"The Mark of the King grabbed me from the first scene and wouldn't let me go! The setting is vibrant, unique, and full of fascinating true details about the early French settlement in New Orleans. With arranged marriages, forced immigration, and struggles against starvation, the elements, and warring natives, the story is riveting. A must-read!"
~Jody Hedlund, Christy Award-winning author
"A page-turner of a tale set against France’s early struggles to colonize Louisiana, The Mark of the King bears all the marks of the best historical fiction—rich attention to detail, settings historically accurate and lushly depicted, a complex and layered plot, diverse cultures vividly portrayed, and the ever-present sense of the larger forces of time and place shaping the lives and destinies of characters I came to care about. The unjustly exiled Julianne is a woman to admire and cheer, the soldier Marc-Paul a man of strength and devotion. Lovers of historical fiction will be transported by this beautifully written novel of the early 18th century frontier."
~Lori Benton, award-winning author of The Wood’s Edge and A Flight of Arrows
*2017 Christy Award Winner for Historical Fiction
After being imprisoned and branded for the death of her client, twenty-five-year-old midwife Julianne Chevalier trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling 1720s French colony of Louisiana, where she hopes to be reunited with her brother, serving there as a soldier. To make the journey, though, women must be married, and Julianne is forced to wed a fellow convict.
When they arrive in New Orleans, there is no news of Benjamin, Julianne's brother, and searching for answers proves dangerous. What is behind the mystery, and does military officer Marc-Paul Girard know more than he is letting on?
With her dreams of a new life shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous, rugged land, despite never being able to escape the king's mark on her shoulder that brands her a criminal beyond redemption.
Free Excerpt
*Read the prologue and first chapter here.
Video: The Mark of the King Pronunciation Guide
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