First, I want to thank the author for her opening note. Bravo for acknowledging and denouncing the white supremacy and racism that surrounds the Virginia Dare character before the book even began.

There are several things I enjoyed:
- The premise! I am a huge fan of historical what-ifs! The idea of "What happened to Virginia Dare after Roanoke?" was incredibly enticing to me.
- It is CLEAR the author did a lot of research into the indigenous people of the area. I appreciated the efforts to integrate language and custom into the story building. I will have to defer to others on the accuracy of these details, as I am not familiar with this tribe.
- There was good use of dialogue for exposition
- I really appreciated the author's notes at the end as well. To get a better picture of McNear's approach and unique insights, particularly around the subject of bereavement.
- Some great usage of foreshadowing with the parallel of Elinor and Virginia's captivity

Some things I struggled with
- The exposition was lacking in the beginning of the story, and was positioned more through the dialogue between Felipe and Virginia in the middle. We are dropped immediately into the story of Virginia's captivity, and it was disorienting to me. The rapid changes in POV contributed to my confusion.
-Shifts between native terms and names and English translations and equivalent (i.e., Sees Far, Mud Crawler, vs. Timqua, Keh-squa-reeh, etc.) It is not clear what is a Tribe, what is a given name, what is a term (more consistent italics would help with this). Names are also sometimes inconsistent and makes it hard to follow (i.e., Grandmother Dove, Granny Bird, Keh-Squa-Reeh, Grandmother Bird, are all presumably the same person?)
- Some comma splices and liberal use of ellipses made it hard for me to follow sometimes

My biggest distraction was the HEAVY focus on Euro-centric religious language. I am not religious, so it got pretty repetitive for me to read. That being said, as a historian, I don't have a complaint about this approach. It would be historically accurate for an English colonizer to be heavily focused on religion. I do think some integration of native spiritual practices could have been added to make this more of a historical fiction, rather than a historical Christian fiction. Specifically, the line referring to the Kurawoten's beliefs as "dark, dead religion" was disappointing, even though the POV was a colonizer.

Because I don't consider myself Christian, this book was simply just... not written for me. As a historian, I loved the premise and was appreciative of the bibliography, glossary, and cast list (though Felipe was missing?). To my friends who are Christian and love history, this might be a great fit for you.

Really loved this story. I had trouble getting through the first few chapters without some of the background so I would recommend reading the other books in the series first - but after that! Wow! Virginia had so much courage and faith in the face of the adversity she experienced. She was a real inspiration. And the romance was absolutely swoon worthy. Oh my - I will be thinking of Ginny and Felipe for a long while. Life was hard in this time, we all realize this, but perhaps what we don't stop to think about is that in addition to trying to survive in a new land there were also the emotional battles we experience today. I so admire the bravery and perseverance of those first folks who sailed to this country for their religious freedom. Read this book! You will not regret it! You may miss some sleep but it's so worth it.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion

As always, I so enjoy the beautiful and compelling stories of Shannon McNear, and Virginia had me turning pages late into the night! The author pours so much time and research into these believable "what if" stories in her 'Daughters of the Lost Colony series' and they are captivating! It was delightful seeing so many of the characters from the series a decade later, and hear Virginia's 'what if' story. Virginia and Felipe are such lovable characters and their journey was one the reader has the pleasure to be on with them!

The story of the lost colony has long fascinated me, and this is one of my favorite historical fiction series! I highly recommend the Daughters of the Lost Colony series.

For me, the anti-Catholic sentiments detracted from this story. Despite some doctrinal misunderstandings, and devotional misunderstandings in the story, Catholicism is the deep and beautiful faith that gave us the bible and was started by Jesus Christ himself. I remain a sister in Christ with all my fellow Catholic and Protestant sisters in Christ, and value all the ways our faith in Jesus is the same. I always appreciate the stories of redemption found in Shannon McNear's stories!

Thank you to the author for allowing me to read an early copy of Virginia. All opinions are my own.

I have been reading the books in the Daughters of the Lost Colony series since the first one came out. There are parts of these books that I enjoy, and parts I could do without, as with most books. Overall, I have liked these well enough that when the fourth and final book, Virginia, came available I wanted to read it.

