Boston, 1773Emma Malcolm’s father is staunchly loyal to the crown, but Emma’s heart belongs to Noah Winslow, a lowly printer’s assistant and Patriot. But her father has promised her hand to Samuel Clarke, a rapacious and sadistic man. As his fiancée, she would have to give up Noah and the friends who have become like family to her–as well as the beliefs she has come to embrace.After Emma is … Emma is drawn into the treasonous Boston Tea Party, Samuel blackmails her with evidence that condemns each participant, including Noah. Emma realizes she must do whatever it takes to protect those she loves, even if it means giving up the life she desires and becoming Samuel’s wife.Present DayLieutenant Hayley Ashworth is determined to be the first woman inducted into the elite Navy SEALs. But before her dream can be realized, she must return to Boston in order to put the abuse and neglect of her childhood behind her. When an unexpected encounter with the man she once loved leads to the discovery of a tea chest and the document hidden within, she wonders if perhaps true strength and freedom are buried deeper than she first realized.Two women, separated by centuries, must find the strength to fight for love and freedom. . . and discover a heritage of courage and faith.
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Once again Heidi Chiavaroli has managed to capture a well know period of time and transport readers to experience it through her words. Her writing is completely captivating! This book is expertly crafted, intertwining historical and present day storylines. Heidi Chiavaroli is extremely gifted at writing such raw and real characters that I always race to the authors notes when I finish to see which characters are real and which are fictional. This was a very tumultuous period of time in history and the historical characters experience this first hand. I appreciated the realistic approach that the author took with this story, however it wasn’t a light read. You can feel the pains and the heartaches of these characters as they face hardship after hardship.
The present day storyline was an interesting historical scavenger hunt for the characters. Hailey was harder for me to like as a character. Her tendency to protect herself and run away from relationships made her a tough character to like. While this book is extremely well written, it also is heavier and more emotionally traumatic than I prefer. I feel that is the nature of the time period, and the author realistically portrayed things. I would have loved more romance in both storylines, and I would have loved a little more relief from the pain and hardship as the historical story continued. However, these are personal preferences! I was a little sad at the conclusion of this book, but it does answer any lingering questions that the reader may have concerning both storylines.
If you are looking for a story with rich and authentic historical descriptions and a blending of historical and modern day themes, you should most definitely add The Tea Chest to your reading list.