cover image Aboard Providence

Aboard Providence

Keely Brooke Keith. Edenbrooke, $12.99 ISBN 978-1-5425-8956-7

Brooke Keith (The Land Uncharted) returns to the frontier settlement featured in her previous Uncharted series in this inviting prequel about an expedition from Virginia to Brazil in 1860. Eight Christian families make a plan to pioneer a new, peaceful settlement in Brazil, far from the civil unrest brewing in America after Abraham Lincoln’s election. Jonah Ashton, a medical student studying in Pennsylvania, has been called home to Virginia to join the expedition. But a desire to graduate and clear his name after false allegations are lodged against him creates a conundrum for him. Unwilling to disappoint his father, he devises a plan he believes will allow him to appease his family by going on the trip while also finishing school. Marian Foster, a self-taught botanist who is also part of the expedition, sees the trip as a new adventure full of promise. Despite an immediate attraction, their relationship is hindered by Jonah’s desire to eventually return to Pennsylvania. Brooke Keith’s abundantly detailed and romantic adventure tale features a faithful, colorful cast that face the unknown with grit and determination, making for a fresh and satisfying story. (BookLife)