The Shopkeeper's Widow

Delany a shopkeeper during the rise of the revolutionary war. Who also has to defend herself Against unwanted advances and characters who think it’s their right for her to be married she has been a widow long enough.
She is also a independent shopkeeper during a time where women should stay home keep to themselves watch how the tide goes. She was indentured slave at one point for the promise of more money. She is also considered someone who married “ out of her league “ after she finished her indentured servitude.
Life’s tough, is she ready to see an equal partnership in the love area? Maybe it’s better protection to be married. I really liked Delany and her Emotional trek.

This Arc was given to me by netgalley I. Exchange for an honest review.

Readers will be transported back into the time of our country struggling for independence. Delaney, young widow previously had been an indentured servant. She only wants to own her land and enjoy her freedom. An evil so-called friend is after her to obtain her wealth at any cost. When a friend from her past arrives, she will need to make a choice whether to trust him. Readers who love historical novels will enjoy this story.

I enjoyed reading this book. The two main characters were interesting and both of them are strong . There was enough drama in the story that kept me reading on. I was not disappointed and pleased that there was a happy ending . I do recommend that you read this historical book.

I was surprised at this book. I didn't realize it was a Christian Romance. But it was a good read. I enjoyed the day-to-day descriptions of Colonial Virginia. This book was set just before the Revolutionary War of Independence. It deals with getting arms into the hards of the Revolutionary Armies. The heroine is a widow whose husband owned a toy store and warehouse in Norfolk. She also owns a house on the family farm and she owns her fathers farm further North. She is hounded by one of her late husband's friend into accepting to marry him. She had been refusing for years. He is a greedy man whose evil oozes out of his pores. The hero is a childhood love of hers. She loved him as a child until she went to a dance at his parent's house. Her father was his father's indentured servant and while his father thought her father was the best of men, the local land owner's children looked down on her because she was also a servant. She did not fit in. Seven years later, her father had earned his freedom and bought a large farm. She somehow ended up married to a cold, money grubbing man. It is not fully explained, but she married him under duress. The hero has returned to the Colonies with many crates of flint lock rifles for his father. He is to make contact and the guns will go into the correct hands. The hero tricks the heroine into storing the guns in her warehouse until they can be moved. This was not the most optimistic story, but it did have some good moments. The reader could really pick up the stress of having the Bristish destroy or steal anything they wanted and there was no recourse. Another issue this book dealt with was slavery. It was a good history lesson to us about how divided people were about slavery. I enjoyed this book, but the characters were all a bit too formal and stilted. I find it hard to see a love blossoming between the main couple. There was a very practical edge to the story that needed to be eased up on for this to be a Romance. And a little more sexual tension between the main couple. There has to be an attraction between then. I recommend this book with 4 stars.

Delany Button and her father came to America as indentured servants. While serving the seven years, she met and fell in love, at least as much as a 15 year old can fall in love, with the son of a plantation owner, Field Archer, Because she was a servant, Field thought she was beneath him and didn't return her affection. Delany's father got his land and passed away. Delany married her father's friend, Tom, and after he died, she worked in his toy and curiosity shop in Norfolk. Lord Dunsmore was threatening to burn the city of Norfolk and hang anyone smuggling weapons to the "resistance". Field returns from a trip to London, bringing illegal weapons for the militia. Delany agrees to help Field get them in the right hands.

Field and Delany cannot deny the growing attraction between, but Delany cannot agree to a future with a man who will inherit a plantation with hundreds of slaves. Meanwhile, they are trying to get the guns to the militia, and protect Delany from some very bad men. The Shopkeeper's Widow by Izzy James is set in pre-Revolutionary War Virginia and is full of adventure, faith in God, and romance. I enjoyed the story.

This book takes place in the years of rebellion in colonial Virginia. It delves into women's rights, slavery, treason, and other major issues of the day. I enjoyed getting to know the main characters and seeing their growth.

This is a well written book that hooks you on the first page. It has just the right amount of drama to keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Field and Delany's story was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it to everybody that likes christian historical romance. Thank you Pelican Book Group via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Unrequited Young Love. Dashed Hopes. Broken Dreams. Family. Belonging.

Although set during the onset of the Revolutionary War, the belief that you can be more than your circumstances and can rise farther than your birth are prevalent in this book. The American Dream at its finest. From indentured servant to business owner and landowner, Delany Fleet is not your average colonial woman.

Despite a few poor decisions, I liked Delany’s character. She was intelligent and truly tried to do her best. My only qualm is simply her decision to have married Tom, her deceased husband. From everything written in the book he was a terrible man, and she knew that prior to marrying him. I wish this had been addressed in the book as it seemed out of character, but besides that, Delany was a character worth rooting for! When she was frightened, so was I; when she was hurt or disappointed, so was I; when she was lonely and desiring more, so was I; when she was happy and content, so was I.

