Book Reviews

The first of a four-novel series, this opening story is set in pre-Civil War rural Georgia. Teenager George Yardley learns the life of a small farmer and leather worker from his father. Orphaned when his parents die in an epidemic, he moves to his aunt's home in nearby Atlanta.

There he meets Amy Frey of Atlanta. She is the beautiful daughter of a very rich commodity broker, Alexander Frey. He is a confidant of Jefferson Davis, Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs.

In the fall of 1860, many in the South are expecting secession followed by a military confrontation with the North if Abraham Lincoln is elected president. Georgia's Governor Joseph Brown, Stephens and Toombs meet with Mr. Frey to seek his endorsement of secession and his promise of financial support for the new government. He promises both -- but only if the Union forces a war and any Georgia secession referendum is conducted in an honest way. He asserts, "I will give not one penny to an impropriety. My honor is at stake, and I will not be part of anything that dishonors our heritage."

Meanwhile, his daughter and George Yardley fall in love over church hymnals. Seldom able to talk face-to-face, they communicate by mail. George proposes marriage and Amy accepts. Then he moves back to his parents' farm, abandoned since their deaths, in order to prepare it for his bride. With the skills his late father taught him, George makes a leather coat as a gift for Amy's father.

The joy of the young couple affects all around them. But, there are dark forces lurking in Georgia. The threat of a civil war looms large. The governor is assassinated, and others favoring secession are threatened. Even a neighbor of George's is part of a Union crowd determined to prevent Georgia's secession by whatever means necessary.

One such threat becomes reality even as George and Amy leave their wedding reception. How that event affects their lives is to be revealed in one of the next three novels in "The Honor of Love" series. This reviewer expects that it will be worth the wait.

Reviewer Dr. Michael J. Deeb is the author of the three novels, Duty and Honor, Duty Accomplished, and Honor Restored. He is also a retired university instructor of American history.