Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green – Review

Be sure and carve out some time to savor Catherine Stand-Apart’s beautiful story from Jocelyn Green. 

About the Book

The daughter of a Mohawk mother and French father in 1759 Montreal, Catherine Duval finds it is easier to remain neutral in a world that is tearing itself apart. Content to trade with both the French and the British, Catherine is pulled into the fray against her wishes when her British ex-fiance, Samuel Crane, is taken prisoner by her father. Samuel asks her to help him escape, claiming he has information that could help end the war.

Peace appeals to Catherine, but helping the man who broke her heart does not. She delays . . . until attempts on Samuel’s life convince her he’s in mortal danger. Against her better judgment she helps him flee by river, using knowledge of the landscape to creep ever closer to freedom. Their time together rekindles feelings she thought long buried, and danger seems to hound their every mile. She’s risked becoming a traitor by choosing a side, but will the decision cost her even more than she anticipated?

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In My Opinion

There are some books that are so rich in detail and so moving, they require savoring. Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green is one of those.

Catherine Stands-Apart is aptly named as she straddles two worlds. With a Mohawk mother and a French-Canadian father, Catherine is already torn between the two. When the man she once loved—the one who had asked her to marry him then disappeared—returns to her life, Catherine once again has to make a difficult choice. A choice that could lead to prison…or death. One that is made all the more difficult with the bitter news Samuel delivers.

Set during the Seven Years’ War (aka the French and Indian War), readers are immersed in Catherine’s world, given an inside look at both Mohawk customs and life and Canadian life. The vivid details of the land, the rivers, the battles, and the trade world that are all pieces of Catherine’s life come to life within these pages.

Catherine is a strong woman, living with a father who repeatedly disappoints her but caring for him and running their trading post, nonetheless. Yet, there is a vulnerability to this woman that made me sympathetic for her situation (and that continued to build throughout this book).

This is not an easy read. Green does not diminish the realities of war or life. But is a beautiful one that should not be missed.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.