Good historical fiction. More romance than action -- i.e. all action is propelled by emotion and personal decisions. Emotions always conflicted, providing the tension. This would appeal to people who enjoy historical fiction and romances. A cut above the typical book of either genre.

Hannah Powers is a young English woman whose father has trained her in his medical practice. Her sister May enjoys the company of many different men, and is eventually betrothed to the son of a distant relative in the Virginia colony. Eventually May's letters stop, and Hannah finds herself en route after her sister. When she makes her way to where her sister was supposed to live, she finds her husband Gabriel, a run down house, and no sign of May whatsoever.
Hannah soon discovers that her beloved sister is dead... and she has fallen in love with her brother in law. However, May's spectre never leaves them. Hannah continues to question what happened to May and will not stop until she knows for certain.
I loved the touches of folk magic Sharratt added to the story along with the herbalism. One big historical error though, binominal nomenclature (aka the Latin name for living things) was not developed until the 18th century. I didn't mind though.
The story is very nicely written and paced. Certainly worth your time, and I cannot wait to get hold of more of Sharratt's work. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down! It is full of sadness & the ending is quite sad, but the book itself is full of mystery & makes u want to read more & more! Would definitely recommend! ( )

1670s America was an untamed wilderness, and May and Hannah Powers both find that out the hard way when May sails to the Maryland area to marry a distant cousin, having ruined her good name in England because of her sexual escapades, and Hannah follows 2 years later. This is a beautifully written book with enough suspense, love, betrayal, and revenge to keep you on the edge of your seat. Good attention to detail as far as the time period and a great ending (but not necessarily the ending you want). Highly recommended to all fans of historical fiction. ( )

I had to read this novel for a book group, but I'm afraid I could not suspend my disbelief in what seems to be a major historical error on which the entire plot hinges. Oddly, I can't find a single review that mentions this error. Not the mainly positive reader reviews, nor the middling review given it by _Publishers Weekly_.

Hannah follows her sister to America after her fairly religious father's death. May had been sent there in a sort of disgrace to marry the son of an extremely religious cousin. Once there, Hannah finds that her sister is apparently dead. She falls for her brother-in-law, gets involved with him sexually, and wants to marry him. Then she learns she should question what really happened to her sister.

Okay, even leaving aside the question of consanguinity and exactly how closely related the British family was to their cousins in America, what about the question of affinity?! My understanding is that under canon law, as soon as May married Gabriel, he was off limits to Hannah forever. (See Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act of 1907 that lifted the ban under British marriage law.)

If any character, at any time in the novel, had referred to the impediment, giving the lead characters a chance to proclaim why they didn't care that they were breaking canon law, I could've accepted it and moved on. However, we're given no reason to believe that the laws of affinity popped into anyone's mind. Ever.

I know this novel is popularly lauded, but I can't jump on that bandwagon when an apparent historical error is central to the author's plot. Sorry.