Book Review (and a Giveaway!): The Sugar Baron’s Ring by Lorri Dudley

THE SUGAR BARON’S RING
SERIES: The Leeward Islands #3
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance
PUBLISHER: Wild Heart Books
RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2020
PAGES: 418

A ring is her only tie to a distant homeland, until a marooned Englishman anchors her heart.

Hannah Rose Barrington is the island misfit. Orphaned at a young age, Hannah struggles to provide for her future, while her guardian, a weak-hearted island drunk, bleeds Hannah of her father’s inheritance. Caught between the classes of elite planters and white beggars, Hannah yearns to find a place to belong.

University life has never been Bradlee Granville’s forte. His only hope to graduate is to impress his professors by documenting his travels. After claiming unforeseeable circumstances, he delays his final exams and sets out early on his Grand Tour. However, when his ship wrecks off the coast of the Leeward Islands, Bradlee is left without means to return to England, a mounting deadline, and ruined journals.

When Hannah rescues passengers from a ship breaking apart in the bay, she’s unexpectedly drawn to the witty charm of one of the men. Helping him settle into island life will be a pleasure. However, as creditors, like sharks, begin to circle and her guardian’s desperation becomes life-threatening, Hannah finds herself in need of rescue. Will Bradlee look past her pitiful situation to see who she truly is—the sugar baron’s daughter?

Other Books In This Series

“If you were looking for adventure, you certainly found one.”

I am loving The Leeward Islands series so very much – definitely some of my fave reads this year! The Sugar Baron’s Daughter is another fabulous installment, with a delightful mix of witty banter and tender moments.

Hannah barrels straight into your heart right from the beginning, her strength & resiliency immediately demonstrated in her daring rescue of the shipwrecked sailors & passengers from shark-infested waters. She has a warm heart toward God and other people, even extending undeserved compassion to her desperate drunkard of a guardian whose sins have begun to catch up with him. If anyone has a right to be bitter about her circumstances, it is Hannah. Yet she chooses to trust God in spite of everything she has endured and all the obstacles she continues to encounter. The fact that she is still innocently naive in some ways but wise beyond her years in others gives her further dimension and makes her a heroine you won’t soon forget.

I can’t really talk about Bradlee without also talking about Colin. Their dry banter kept me chuckling throughout most of the book, but their solid friendship touched me just as much. Both men are of strong character and kind hearts, and while at first they seem to be quite similar in personality they are in fact quite different once you get to know them more deeply. Bradlee’s struggle to fit into the mold expected of him is one that many can relate to, as is Hannah’s fight to rise above the classifications others have given her. Both characters want a place to belong and a calling to embrace, and their journey to find both is one that definitely spoke to my heart. This discussion in particular is one that I needed to hear:

“If it’s God’s will, then why have so many doors shut?”

“God’s not done yet.”

Bottom Line: The Sugar Baron’s Daughter is another fantastic read by Lorri Dudley. This author excels like few others at setting a scene and immersing readers into the lush island environment, and she proves it again with this third book. (Don’t worry though if you haven’t read the first two. Though you definitely should go back and read them for your own pleasure, they are only loosely connected and read well as standalones.) Delightful and layered characters will have you swooning, laughing, holding your breath, and even choking back a few tears as you join them on this journey to belong. Above it all, the gentle reminder that we are all dearly loved children of God, no matter that our circumstances or earthly guardians may tell us differently, and He is always at work to equip us for the calling He has laid on our hearts. Don’t miss this one!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4.5 stars / loved it!

KissingBook Level: 3+ / will forget to breathe on occasion

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Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household. Find her online at www.lorridudley.com.

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The Sugar Baron’s Ring is the third book in the Leeward Island series. My heroine is caught between social classes as the daughter of a sugar baron and an impoverished white beggar since her guardian sold her inheritance to pay his debts. To generate the feeling of being a misfit, I delved back to those awkward years of middle and high school, where we often struggle to discover where we belong. Before my senior year, my family and I moved to New England for a job change. I’d had a great group of friends at my old school, but at my new school, I was a stranger—an outsider—trying to find acceptance, much like Hannah.

Bradlee, the hero, on the other hand, was fashioned in a completely different manner. At my house, the slang terms “bruh” and “noob” are tossed around by my three boys, along with constant fraternal teasing. A lot of their sarcastic wit and camaraderie are portrayed through Bradlee and his grand tour companion, Colin. Their light-hearted banter depicts the tight bonds of a deep relationship where faults may be mocked, but offenses are overlooked, and if ever in trouble, they have each other’s backs. Hannah is drawn to Bradlee, craving a similar connection but loses her heart to him in the process.

The first opening scene came about because my family loves Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. After binge-watching practically every episode, I knew my hero and heroine would meet under the duress of a shiny, steel-gray fin plowing through the water. (Queue the Jaws theme song.) However, our resourceful heroine contains the strength to rescue the hero as opposed to the other way around.

All these things, being a misfit, teasing, and shark attacks, playout in a grander scheme to show how God never leaves us nor forsakes us. He’s laying out the pieces of our happily-ever-after while developing our character and purpose. The Sugar Baron’s Ring demonstrates how God’s light shines bright even in the darkness.

To learn more, check out my website at lorridudley.com or click here to watch The Sugar Baron’s Ring book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWRQr3drZY8&feature=youtu.be

To celebrate her tour, Lorri is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

This giveaway is hosted by Celebrate Lit, not RimSP
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What about you? What makes you want to read The Sugar Baron’s Ring by Lorri Dudley?