
Author: Gail Avery Halverson
Series: Stockbridge #1
Published by: Knight Wenstrom Publishers on Nov. 16, 2015
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 328
Format: Paperback
Source: Gail Avery Halverson
Book Rating: 9/10
Bound since childhood to an arranged marriage with the restless and irresponsible heir of Houghton Hall, Viscount Miles Houghton; Lady Catherine Abbott, now grown, finds herself torn between duty to her family and her smoldering ambitions. Possessed of a nimble, curious mind, a love of science and the natural world, and a singular talent for illustration, Catherine desperately longs to accomplish something before she resigns herself to a loveless marriage and the idle, aristocratic whirl of parties and social gatherings within the confines of the palatial Houghton Hall.
Banished before his final year of medical training for pushing harder on the boundaries of scientific knowledge than any student at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, the mysterious and driven Simon McKensie has blurred the lines between research and criminality and must now choose between exile to the rural country village of Wells, or the hangman’s noose.
When the terrifying Great Plague of 1665 spreads from London to Wells, the town’s very existence is threatened and Catherine must confront her fears, her place in the world – and the burning passions she has long held inside.
Review:
Informative, fascinating, and incredibly absorbing!
The Boundary Stone is an immersive, compelling tale set in England during 1665 when social status was everything, arranged marriages were commonplace, science was just starting to win the battle against age-old religious theories, and the bubonic plague would once again sweep through and ravage the residents of its cities, towns, and villages.
The prose is expressive and rich. The characters are strong, intelligent, independent, and brave. And the engaging, well-paced plot is a captivating tale of familial drama, heartbreak, loss, love, courage, self-discovery, hope, death, romance, as well as the struggles and limitations of early medicine.
Overall, The Boundary Stone is an atmospheric, intriguing, well-written tale by Halverson that does a beautiful job of highlighting her impressive research and considerable knowledge into seventeenth-century Britain and the natural disasters that plagued it.
This novel is available now.
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Thank you to Gail Avery Halverson for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.