In His Eyes (Stephenia McGee) – Review

~ About the Book ~

Her heart sought shelter. Her soul found home.
Ella Whitaker rescues a newborn from the dying arms of a woman of ill repute and at long last she has someone to love. In need of a wet nurse, she arrives at Belmont Plantation just as Federal soldiers demand to speak to the owner. Thinking quickly, Ella masquerades as a Yankee officer’s widow in order to have a roof over her head and a home for the child.
Major Westley Remington has dedicated his life to serving his country. The Civil War has divided his family, torn his thoughts of glory, and left him with a wound that may never heal. Westley returns home on medical furlough to settle his father’s estate at Belmont Plantation, only to find his home is being run by a fiery and independent woman—one many believe to be his wife. Now he is faced with a conflict he’s never been trained to fight, and one she has yet to conquer.
Genre:  Historical Romance
Release date:  5 May 2017
Pages:  352
Publisher:  By The Vine Press

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~ Excerpt ~

“Mr. Westley! Oh!”
Ella came to a halt midway down the staircase and stared. It couldn’t be. Her heart thudded so furiously in her chest she thought it might burst from her. Lee began to squirm, and just then did she realize she had squeezed him too tightly.
“You is alive! Oh, have mercy. I just…” Sibby’s words came to a tumbling halt, and she spun around to look up at Ella, who still stood transfixed on the stairs staring at the scene before her.
Sibby stood beside a man whose presence filled the entry—a man who was supposed to be dead. Mahogany hair topped a stern face that was all the more handsome for the masculine set to his jaw. Wide shoulders and a lean physique, he looked very much the warrior Sibby had described him to be. All except for the cane at his side, which he leaned upon heavily.
So this was the man she had claimed to be her husband? Her heart dropped. No wonder the Martin women had been skeptical. Never would Ella have garnered the attention of one such as he. She stopped herself short. What was she thinking?
The man stared at her, his dark eyes assessing everything from her widow’s dress to the baby in her arms. To her surprise, he said nothing about her presence. Oh, but what would he do when…?
“Don’t you wish to greet your wife?” Mrs. Martin asked, slipping to the man’s side. She raised her eyebrows at Ella, as though she had figured out the game.
Ella glanced past the man to the women who waited in the still moments that had surely not been as long as they seemed. Miss Martin wore a wide smile that evidenced she expected Ella to come to her senses and throw herself in the arms of the husband she was supposed to dearly love.
Ella opened her mouth to try to stop the humiliation, but the man spoke first.
“Indeed. I am most eager to see you, wife.”
Ella’s mouth unhinged and she stared.
He looked at the baby. “And is this my son, as well?”
Finding her senses, Ella glanced to Sibby, but the woman seemed just as confused as she. Did this man seek to trap her?
“Mr. Remington, I…”
He held up a hand. “Come now, surely I am Westley to my wife?”
She gulped, and took an unsteady step closer. Perhaps he thought to save face in front of his neighbors. But why continue this? When later he threw her out, he would only have all the more explaining to do.
“Mr. Westley, Ella, she…” Sibby stammered.
Mr. Remington gave a firm shake of his head, sending a lock of hair dancing across his brow, and Sibby seamed her lips.
Ella came forward, descending the stairs and coming to stand before the man a head taller than she. “This is, um, this is Lee,” she managed, glancing at the baby.
His eyes lingered long upon her face, and then something that seemed like understanding lit a spark in eyes so dark a brown they neared black. Finally, he glanced at the child. “A handsome boy.”
Unable to contain herself, Ella spoke words that burned in her throat. “I thought you were dead.”
A smile tilted one side of his mouth. “So I see.”

~ Review ~

I couldn’t resist the premise of this novel. I mean, what would you do if you returned home from war to find a woman you’ve never met before—with a baby, no less—running your home and pretending she’s your widow? I had to know how the story played out!
As it happens, there’s a lot more than that going on in this novel. Far from leaving the conflict behind, Westley is returning to his Southern home as the enemy—a Yankee soldier. Not only that, but his impostor wife has the support of his servants, who seem to have secrets of their own, and to top it all off, if he can’t pay his late father’s tax debt, he may lose everything. Is it any wonder he’s keen to return to active service as soon as he can convince his superiors his medical furlough isn’t necessary?
Westley and Ella don’t exactly hit it off in the beginning—after all, according to Ella, Westley is an insufferable Yank, and what else is Westley to assume except that Ella is an opportunistic woman of ill-repute—but the more they get to know each other, the more their initial assumptions change. I loved Ella’s strength and her passion, and I loved that Westley didn’t respond to her with knee-jerk reactions. I was always kept guessing as to how he was going to respond!
The one aspect I wasn’t all that keen on was the fact that Ella’s spiritual growth happened through dreams rather than through reading the Bible or being nurtured by other believers. I’m not saying God doesn’t speak to people in dreams, but I do think spiritual growth needs to be based on more than that, and I felt that was missing here.
Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this novel from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

~ About the Author ~

Stephenia H. McGee is a wife, mother of two very active little boys, author, and lover of all things historical. Stephenia currently lives in Mississippi with her husband and sons where she writes stories of faith, redemption and life steeped in Southern culture.
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