The Promise of Breeze Hill

Hillman (Claiming Mariah) sets this eloquent novel in volatile 18th-century Natchez, Miss. It is 1791, and Connor O’Shea, a highly skilled carpenter, has indentured himself to a local property owner to pay for his four brothers’ passage to America from Ireland. His new employer is Isabella Bartholomew, the only daughter of Breeze Hill plantation owner Master Bartholomew. After a house fire severely damaged the plantation and other disasters befell the family, Isabella is determined to get everything back to peak condition, and she believes Connor is perfect for the job. When they arrive at Breeze Hill, Connor observes a dearth of help to run such a vast property; he wonders if the family’s financial troubles run deeper than Isabella let on and whether she can be trusted to live up to her end of the bargain. The trials and tribulations of keeping the business afloat combine with predictable romantic sparks and the suspicion there might be someone intent on sabotaging the plantation. Hillman breezily weaves together colorful details, romantic tensions, and suspenseful plotting in this fun historical romance. (Aug.)