As with the other three books in this series, Virginia is almost totally speculation, since we know so little about what really happened to Virginia Dare. However, it is quite an interesting “what-if” story. I enjoyed learning about the tribes of Native Americans who lived in the area that is now North Carolina. I also enjoyed listening in as Virginia and her fellow captives talked about and lived their Christian faith among the Mangoac people, growing in the Lord through the hard times they endured. It was interesting to see the attitudes the English would have had toward the Spanish, who were also trying to gain a foothold in the area. However, I did not appreciate how closely the author took us to the bedroom in one or two scenes. Nothing explicit was said, but enough that I was uncomfortable. Though I enjoyed the book, that was just enough to reduce my rating to four stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Chapter 12: Man burned alive. Chapter 13: Kiss, girl shot with arrow. Chapter 15: Kiss. Chapter 17: Two kisses, man thinks of taking more from girl than kisses. Chapter 18: Girl lies about being involved physically with a man. Chapter 24: More kissing, and going beyond, after marriage.

I really enjoyed this book. It is evident that the author definitely did a lot of research. I enjoyed the writing style. I did not read the first 3 books in the series so I found the glossary, region and people groups and cast of characters to be very helpful. Although I found Virginia was fine to read on its own. The backdrop was beautiful, as well as the look into the Native American cultures in the 1600s.

I will definitely be reading more from this author in the further and will be going back to read Elinor, Mary and Rebecca.

Thank you Barbour Fiction and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

Virginia continues the story based on the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Virginia is the first English child born in the New World. The story is set in 1602, and Virginia and two of her male friends are captured by members of the Skaru tribe attacking the island.

The story is well-researched and filled with the tribal culture, customs, and traditions of all peoples at that time. The descriptions of different events seemed real and made me feel like I was there.

The characters are well-developed, with some unfolding layers. Virginia and Felipe showed great faith, courage, and love. I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed the others in the series. I highly recommend it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and a positive review is not required. All opinions are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the heart of the story, I felt that there was too much "filler" stuff. (More about this below) In essence, without all of the "filler" stuff, this would have been a very good novella.

I don't think I've ever before given a spoiler in a review, but I feel strongly about my comment at the end of my review, especially as it may help a parent in deciding if the book is appropriate for a teen.

Pros:
*The author gave a clear presentation of the gospel message.
*There were amazing examples of sacrificial love.
*There were inspiring moments of trust in and reliance upon God.

Cons:
*There were repetitive passages re-telling the story of Virginia's captivity, as well as information about her mother's story.
*I felt the POV changes were a bit abrupt at times.

***SPOILER COMMENT BELOW***

While I commend the author for an honest depiction of Virginia’s physical desire for Felipe, I was uncomfortable with Virginia’s comments (and bodily expressions) that she would have given herself to him before marriage. This sinful behavior seems contradictory to her strong Christian values. To be clear, I’m not saving Virginia’s FEELINGS are sinful, but acting on them would have been.

This is a review of the upcoming book titled Virginia by Shannon McNear. It is book 4 of the Daughters of the Lost Colony series. I read this book without reading the others in the series, but after I read this, I went back and read the others to better understand the story.

I absolutely loved this book, and the whole series! It is set in 1602 on the isle of Cora Banks, which is a settlement where the English colonists and the Kuratowan Indians and other natives live together. This is the story of Virginia Dare, daughter of the English Elinor and Ananais Dare, who was the first child to be born in the new colony. Ginny , as they call her, is fourteen years old, and just entered womanhood, and who is beloved of all, both English and native alike. Ginny has grown up in the new world, and loves her life and family, but desires for some kind of adventure, but she never expected that God would use very hard circumstances to reveal Himself and His purpose for her!

One day Ginny decides to leave the confines of the settlement for some time to herself, but doesn't realize the danger or that two of her dear friends, Henry, who was also born at the same time she was, and Redbud, a Croatoan youth, are following her outside the safety of the village. This careless decision leads to the three being kidnapped by hostile natives, just like what happened to her mother Elinor Dare, but because Ginny also follows the One True God, she and the boys will have their faith tested and tried in ways they never thought possible! Will God truly work all things for good amongst captivity???

This book drew me in from the beginning. I was carried away in this era of America's history, as this book is based on a real girl who grew up in the first colonies. It is rich with history, so well written, well researched, and the cast of characters and the plot drew me in at the beginning and kept me turning the pages till I finished! It was so good, I read the other books in the series! I felt like I was in the story, and I learned so much! The struggles of the colonists and the natives came to life for me, but I was touched by how they did work together to survive, and the strength of their faith as well! There were many bad people amongst the English and Spanish settlers who did horrible things to the natives, and there were natives who wanted to send the settlers packing, but there were many who were kind and helped each other survive, and brought the love of Christ to these shores. I felt the story of America thru this book of the different people groups struggling greatly, but also coming to live together and work together to make our nation great! I am grateful they did, because i, too, follow Christ! So I highly recommend this book, and I rate it 5 stars!

