Return to Shirley Plantation

A Civil War Romance

By: Carrie Fancett Pagels

Narrated by: Cecily White

Abducted against his will, theater manager Matthew Scott is conscripted into the Confederate army because of his Copperhead senator father’s political leanings. Injured at Malvern Hill, Matthew is taken by the Union army to Shirley Plantation in Virginia, where he is tended by seamstress Angelina Rose, a freed slave.

Given an opportunity to leave the South and start a new life for herself, Angelina remained for the sake of her sister’s orphaned twins, who are still enslaved.

Matthew must use his acting skills to to remain safe. Will his return to Shirley Plantation settle a mystery concerning his father’s past? And will Matthew find the family for which he longs?

©2013 Carrie Fancett Pagels (P)2018 Carrie Fancett Pagels

Civil War Novella

This is a wonderful novella Civil War Romance. I read the book a good while back but this time I listened to the audio. The narrator was great and pleasant to the ears. I enjoyed the story as much the second time as I did the first time. Even though this was a novella I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I loved Angelina with her sweet spirit but she held firm in what she thought the Lord bid her to do. She gave up her chance to go North to complete freedom because she didn’t want to leave her niece and nephew and that made me really like her. I was so glad when she met Matthew with his kind personality. Lots of historical details are some of what I enjoy about Historical Fiction. This story had some true things to happen and the place is real. My kind of book.
I recommend this book if you like Historical Romance.
I received a copy of this book from the author but I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

History comes alive on Shirley plantation

This is a wonderful book. Great narration. The story comes to life during the civil war. I started listening and couldn’t stop.

Inspirational Civil War Romantic Drama

Angelina gave up moving north to stay in the south to care for her niece and nephew, saving money to buy their freedom. Matthew Scott was conscripted into serving in a war he wanted nothing to do with. I loved how Matthew developed relationships with other characters. The way he was drawn to Angelina and felt protective of her was simply romantic. Angelina was my favorite. She showed such strength in following God's guidance. Granny Scott is full of surprises.

The narration was excellent! I thought Cecily White did a wonderful job bringing all characters and their different accents to life.
I highly recommend this audiobook. Despite the horribleness of the war and dealing with the wounded literally on their front lawn, the story is entertaining and a quick listen.

A Christian novella taking place in Civil War era

This was the first book I've read/listened to by Carrie Fancett Pagels. It was a well written, clean read. It was a lot to pack into such a short book. Several times I wished there had more.

Cecily White was an excellent narrator. She performed well with male and female voices. She has such a smooth, calming voice. She is a narrator I'd love to hear again.

#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

Outstanding!

I loved this story and the fact that it is set at a real plantation with people who lives there made the story that much more fun. Ms. Pagels did a beautiful job of bringing to life not only Shirley Plantation but her fictional characters as well. Her story gives you a glimpse into some of the hardships of the Civil War and leaves you yearning to visit the historical Shirley Plantation.

Very enjoyable historical fiction

This was a charming Civil War romance in novella length. Carrie Fancett Pagels apparently did some extensive research to get the details of this time period and setting. The story is set at Shirley Plantation in Virginia. The author has a very pleasant writing style which I enjoyed listening to.

The Story has some unexpected surprises making for a most fascinating tale. This is a clean Christian romance and I highly recommend it. It gives you a real taste of life during The Civil War time. This was a truly enjoyable read!

The narrator Cecily White added charming southern accents and was very enjoyable to listen to! I think you will enjoy listening to this southern historical fiction.

I received an Audible version from the author. All thoughts are my own.

Civil War Romance Plantation Style

This novella is set on the historical Shirley Plantation, a beautiful contrast to the pain the soldiers endured. Historical fiction is one genre that i find intriguing and compels me to look a little deeper into the time and place of many books.

The Civil War was a tumultuous time for our country and for our hero Matthew Scott especially! Far from home and wearing a uniform whose cause he did not support was difficult. He was an actor not a soldier. However, had he not been thrust into the gray uniform of the confederacy he never would have met the one woman who captured his heart.

Angelina Rose was meant to be up north by now where freedom beckoned. She couldn't seem to get away from Shirley Plantation though she had had the opportunity. Time, chance and a bit of faith intervened or she never would have met Matthew Scott who needed her care among the injured. There was something different about him and it took others on the plantation to help put the pieces together. This was not a clear case of an injured soldier falling for a beautiful nursemaid.

Audio books are another way for authors to get their stories out to readers who may not have a chance to experience their books. I first enjoyed listening while traveling but found it is a wonderful companion to many of the every day tasks I do around the house or garden and even when I am working on my hobbies.

I recommend Return to Shirley Plantation for anyone who enjoys novellas and historical fiction. Congratulations to Carrie Fancett Pagels on her first audio book! I hope it will be the first of many.

Short Civil War era romance

RETURN TO SHIRLEY PLANTATION by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Matthew is a thespian, but is conscripted by the Confederate army. Angelina is a freed slave that was set free, but works as a servant in the Shirley Plantation until she can save the money to free her sister’s twins. The Shirley Plantation becomes a Union hospital.

The story is short, and is good. It has some twists, turns and surprises, but could be better developed and longer. It does have some great historical content.

The audiobook was given to me by the author with no requirement for review. This review is my honest opinion.

A really compelling Civil War romance

This is the first book by Carrie Fancett Pagels that I have experienced, and it really blew me away with both the unique storyline of the African-American experience and the diligent historical research. This 2.5-hour audiobook novella is a clean (just kissing) Christian historical romance set in Virginia during the Civil War. The location is Shirley Plantation, which is a real place with a detailed, published history, according to the notes at the end of the audiobook. In addition, most of the minor characters were real people, and the details of the Civil War in the book really happened. Angelina and Matthew were very likable and admirable people. Their romance was light, but the entire story was very compelling. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who likes unusual historical romance, Christian romance, or Civil War romance.

One really wonderful and unique aspect of this story is providing the perspective of people in the South who looked white but were slaves. Of course, the institution of slavery was horrifying, but I learned something from this book that I hadn’t realized before. Evidently, by the Civil War, there had been so many generations of nonconsensual or consensual sex between white people and slaves that there were a significant number of slaves who were only 1/4 to 1/16 African American. Since the cruel condition of slavery was automatically transferred to the children of slaves, some of the slaves looked as white as their owners. I won’t go into specifics about which characters in the book were in this situation so that I don’t give any spoilers.

The Christian aspect of the story is really strong. There is a lot of praying, quoting of Bible verses, and thinking about God by multiple characters. I am not very religious. If this novella had been longer, the Christian aspect might have been too intense for me. As it was, it seemed appropriate for these historical characters and I loved the audiobook as a whole.

The solo narrator Cecily White did a fantastic job. She showed an admirable repertoire of authentic accents from Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina. She is remarkably skilled at both men's and women’s voices. Her pacing wonderfully conveyed the dangerously tense situation of two armies taking over the plantation at different times and the uncertain destinies of the characters. I would love to listen to more from this very talented narrator.

I requested and received a free audiobook copy via #AudiobookObsession, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
#AudiobookObsession Reviewer

Good!

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I loved the history in this! I think the narrator did a great job reading this one.