When her patient dies after giving birth, midwife Julianne Chevalier chooses deportation to the 1720s French colony of Louisiana over a lifetime of imprisonment. As an unmarried woman, she is forbidden to travel alone, and thus embarks on a marriage of convenience with another convict, Marc-Paul Girard. Struggling to adjust to the rough-and-tumble life in the New World, she also tries to find her brother Benjamin in hopes of restoring order to her chaotic life. With this sweeping historical romance, Green turns from the Civil War era of her "Heroines Behind the Lines" books (Wedded to War; Spy of Richmond) to 18th-century Louisiana, penning a deftly crafted and gritty portrait of the French colony. VERDICT Readers will be swept away by the themes of faith and redemption woven throughout the narrative as well as the alluring protagonists and setting. Fans of Beth White's "Gulf Coast Chronicles," Lynn Austin, and Susan Meissner will enjoy.

The 18th-century Old and New Worlds burst off the pages in the latest historical fiction treasure from Green (the Heroines Behind the Lines series). Young midwife Julianne Chevalier is unjustly condemned and branded a criminal in 1719 Paris. She travels to the French colony of Louisiana on a ship full of convicts. In the backwater settlement of New Orleans, she attempts to make a life while searching for her brother, who had earlier been stationed there as a soldier. When she confronts natural and human dangers, Capt. Marc-Paul Girard befriends and protects Julianne, and soon falls in love with her. The colorful setting of south Louisiana plays a large role in the story and is a potent catalyst for much of the action. Julianne and Marc-Paul face a perilous and winding journey to wholeness. Painful events and difficult people force them to confront the substance of their Christian faith: will they answer injustice and betrayal with grace and forgiveness or bitterness and revenge? Will Julianne's mark remind her of the unjust king of France or of the king of kings? Green's acute understanding of grief is especially illustrated in the devastating scene of a miscarriage. Readers can only hope for more from this talented, spiritually insightful author. Agent: Tim Beals, Credo Communications. (Jan.)