Dorothy Love has a gift in writing. She doesn’t just write a frilly story that takes place in history, she brings some harsh realities to life in a good combination of vivid pain and hope. Her last series I enjoyed was based in Tennessee and now we move on to the Carolina territories. My genealogy spends a lot of time in the Carolina territories before going to Georgia so that sparks another interest for me.

At first I couldn’t quite connect. It was one of those books where you pick it up and read a bit, but there is something else that you’d rather read more (especially if your list is anything like mine), yet Dorothy Love’s writing takes you back in time and with plenty of information and entertainment will hold you there once you get through the start.

Similar on the lines of how I felt about Ann Shorey and Amanda Cabot as well as Maggie Brendan - This story is full of hard and troubling events of the historical time, but also full of romance to be had with a good bit of trust and inspiration from the Lord. This was not a fast read for me, but it was an overall good one.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no other compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

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Title: Carolina Gold
Author: Dorothy Love
Pages: 336
Year: 12/2013
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Returning to the plantation after the war and after waiting for her father’s lawyer to read his will, Charlotte is now on her way back to her home in the Deep South to see what remains, if anything, of the home in which she once lived. While she knows there has been destruction of personal items or the items have been stolen, Charlotte has promised her father she will again try to raise the rice crop and live on the land.
The paragraph above states the setting of the fictional tale that is actually based on a real historical figure named Elizabeth Waties Allston Pringle. Can you imagine what this woman witnessed in her lifetime? How about thinking of what her life was like before and after the Civil War? Charlotte is based loosely on the real life experiences of Elizabeth, and the author, with some minor adaptations, places her novel near where the real plantation where Elizabeth lived. After you read the fictional tale, the author shares how she came to learn about this unique woman and her life.
There are characters that portray what southern people must have felt during Reconstruction along with what many veterans suffered during a horrific war. They had to learn to live in a new society that was still forming. With so few eligible men to marry, we see a jealous female antagonist see that she indeed ends up with the one man she sets her eyes on no matter who gets hurt in reaching her goal. Yellow fever is an epidemic that costs many lives in New Orleans in 1868. With the destruction so complete, few can prove they own the land on which they return to.
Dorothy Love writes a moving masterpiece that keeps the reader reading until they see how the unknown ending is revealed. I simply cannot express how much the real woman Elizabeth, along with others who lived in the south before, during and after the war, had to learn how to start all over. Readers see how a woman who has her faith shredded by heartbreak learns to trust God again in a time when each day brings new trials, triumphs or tragedy. What a tenacity people displayed to endure and then to thrive each day. Perhaps like our female lead character they did so by looking to God and putting one foot in front of the other time and time again. A historical novel rich with history, faith, perseverance and romance! Don’t pass up reading this book!
My rating is 5 stars.
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I was fascinated to learn that the title of this novel refers to rice. And not just anywhere, but rice grown on plantations in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Dorothy Love did such a impressive job of igniting my imagination that I want to travel down the Waccamaw and Pee Dee Rivers and see for myself the grandeur of the old rice plantations. The authors use of vivid imagery transported me. This story, told from the view point of a young Charlotte Fraser takes place just after the civil war and deals with the struggles the southern farmers had with finding reliable workers. The novel is concerned with many subtitles, reconstruction of the southern states, tutoring, women farmers, as well as the yellow-fever which plagued the port cities of Charleston, New Orleans, and others,. It is done with empathy, and great talent as I felt the devastation of not finding the workers to put in the crop, the lack of money and the need to find a way to survive. And then the storms came and took the crop. Many of these things still concern and stress farmers today, though much has been done to alleviate their anxiety.

I received this book free from Amy Lathrop at Litfuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review. A positive critique was not required. The opinions are my own. ( )

CAROLINA GOLD by Dorothy Love is an amazing Inspirational Southern Historical Fiction set in 1868 South Carolina. A post Civil War story about Charlotte Fraser, daughter of a Rice Plantation (Fairhaven) in South Carolina Lowcountry. And Nicholas Betancourt, heir to Willowood Plantation and his two young daughters. Charlotte's father has died, and she is agrees to tutor Nicholas' children to make ends meet. What she finds is buried secrets,danger, re-construction,struggles and love. Mixed with a bit of mystery,lots of historical detail, and a young woman's struggles to restore the world she once new, you have a blend of mystery with a tad bit of romance and a new beginning. Ms. Love has once again, written a story that is haunting as well as inspiring. "Carolina Gold" is inspired on "a 19th century woman rice farmer". I enjoy this author's poignant stories and "Carolina Gold" was no different. She tells a story with vivid descriptions of the post-Civil War era, a need for hope and faith,and the need to re-build a torn country from ashes. A great read and one I would recommend if you enjoy Post Civil War, romance, and mystery. Received for an honest review from the publisher.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: SWEET

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book for the historical value as well as the romance & action in the story - although I have to say it took me a while to figure out what the title "Carolina Gold" is referring to.

Carolina Gold takes place during the aftermath of the Civil War with Charlotte returning to her late father's plantation. The characters in the story are strong - you have the slaves who are still thought to be lazy and disloyal to the slave owners, you have children no longer in school and you have plantations that are being foreclosed on - they lie in ruins and many plantation owners have given up or after fighting in the war they are no longer fit mentally or physically to run their own plantations. Charlotte steps forward as a strong woman with a good head on her shoulders - she is determined to pay off the loan she took out to grow rice and ends up teaching two little girls from a plantation down the road. When their father disappears she takes the girls under her wings and then sets out to find their father.

Carolina Gold is very well written. It's an interesting look at the Civil War Period and the events and struggles that women and families faced after the war. If you know someone that likes period or historical fiction they should enjoy this one. ( )