A Place in His Heart by Rebecca DeMarino

 She could cross an ocean, but could she ever win his heart?

Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Left at the altar and disgraced in her small hamlet, she is being pressured to marry the eligible son of the London milliner. Puritan Barnabas Horton still grieves the loss of his beloved wife, but he knows his two young sons need a mother.

With tender hearts, Mary and Barnabas take a leap of faith and wed. But when Barnabas's secret plans to move his family to the New World to escape persecution come to light, Mary's world is upended. How could she possibly leave her papa and her dear sister?

And will she ever reach the secret places of her husband's broken heart?


My Thoughts on This Book:


Mary loves her family and her desire to marry for love overtakes her emotions. When she finds out that her father is arranging a marriage to someone she doesn't love or like, she looks to other solutions. When she finds Barnabas, the local baker needing a wife so she could help raise his two boys, she sees her love growing towards him. Her father isn't liking the idea of her marrying him at first, seeing his faith different than theirs and that his position in society may not be enough for his daughter.


After much persuasion from his two daughters, her father blesses the union and they marry. Mary love Barnabas but he is stuck on the love from his previous marriage with Ann. His oldest son Joseph also finds it hard to love Mary and can't let go of his mother's memory.


Even though Mary wants all of them to continue to remember Ann, and to love her after her death, it seems like nobody wants to let her go, keep her as a memory and move on. I found that part of the story so hard to understand but know that it would be hard in this time period to not have a spouse when you have young children. Mary is full of compassion, and patience, waiting for her husband and his two boys to love her.

With her love she decides to embark on the journey to the New World with her husband, following him, with the promise that life will be better.

I loved the storyline, but sometimes it felt like it was moving so quickly. One chapter was one year and 10 pages later we are 3 years into the future.. I still liked the overall storyline and loved the development of the characters and the time period. I would recommend everyone to read it.




 When Rebecca DeMarino traveled to Horton Point, Long Island, with her mother, Helen Jean Horton Worley, in 1999, passions collided: her love of faith, family, travel, history, and writing. Rebecca's debut novel, A PLACE IN HIS HEART, is a historical romance based on Mary and Barnabas Horton, Rebecca's ninth great-grandparents. Set in 1600's Southold, Long Island, book one of The Southold Chronicles will be released by Revell in June, 2014. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and when not writing, she enjoys family and genealogy, travel, reading, running, baking and gardening. Rebecca is represented by Greg Johnson of WordServe Literary Agency.

I received this book from the publisher free in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given.