The Mark of the King

There are all kinds of historical novels out there; from light pieces that entertain to heavy tomes that stupefy. And then there are special books like Jocelyn Green's latest, The Mark Of The King. These books go beyond the fluff into the blood and tears of the people who live in that time, and yet, they are by no means dry as you become immersed in the lives of characters that quickly feel like real people. Jocelyn Green is one such author, I've been a fan of hers since I read her first Civil War novel, as she so totally involves and immerses you in the era that your imagination is captured and transported to a time so like and unlike the one we live in now.

To be honest, all I needed to see was the author's name on the cover and I knew this was one book I HAD to and WAS going to read. The Mark Of The King lived up to, and surpassed, my anticipation. Sometimes it was a little hard to read, life 300 years ago was no walk in the park, but I just couldn't seem to put it down, even to sleep. Even when I did put it down the story kept nibbling around the edges of my mind as I did other things. The characters quickly became friends and I felt each tragedy and triumph alongside them.

If you are looking for a Christian historical with grit and romance, a story rich in detail, where the characters come alive, I would highly recommend The Mark Of The King from one of Christian fiction's most talented authors, Jocelyn Green.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

great story, lots of surprises and lessons to learn. Jocelyn Green writes creative and compelling word pictures.

Whenever I run into a book with a setting or premise that I have never heard of or read before I know that book is going to come home with me! When I saw this book, The Mark of the King from Jocelyn Green on the bloggers list I knew I was going to be eager to read it!

This story begins in 1719 France where our heroine, midwife Julianne Chevalier, is hard at work attending a birth. Tragedy strikes and Julianne is sentenced to one of Frances most infamous prisons- and forever branded by a fleur de lis marking her as a murderer. When Julianne finds a ticket out of prison and a chance to find her brother she takes it and finds herself in a whirlwind of events that lead to her on a boat to the fledgling Louisiana colony!

While Julianne thought she was coming to a settled colony she finds instead the swamps of New Orleans, the push and pull of Native Indian wars sponsored by the French and British, and sickness and suffering everywhere, as well as becoming a part of soldiers and settlers alike who are forced to fight the land at every turn just to live- and still there is no definite sign of her brother. Fighting many of her own personal and professional struggles, and deep personal tragedies Julianne seeks underneath it all to find redemption from the past that marks her.

I dont want to give away too much of the plot of the book but I was really intrigued and surprised at every turn in this book- and there are many twists and turns the author always kept me on the edge of my seat! I loved the authors writing style and how she expressed the characters and described the scenes!

Readers should be given slight caution that there are two or three scenes of a stronger nature in this book. They did not damper my enjoyment of the book but it may startle more sensitive readers and may be skipped over with little trouble if desired.

Though it took me a while between busy days and nights to find time to read I was very glad that I kept going with this book! I very much enjoyed it and learned a lot too about the history of Louisiana. I think its great when a book is able to weave a great story and help you to learn something too! In the end I enjoyed seeing Julianna find that Gods grace covers all and we are all able to start again with Him at our side.

Final Rating: 5

This book shook me up and left its mark on me!

So well written that I read the whole story in one day. The suffering of the people who settled our country that is so easy to live in now. The faith it took to keep trusting God in the midst of such devastating challenges. Yes, it was hard to read about scalping and abuse, but we need reality checks to keep perspective that we do not belong to this world because we have the mark of the King on us! Well done, Melissa! Don't stop writing life changing stories!

This book left me speechless! I have read a lot of historical fiction works, but nothing has compared to this roller coaster of a read.

This story of colonial New Orleans will pull you in from the first page! I did not know what to expect, but it was not what the many twists and turns that this book takes. The author does an amazing job at portraying the brutality that many colonists faced, when moving to America. Instead of this happy adventurous atmosphere that you see in other books and even movies, we see death, flooding, and sickness. Her story really hits home, when Julianne faces her first hardship. I felt as if I were next to her as she is forcibly married and chained ankle to ankle with her new husband. Many times my heart ached for this character, and I could not put it down until the story resolved itself.

Her wording and descriptions were wonderful, and they really give you the visual that you need to imagine living in the 1700's. This book taught me so many things about French culture and history. This is the first book that I have read by Green, but it will not be the last. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves historical or romance fiction. This book does have some mature content that I advise against reading unless you are an older teen. Thanks so much to Bethany House for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am so glad to have found this amazing author through them.