INTO HIS ARMS

Author: Paula Reed ISBN: 0821777238 6/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: Zebra
Time Period: Boston and Jamaica, 1671

“Life is short, Faith...I take what I can when I can, and if I burn in hell, it will be without regrets...” Geoffrey Hampton has little faith in his fellow man. The English privateer follows his own fearless code, taking his fortune and his pleasures as he sees fit. And as for the possibility of finding true love, well, it’s an illusion…as unlikely as a beautiful woman hiding in his cabin. But Faith Cooper is no illusion, she’s a stowaway from Boston Harbor. She’s also a delectable flesh-and-blood woman and seems immune to the captain’s considerable charms. In fact, Faith is unlike any woman he has ever known—intelligent, unwavering in her beliefs, and truly innocent. Someone who challenges his heart at every turn. Now, as two unlikely lovers make passage to the warm, sultry winds of Jamaica, a deep, abiding passion flares, giving Geoffrey a treasure he never dared to hope for…and a woman he cannot afford to lose…

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

INTO HIS ARMS, by Paula Reed, is fascinating simply because of the journey the heroine, Faith Cooper, takes spiritually. That being said, the bonus love story makes it one of the best books I have read in awhile.

Set in 1671 Boston, the book revolves around the strict religious beliefs of the time, and the effect it has on the people striving to uphold them. Faith is struggling with her beliefs as a not-so-pious preacher comes to claim her for himself. To avoid that fate, she is forced to stow away on a privateer ship bound for Jamaica, where she falls in love with the captain hero, Geoffrey Hampton.

Faith is like any person brought up to believe their one true religion is the only religion. She finds her attraction to the captain both mortifying and exciting at the same time. As she struggles and questions everything she was ever taught, she realizes faith is something that cannot be given to you by someone else, but is a personal choice and does not make you sacrifice true love. It's a journey that many of us have made and that Faith and her family must come to terms with.

I truly enjoyed the insight, more than the love story, this book has to share. It is beautifully written and Faith is a superb heroine. I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Shannon Johnson