I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Reginald Aubrey didn't think his wife could handle the loss of yet another child. So once Heldidd fell asleep, he took the stillborn baby and switched it with one on the native's newborn twins. He reasoned with himself that she had two healthy babies, he prayed that he was doing right thing...was he? Will he ever come to terms with tricking his wife into believing that the little boy she loves so dearly isn't really hers? Will the ever growing affection that Lydia has for Reginald ever be acknowledged or returned?

This was a beautifully written story about love and God's timing. The story spans twenty years, so you can see love bloom between Anna Catherine and Two Hawks. You also see the internal struggle Two Hawks had with keeping who he was a secret. I loved seeing how much the Oneida clan changed once they accepted Jesus. I really hope there's going to be a book two, I would absolutely love to see the friendship between Stone Thrower and Reginald. ( )

Author Lori Benton's lyrical prose brings to vivid life the conflicts of cultures and the struggle for power that shaped the expansion of the American Frontier. "The Woods Edge", set in the New York Territory of the late 1700's, richly details the consequences of one irrevocable decision made during a father's moment of profound grief. The lasting effects of his actions will ripple through many lives until they become a pounding wave of tormented emotion. Major Reginald Aubrey thinks to spare his wife's health and sanity by switching their own dead newborn son for the living child of a former captive woman who had given birth to twin boys--one Indian and one white. Giving the blonde infant to his wife brings her peace, but this deception will bring tumult to all those involved. As their personal lives unfold, so does the history of America, as the frontier's bloody battles will ultimately merge with the great upheaval of the Revolutionary War. The people of the Oneida Nation faced severe repercussions for allying with the British, and their place in American history is given due attention. Stepping back into history to touch our roots is of immeasurable importance to our present day and our future. Splendid storytellers like Lori Benton who revere history and have a deep, abiding faith are to be treasured. "The Woods Edge" refers to a ceremony in which strangers approaching a community were met at the "town limits" or edge of the woods by a delegation who would approve their entry or send them on their way. This book is the first in "The Pathfinders Series" from wonderful writer Lori Benton.

Book Copy Gratis WaterBrook Press via Blogging for Books ( )

Okay.

It's a clean book, but I have no desire to re-read it again. I simply could not enjoy the story. The synopsis was very intriguing, but I quickly lost interest when I started reading. ( )

The Wood’s Edge by Lori Benton sat on my shelf waaay too long! Ever since reading her excellent debut novel, Burning Sky, I knew I had to read more of her books. But alas, the TBR pile reaches to the rafters. So to make sure I would move this worthy book up to the top of the pile, I convinced my book club to make it one of our 2017 selections. And am I ever glad! The Wood’s Edge is another well-crafted and researched historical novel that I would recommend to anyone. The only drawback, if you can call it that, is that there is a sequel, A Flight of Arrows. Now to influence my book club to add it . . . .

The setting of The Wood’s Edge is the New York frontier in the 20 years leading up to the Revolutionary War. A lot happens in that time — the culmination of the French And Indian War, the expansion of the white settlers into previously held Indian lands, and the growing dissent of the colonials with His Majesty’s governance. World changing events. But for two families, one white and one Indian, their worlds are changed by the switching of two babies during the siege of Fort William Henry. As one family grieves and vows vengeance, another is haunted by guilt that cannot be confessed. As the colonies march towards war, the two families are on a collision course that can shatter more than one life.

I love when a novel teaches me. I learned so many things about colonial life, the make-up of early Native American society, and the efforts of missionaries to bring the gospel to the the Six Nations of The Iroquois Confederacy. The Wood’s Edge is so well-written, that I felt I had stepped back in time as I immersed myself in the story. Characters, true to the time period, are complex, real, relatable, and relevant for the modern reader. None are perfect, but have flaws and sins common to us all. The female characters are especially strong and are vital to the story. The theme of undeserved grace runs throughout the narrative and is beautifully portrayed in more than one character. I believe this book will create great conversation at my book club.

I highly recommend The Wood’s Edge to anyone looking for a thoughtful and thought-provoking novel. For fans of early American history, this book is a must read!

Highly Recommended.

Great for book clubs.

Audience: adults.

(I won this book in a giveaway. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

In 1757 a British officer, Reginal Aubrey. whose wife has just lost another baby at birth, desperate to spare his wife yet another grief, swaps his dead son for the white looking twin born to a European woman who has been raised as an Oneida. During their flight from the fort, he rescues a recently orphaned baby girl he finds just after her parent were slain and takes her as their own. Haunted by the terrible deed he did in taking the little boy, now called William, he berates himself for years to come. His wife loves their son, not knowing what happened as she fell asleep so soon she hadn’t even really looked at the one she bore, but never likes Anna, the girl they rescued, whereas she is the apple of Reginald’s eye.

Lydia is a young girl when she first meets the Major and guiltily in love with him as she grows up, although as a devout Christian she feels badly about it. Good Voice mourns her son, He-Who-was-Taken, loses all of her other babies, but raises William’s twin Two Hawks. Her husband vows vengeance. Their community comes into some confusion when a missionary arrives, who chooses to live simply and to have no more than the Oneida have. The title comes from the friendship that forms between Two Hawks and Anna who see each other at the edge of the woods where she loves to to.

The first part of the novel was not particularly likable and I thought if I finished it, it would be rated two stars, but as the younger generation grew up, I found there was more to like, so am giving it a rating averaged through the book. ( )