Beth’s indomitable spirit prevailed through unimaginable pain and suffering in Newgate and kept her going through the ordeal that caused her to be sentenced to a life of servitude in the West Indies, with little hope of ever getting home. Home was with Alex and she sorely grieved for home.
Grief can be overpowering, bringing us to our knees, a physical pain cutting so deeply that each breath aches more than the last. Such was Alex’s pain when he lost Beth at Culloden. Now, with reason to think she’s still alive, Alex will keep his promise to find her and take her home.
The Duke of Newcastle knows Beth has loyal friends in high places and he could never get away with having her killed. So he sends her to Antigua as an indentured servant on a sugar plantation where working conditions are even worse than Newgate. She will not survive to defy him again.
But as is often the case with our plans, events don’t always unfold as we want and Beth makes a decision that has unintended consequences as Alex is desperately trying to find her.
“Tides of Fortune” wraps up The Jacobite Chronicles in the sixth book and is simultaneously more harrowing and emotionally moving than the first five. That said, there’s an awful lot packed into this last book of the series and my hat is off to Julia Brannan for her accurate portrayal of this huge chunk of history. Where the mark of excellence is really evident is the life she’s breathed into the characters. Even that gawd-awful Richard Cunningham. I have to believe he’s universally loathed by all Brannan’s readers. On the whole, the hardships of eighteenth century clan life are fairly potrayed although possibly a wee bit romanticized. Even so, I can’t fault Brannan for that. I will admit to a few times thinking Beth is nearly superhuman, being able to withstand the abuse and hardships she endured while maintaining her beauty and keeping all her teeth. Okay, okay but a month of starvation would cost anybody at least a couple of teeth. Nonetheless, I’m saddened to leave my friends in Scotland but I can do it knowing they’re happy. Five stars.
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