#shannonmcnear #daughtersofthelostcolony #5stars #netgalley

Another epic historical read based on the story of the lost colony of Roanoke. This is Virginia Dare's tale, the first child born in the New World to the English settlers. Now nearly 15 years old in 1602, she and her two friends begin an adventure when their village on Cora Banks is raided by another tribe and they are taken captive.

I like how the author takes the facts of history and adds to it a culturally sensitive story, filling in the blanks with "what ifs" that create a memorable tale. It has characters that stick with you long past the last page. The author's extensive research into the language of the tribes, their culture and any known history surrounding the people groups, added so much to the story. She carefully uses the culture to craft her story and adds a deeply spiritual message as well, reflecting their beliefs and struggles.
"Who shall separate us from the love of God? ...God was with her."
A redemptive theme based on Scripture is woven in, and characters must decide what they believe, especially when tested. Elinor's heartfelt prayers for her missing daughter were especially moving as she struggled to trust God with the outcome. Virginia's recalling what she was taught and heard from her mother, especially from her own time in captivity, added to her faith and gave her the strength to carry on. It was difficult to read at times knowing what was expected of her and the choices she had to make, but the author handles it sensitively.
It had many moments of hope even in the difficult parts. There is some violence and heartrenching scenes, but not overly graphic, and they added a deeper message to the tale. This wasn't a fast read for me, but it was overall a satisfying one, especially towards the end. It would be better for mature readers, older teens and up.
Recommend reading Elinor and Mary before this one to make it more meaningful. Great series! 4.5 stars

What happened to the first English child born into the new world - Virginia Dare? In "Virginia," Book 4 of "The Lost Daughters Colony" by Shannon McNear, you get a glimpse of early American life & trials. "Ginny" is a 14 year old girl who gets kidnapped by Indians and taken deep into Mangoac territory. She struggles as a slave, learning the language & communication is a real barrier for her. When Blackbird decides he wants her for his wife, she knows it is not a compatible match. Her translator, Felipe discovers that his feelings for her also run deep. Virginia & Felipe both find their faith tested to great limits & pray for the strength to endure. I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Barbour Publishing & was under no obligation to post a reivew.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook arc of this story.
The stories of Roanoke and of Virginia Dare have always fascinated me, so I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, there was some sort of underlying factor in the writing style that really bothered me. Maybe I should revisit this book in the future, via a print copy.

I thought this was a very well written book and the storyline really well flushed out. Of course there were elements that were very hard to read but considering the era and people involved, they were most likely very accurate and sadly common in those times.
I think this was also very well written in the parts speaking of the Gospel and salvation. I really loved how detailed it was and how it laid out the love, grace, and forgiveness of God so beautifully. The story so thoughtfully portrayed daily walking with Christ and trusting and leaning on Him through trials.
At times, I felt the story stretched out a little in parts but then realized that I actually loved that. I felt like I was getting the whole story instead of rushing through parts. Looking at it as a whole, it was paced just right. I finished it in one day :) I also fell in love with the central characters and the communities. I learned so much about the early colonists and Native American tribes.
It was very interesting reading the author’s research journey at the end of the book and hearing why she made certain decisions in the story.
This is a clean Christian romance but I do think it's a little heavy on the romance for me. It's a bit more physical than I like even though it never goes into any details.
However, it was a great read and really loved hearing about a possible explanation to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Definitely going to read the earlier books in the series.

This was an exceptional book that, while based on theoretical scenarios, was a peek into history and the beginnings of our country. I fell in love with each of the main characters, even with their varied personalities and found myself turning pages later into the night than I intended. I didn't realize initially that there are two books before this one, but it read well as a standalone just fine. I am eager to go back and read the other two books in the series, now!

This is the 4th book in the series and they are all so enjoyable! I was glad to get more of Elinor and Sees Far in this book - I love their story!

In this book, Virginia Dare, or Ginny, is the darling of the English and Kurawoten peoples. Ducking out from a town meeting, her friends Henry and Redbud follow her. They are captured and taken far from Cora Banks to another native village where a holy man has claimed Ginny. The boys are learning the new language and ways, with the help of Felipe a Spainard that was also taken captive.

The descriptions of the Outer Banks and the native ways are so well detailed and interesting to learn. Shannon has a wonderful way of weaving history and religion in such a beautiful setting.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a digital, temporary ARC in return for my review.

