Now Face to Face

What an amazing saga! If you ever wondered about living in either Virginia or England in 1722, this is the book for you. It's not only a great story with political intrigue and passion, but it's also long on details to help you envision living back then. Everything from the types of flowers blooming to the nursery rhymes that children said. It's all here. From ships to soaps to sealing wax.

Apparently Barbara (nee Alderley) was more beautiful than is almost believable. However, if you swallow that, you can pretty much believe the rest of the book—hook, line, and sinker. Wanna know about growing tobacco back then? Check. Shipping bees back then? Check. The royal household quirks back then? Check. The architecture of Christopher Wren? Check.

The end felt a little rushed, but after 734 pages, including the epilogue and bonus chapters, well, it's hard to believe anything could feel rushed. I loved this book and I almost never read historical fiction, so that says a lot.