A fantastic book! I loved the characters and the setting. It was so original.
Fanny has been an indentured servant to Sloan on his riverboat the, River Peacock. She has the voice of an angel and a beautiful face. She is desperate to be free and one night she is thrown overboard. She finds herself among a group of enslaved people on their search for freedom. They travel together for awhile.
Walter is a widowed farmer with a young daughter. He doesn't think his heart can be open to love again but then he meets Fanny. So much happens in this book. Read it! I guarantee that you'll enjoy it! ( )

When an escaped indentured riverboat singer and a widowed homesteader with a young child to care for meet, they seem to have just what each other needs—she a place to stay and earn some money for a trip to her family in New York and he someone to care for his toddler so he can work. But will it be that simple, especially when a sinister force are lurking out there somewhere?

That synopsis doesn't cover everything going on in this book, but it is the bulk of it. There are also the escaped slaves that Fanny travels with for a time, but since they are gone by around 30% of the way through the story and don't have much of a conclusion, their part in the story feels a bit like it's disconnected from the rest. In the end, I can't help but wonder exactly why Sawyer chose to include them. I guess to add to the theme of "freedom" throughout the story, but it seems a bit heavy-handed at that point. None of that is bad, necessarily, and it does give the reader some early insight into Fanny's character, so at least there's that.

As for the main characters, Fanny and Walter, both of them seemed a little too "good." Neither of them really had any faults that were brought out in the story, aside from the faux faults perceived only by themselves, that anyone with a more objective view would easily tell them they were silly for considering a fault. Walter was a little less confident than he'd once been, and I suppose Fanny doesn't know how to be a homesteader, but it's more endearing than anything. Both of them drove me nuts with the periodic mental berating over mistakes and bad choices that they thought must mean that God wouldn't want to hear from them anymore.

There was also a 3rd perspective in this story, that of the riverboat owner who had indentured Fanny, as he tries to track down a singer to replace her. I don't think his story really added to the book, and it culminated in a climax that was far too easily resolved. And speaking of Fanny's indentured state, I think maybe the author should have spent some time going over some of the less-known and less-quoted parts of the Bible, like the book of Philemon.

Kim Vogel Sawyer does write very well, and I really enjoyed the glimpses at different parts of life and parts of the country in 1860 that were presented in this book. However, various parts of this book just didn't sit right with me, though I'm sure that many other readers of Christian historical romance will be less bothered by what stuck out to me and will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah, for providing me a copy of this book to review. ( )

I loved this book that took you from a paddle boat on the Mississippi River to rural Indiana, with a few stops in between. At first, I thought Fanny would get involved in the Underground Railroad full time, but she had her parents' home in mind. She didn't count on falling in love with a toddler and her dad as well as the wide open spaces of an Indiana farm. Sometimes I felt uncomfortable with Sloan's scenes, but I know they were important to the story. I have read a few of this author's stories, but now plan to read more. ( )

Freedom's Song, by Kim Vogel Sawyer, takes you on a journey through mid-America in the 1860s. Sawyer's Christian historical fiction tackles a variety of topics with a unique approach, beginning with a near-drowning and ending with freedom for many.

Fanche “Fanny Beck,” a riverboat songstress and indentured servant, is providentially supplied by the Lord with a means of release from indenture. Traveling across several states, by rail and on foot, while trying to reach her home in New York, Fanny stumbles upon a farm and hears a baby weeping.

Walter Kuhn is a widower attempting to care for his farm, earn a living and provide for his little one. He arrives home one day to discover Fanny caring for his baby, whom he had left asleep in a "pen" he had built.

On many levels, Freedom's Song pulls together spiritual, emotional, and physical freedoms. I value how Sawyer entwines those freedoms together and shows how God is the only One who gives us genuine freedom.

The story is well-written, with well-developed characters and historical accuracy. An underlying theme of suspense and romantic element runs throughout the story.

I always appreciate and enjoy Kim Vogel Sawyer's works, and this is perhaps my favorite so far because of its topic and spiritual elements.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Waterbrook Multnomah. All opinions are my own and I am voluntarily leaving this review. ( )

This is definitely one of my favorite books that I have ever read. I loved Fanny and love that she finds her happiness and freedom after years of servitude. It was fun to learn about Walter and his daughter Annaliese. The parts with Sloan and how he evolves throughout the story is fantastic. I did not want to put the story down. I love the emotion and the romance and the bits of suspense. I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook and Multnomah for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )