Love's Awakening

Ballantyne Legacy, Book 2

By: Laura Frantz

Narrated by: Angela Brazil

Ellie Ballantyne, youngest child of Silas and Eden, has left finishing school. But back at her family home in Pittsburgh, Ellie finds that her parents are away on a long trip, and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. When she opens a day school for young ladies, she begins tutoring the incorrigible daughter of the enemy Turlock clan. The Turlocks are slaveholders and whiskey magnates, envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings.

As Ellie becomes increasingly tangled with the Turlocks, she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future - and Jack Turlock, a young man striving to free himself from his family's violent legacy. How can she betray her family and side with the enemy? And will Jack ever allow her into his world?

©2013 Laura Frantz (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Frantz's family saga is a rare treat for fans that will stay with readers long after they finish." ( RT Book Reviews)

Even Better Than the First in the Series

Ellie Ballantyne can’t wait to leave finishing school in Philadelphia and return to her home in Pittsburg. On the way, she encounters a fierce storm and Jack Turlock from the enemy family comes to her rescue. Despite his hard edges and terrible reputation, she senses he’s different from the rest of his family. When she arrives home, her parents are traveling and trouble finds New Hope. Between old expectations, fugitive slaves, and a forbidden love, things are more difficult than Ellie expected.

I loved this book. The narrator often enunciated too precisely, emphasizing each syllable, but she did a good job of handling the Scottish accents when needed. I liked both Jack and Ellie very much, and Eden and Silas were even better than in the first book. I’m looking forward to the third and last book of the series. #Nostalgic #FamilyFeud #PreCivilWar #Heartfelt #HappyEnding

Outstanding!

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio version of Love’s Awakening by Laura Frantz! I loved Jack, Ellie, and Chloe (and, of course, Silas and Eden) and the way their characters grew in the story! The reader was exceptional with her Scottish accents and added so much to my enjoyment! I highly recommend this book!

Love the story.

Great story. Hope there is more. Ending left you hanging. Wonderfully written. Awesome Characters. Beautifully told.

Not quite as good as the first book but VERY good!

I loved continuing with the Ballantyne Family! This book is very well written. Listening to it pulls you into the story so much so that you will hate to turn off the car!

A great addition to the series..just wish for a different narrator

I really liked this story lots of emotional ups and downs. The story flows well and I am glad I decided to listen to the second book. The only thing I don’t like is the harshness of the narrators voice and pronunciation of words. It’s like she is mad at the world. Even in tender moments it’s so harsh it’s grating at times. I appreciate someone’s suggestion to speed it up that definitely helped. Sadly she’s read the 3rd book as well.

Great Story - Superb narration

Angela Brazil has to be one of the best narrators ever. She has so many voices. The men sound like men. The Scottish Brogue is exquisite. I've already started the next book in the Series and she can even do a Kentucky drawl. The only thing she is missing is the Pittsburghers y'uns (yunz) but maybe that came later. I am from Pittsburgh and I find the historical references fascinating. I wish I could see a map of where New Hope is and Broad Oaks and River ?

Frantz is always a good choice!

I've said it before and it's worth saying again....Laura Frantz books have become my choice when I'm looking for a good clean romance story that's loaded with history. This series is a wonderful example of great writing and narration. There are so many poignant moments and memorable characters that I am looking forward to listening to the next book. 😉

Overwhelming

This was a great book , good story line and surprises throughout . It was very fulfilling.

Long historical novel

This was a good story, but seem to take an awfully deep breath long time to get to a conclusion. Then it ended with a cliffhanger. I usually don’t give more than two stars to any book that has a cliffhanger because I feel like it’s the author’s way of forcing you to buy the next book. However, this book had a nice conclusion to the romance between the two main characters. then the cliffhanger was just a very short small something that happened at the end with one of the other characters. I assume this is a series and the next book will be about that person, but it didn’t detract from the story.

Wonderful

I enjoyed the story and all the characters. Interesting family dealings. Historically accurate. Well thought out.