Book Review - My Brother's Crown by Mindy Starns Clark & Leslie Gould

One of the great things about books is that you learn some things about yourself while you read them. For the Bingo Reading Challenge that I've been doing this year, one of the squares was for a book that 'Takes place in your favourite time period.' I had been racking my brain for ages trying to figure out what my favourite time period actually is, and in reading the book I'm about to review I found it (more on that in my next challenge update).

My Brother's Crown

Cousins of the Dove #1

by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould

(Thank you to Harvest House Publishers for my copy.)

Back Cover:

Women of Uncommon Courage

France, 1685

Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?

Virginia, present day

Rene Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine's, is fascinated by the document that's been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look - and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she's forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?

From the authors of the Christy Award-winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.

Authors:

Mindy Starns Clark is the bestselling author of more than 20 books (over 1 million copies sold) including fiction and non-fiction. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, John, and their two daughters. Connect with Mindy at www.mindystarnsclark,com.

Leslie Gould is a bestselling author of 20 novels. She received her master of fine arts degree from Portland State University and lives in Oregon with her husband, Peter, and their four children. Connect with Leslie at www.lesliegould.com.

My Thoughts:

Mindy and Leslie have beautifully woven the stories from these two time periods together. It is a wonderful thing to know your family history and it certainly plays a part in what you do in your life now and why - this was true for Renee as she reflected on the life Catherine lived.

While I had heard of the Huguenots, I was not very familiar with why they were persecuted (not that I really understand persecution in any form - it just should not be, but then we haven't reached heaven yet). The persecution of these people, was yet another example of religious persecution - something that has shown itself in many different forms, during every century.

Faith is at the centre of both of these women's lives. One thing that challenged me, particularly from Catherine's story, is how essential it is to know what you believe and why you believe it.

While there is completion to this book, there are also many questions raised and threads of both stories yet to be unravelled. I look forward to reading the next book in this series: My Sister's Prayer.