I have really enjoyed the entirety of the Daughters of the Lost Colony series perhaps Virginia’s story the most. Obviously well researched history rich with culture and detailed setting, woven with the might have beens of the lost colony of Roanoke. You can easily read Virginia as a stand alone but the story is much richer having read both Elinor and Mary. The characters are engaging and complex and the plot moves along quickly and is poignant, beautiful and exciting. There is never a minute to lose interest. Sharing faith in the one true God is a central element in the book as it was a central element to these early English settlers. Virginia is heartfelt, powerful and a real delight.
Thank you to Net Galley and Barbour for the opportunity to read for my honest review.

So what did happen to this colony and this girl who became the first of a new generation lost in the wilds of America? Although the first English child in this world, she’s not the first European child… in fact, I loved how the author weaved the Spanish into this story! Bitter enemies, the two cultures set eyes on this new world and find themselves in dire circumstances, Ginny as she’s known to those who love her, is a brave and adventurous young woman, living among the Native Americans and thriving, and finding love and happiness despite the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Roanoke. A bit of a love triangle, lots of drama, and a fast paced book made it hard to put down!
This is definitely Christian fiction, as I found the characters praying nonstop and religious matters were constantly in the picture, however, it’s very well researched and a great plot making it good historical fiction too.

This book gives a unique and refreshing perspective on early life in the Americas. While speculative and based on the lost Roanoake Colony it is a refreshing picture of what could be where the English and Native American peoples allowed to live together in perfect harmony as Christians. This was a thought provoking book and brought new ideas to the narrative. I give it 4 stars.

Outstanding! I wasn't sure what to expect with this book since I have not read the previous books in the series, nor anything else by Shannon McNear. I was very pleased to find that this can certainly be read as a stand-alone novel, although I can tell that I would also have gained much enjoyment and depth of understanding if I had read Elinor's and Mary's stories first. I have added them to my Want To Read list!

Virginia "Ginny" Dare, Redbud, and Henry Harvie are out running the island when they are taken captive by Skaru:re warriors during a raid. The story follows their time in captivity, where they meet Felipe, a Spaniard who was taken captive as a young boy but eventually became a Skaru:re warrior. As their lives intertwine, it is clear to see that God has a plan, although they struggle to see what it is.

The author clearly did extensive research for this book, and it was a lovely touch to include some of the languages as well. I appreciated the cast of characters, regions and people groups, and glossary that was provided at the back of the book, especially where it included pronunciation. The Historical Note should not be overlooked. I don't know much of anything about the Lost Colony, other than having heard of it in very vague terms, so the true history, myths, and speculations were pretty new to me. My interest has been piqued, and I find myself wanting to delve into some research of my own!

Thank you, Barbour Publishing for providing an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a beautifully written “what if” story about Virginia Dare, the first white child born in the New World. Little is known about the Lost Colony, but it is obvious that the author has done extensive research. The book can best be enjoyed after reading the 2 previous novels in the series--Elinor and Mary, but can still be read as a stand alone. I was thoroughly engrossed in Ginny’s story and wondering how the cultures could converge. As long as I kept “this is fiction” in the back of my mind, I really enjoyed the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

✅ Christian Historical Romance
✅ 1602 Outer Banks (islands off the coast of North Carolina)
✅ Suspenseful and gripping storyline!
✅ Strong faith element!

Virginia by Shannon McNear is book number four in the Daughters of the Lost Colony series. In this story, we follow young Virginia “Ginny” Dare, the first English born on colony soil along the Outer Banks! This is a beautiful and gripping “coming-of-age” story as Ginny is forced to learn to navigate life in a hostile native environment. Ginny comes from a family of mixed origins - her step-father being a native and her mother an English citizen. Growing up in a colony that preaches Christ, Ginny’s faith gets put to the test as she is thrust into situations where she can rely on nobody BUT Christ. Her story becomes eerily similar to that of her mother who also was stolen by a native tribe when she first arrived in the Outer Banks when Ginny was only two years old. Relying on the strength and courage passed down by her mother, Ginny does her best to “work as unto the Lord” and to show this enemy tribe what living out her faith looks like.

This story was a real page-turner from the beginning. I was surprised at the amount of suspenseful action included! There were a few times when I felt as if I was holding my breath, waiting to see what would happen next. There was a scene near the beginning of the book that nearly made me set it down and not finish it. I know it was probably true to history and how things would have been handled but I was shocked to read it and find it included in a Christian Fiction novel. I pushed through, however, and was certainly glad I did! There were some hard subjects but you can tell this book was well-researched and accurately written! The faith elements were very moving and the characters truly lived their faith which was refreshing to see. I’d say there were some parts in the last 25% of the book that were a little slow/dragging for me, but overall the book was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone to read!