If You Like THESE Books, You May Like Between Two Shores

In case you’re not sure if Between Two Shores  is your cup of tea, allow me to tell you a little more about it. Here is the blurb:

The daughter of a Mohawk mother and French father in 1759 Montreal, Catherine Duval would rather remain neutral in a world tearing itself apart. Content to trade with both the French and the British, Catherine is pulled into the Seven Years' War against her wishes when her British ex-fiancé, Samuel Crane, is taken prisoner by her father. Samuel claims he has information that could help end the war, and he asks Catherine to help him escape.

Peace appeals to Catherine, even if helping the man who broke her heart does not. But New France is starving, and she and her loved ones may not survive another winter of conflict-induced famine. When the dangers of war arrive on her doorstep, Catherine and Samuel flee by river toward the epicenter of the battle between England and France. She and Samuel may impact history, but she fears the ultimate cost will be higher than she can bear.

Important note: this novel is historical fiction, which is different from historical romance. The vast majority of historical novels ARE in fact, historical romance, and when you look at the cover of Between Two Shores and see a woman in a beautiful gown, it’s easy to assume this will be one of those books.

It isn’t.

When I say it’s a work of historical fiction rather than romance, that means the overarching plot is not how a man and woman get together in the end of the book. It is straight historical, which means there is more freedom to explore other themes. (Authors Susie Finkbeiner, Heather Day Gilbert, and Ann Tatlock are a few authors of straight historical fiction whose plots do not revolve around romance.) Between Two Shores is a character-driven novel of family dynamics and shifting loyalties in a time of war. The heroine, who is half French and half Mohawk, is caught in the middle and must discover where she belongs in all of it, and what her role will cost her. Don’t worry, we still go very deep into interpersonal relationships.

Here are a few more ideas to help you decide whether you might enjoy Between Two Shores.

If you liked Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell, you might like Between Two Shores because neither is a conventional romance, and the heroines have strong character journeys and spiritual arcs. 

If you liked A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz, you might like Between Two Shores because both heroines act as guides in the wilderness, and in both books, the landscape is vividly portrayed.

If you liked Burning Sky by Lori Benton, you might like Between Two Shores because both heroines have Mohawk and European cultures in their identities.

If you liked the way Lynn Austin told the story in Where We Belong, you might like Between Two Shores because both books unfold in a nonlinear way. By that I mean, in the first half of my novel, I insert a handful of scenes that took place years before the story begins in Chapter One, in order to slowly reveal the nuances of relationships between characters.

If you liked the classic novel for young readers Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare, you might like Between Two Shores because both novels are set partially in Montreal (or just outside of it) during the Seven Years’ War, and both have characters who were captured from British colonies and held in New France. (In Calico Captive, the main characters are the captives. In Between Two Shores, the main character is a woman who ransomed one.)

Of course, you’re also fee to read the reviews already posted on Goodreads. If you do decide to read Between Two Shores, I hope you enjoy it!

Have you read any of the books listed above? What did you think? If you've also read Between Two Shores already, did it remind you of any of these, or of other books I didn't mention? 

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