Sunday Reading: The Mistress of Tall Acre

Sophie Menzies is one of those forgotten women left behind after the Revolutionary War. Her father, a Tory, fled to England after a near miss with the bucket of tar, leaving his wife and daughter alone at Three Chimneys.  Her mother has died and her brother is among the missing casualties of the war. Her father's political bent has left her with is poor reputation and she ekes a living with minimal resources.  Anyone but Sophie would be bitter but she is of a good nature and pleasure in the smallest of things.  She is the ideal heroine. She is pretty, she loves with her whole heart and is sensible.

After a chance meeting with Lili Cate Ogilvy, Sophie is captivated with the motherless child. Her father, General Seamus Ogilvy, a decorated war hero has come home to Tall Acre to raise his daughter alone.  After the war he "rescued" her from his late wife's sister's home under the cover of darkness. His quiet resolve in being a father who is there for his daughter is not lost on Sophie, whose own father was distant and cruel.  She becomes a resource for Seamus and becomes a favorite inside the walls of Tall Acre.  

Mystery shrouds the circumstances of the man seen watching both Tall Acre and Three Chimneys. As the story unfolds we see the blossoming of romance between Seamus and Sophie that may or may not be.  There are shadows of the past that keep invading the calm after so many years of war.  Laura Frantz is a wonderful writer of historical fiction and Tall Acre is a reflection of good research and masterful story telling. The characters are interesting and believable and engaging enough to make you want to come back and finish the book. I did and I stayed up way too late to finish it!