I personally am a little torn on Field Archer. Although I liked his character, I felt he was at times shallow. However, that may be due to his life experiences. He did grow throughout the book and I appreciated his desire to protect and care for Delany, even when he was unaware of his emotions.

Full of historical detail, I learned a lot about the American Revolution and the culture of the day and age. As you may have already been made aware, I absolutely love history, especially when it consists of information I was not even made aware of. I wish there was an author’s note at the end to learn more about the author’s writing process and reason for choosing this particular time as it is her first historical novel.

Personally, I wish there was more to the epilogue. It seemed rather short and abrupt, more like a checkbox than a true in-depth look at the characters’ lives. However, it was sweet and left me happy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and despite my desire for more, I was hooked from page one. I look forward to reading more from Izzy James in the future and hope she continues to write more historical fiction!

Red Review: ❤️❤️❤️💔(.5)
*** 3.5 Stars: Compelling Characters, Well-Written (.5), Interesting Storyline, Unable to Stop

Years have passed since former indentured servant Delaney Fleet's girlish dreams of marrying Field Archer were crushed by cruel words. Since then, Delaney is a widow, but a widow who has worked hard, owns a business, and owns her own property, which is no small feat for a woman living in Virginia during the Revolutionary time period. When Archer pops back into her life with smuggled firearms and war threatens everything she's worked for, Delaney must leave Norfolk to protect herself, her family and friends. As she becomes embroiled in plots against patriot and tory alike, Delaney must use all her resourcefulness and determination to survive, but one thing she doesn't expect is for her feelings for Archer to reemerge and grow. As tensions rise between America and the Crown, Delaney will have to forge her own destiny in a world that seeks to take her freedoms away from her, and she must balance that with her faith and her heart.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed The Shopkeeper's Widow. I love Revolutionary War history so much that I specialized in it for my masters, and this had everything I loved in a good historical fiction. There was intrigue, smuggling and so much romance that kept me interested. I adored Delaney as a character with her determination, her wit, her kind heart and her grit. She was a very sympathetic character who I felt very invested in. The plot itself didn't slow down in the way many in this genre do. Fraught with danger and peril, The Shopkeeper's Widow is a story about forgiveness and second chances as a young woman must fight hard for what she wants and do what her heart tells her is right at a time where lines are being drawn and war beckons. If you enjoy Historical fiction, I encourage you to pick up this book. It was very good.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

The Shopkeeper’s Widow is a very well written historical romance. Good plot and character dynamics. If you are a fan of historical romance novels you will enjoy this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

The Shopkeeper's Widow by Izzy James

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Izzy James brings to readers a story of love and forgiveness set in Virginia right before the War for Independence that will teach lessons in history, humanity and learning to forgive in the face of danger.

I've not read any books by Ms. James beforehand but really enjoyed this introduction to her writing. I liked that she crafted her story well with plenty of intrigue and action. My only issue with the story was that it seemed a bit rushed at points which didn't allow for all my questions to be answered by the end of the story. The solutions to everything was a bit too pat for me and I would have liked to have seen more dialogue between the main characters as they were coming to their conclusions. Otherwise I found the story very engaging and interesting. There was plenty of good historical fact included alongside the fiction which helped make the story more realistic and a good read. This is one of my favorite periods of time in America and I was glad to see that Ms. James chose such an great setting for her story. I will most certainly recommend this book to others and hope they will enjoy it as I did.

I received this temporary complimentary E-book from White Rose Publishing via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

The Shopkeeper's Widow
by Izzy James
Pelican Book Group
Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance
Pub Date 21 Aug 2020


I am reviewing a copy of The Shopkeepers Widow through Pelican Book Group and Netgalley:





The Shopkeepers Widow will transport you back to the Colonial days of America and take you to the Colonial Port of Norfolk Virgina where you will be introduced to Delany Fleet. Delany is a former indentured servant who dreams of having an estate of her own , where she does not have to compromise her freedom.




Delany is forced to leave her home and her livelihood to protect her family and property from Lord Dunmore's raids. As well as the conniving plots of a man who claims to be her friend, after the only man she ever loved shows up carrying a load of smuggled firearms.




Delany now has to find a new way to happiness,now that her destiny is altered forever.


Can she find the path to happiness by reconnecting with her husband’s family and a former love be the path that God has for her?



I give The Shopkeepers Widow five out of five stars!




Happy Reading!

i was invested in the romance between the main characters and I really enjoyed going on this journey. i look forward to more from the author.