buff than you would have a problem with any fictionalized story.

The interesting thing about this book, I think, is the way Parsons interweaves the real issues of the war in the lives of the characters. Slavery obviously comes up, as the Belle family lives in the South and owns several slaves. It's intriguing the way the Belles are so sure that, because they aren't treating their slaves poorly, they aren't doing any harm by owning human beings. It is likewise intriguing to see Kent's attitude change from one of adamant opposition to slavery to one of laid-back indecision. (I also thought that Parsons wonderfully planned scenes where Amanda's interactions with the Belle slaves were so similar to Kent's with his family's servants, just so the reader can see the similarity.) The whole issue irked me a bit, but the realization that the attitudes of the characters are so realistic caused me to pause. Not every Northerner was a die-hard abolitionist. (And Kent's real mission is to return to Amanda, not to free the slaves.) It's also endlessly fascinating to hear a preacher and his family repeat Scripture and talk about God's will yet not realize the injustice of slavery. Realistic? I think so.

I suppose I should mention the romance part of it, since that is something I often nitpick about. I didn't think it was overly done in the book. Obviously the storyline revolves around the fact that Amanda and Kent love each other, but the book isn't filled with scenes added just so women everywhere can dream about their own Kent Littlefields. It's tasteful, and I liked it.

Now, the big question: is this a stand alone novel or the first in a series? I'm hoping for the latter.

Read an Excerpt

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers.