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Eastertide, April 1775. In the blockaded port of Boston the conflict between the Regulars and the Sons of Liberty rapidly escalates toward a fateful confrontation. Caught in the deepening rift that divides Whig and Tory, Elizabeth Howard is torn between her love for her prominent parents, who have strong ties to the British, and her secret allegiance to the cause of liberty. By night she plays a dangerous game as the infamous courier Oriole, hunted by the British for smuggling intelligence and munitions to the patriot leaders. And by day she treads increasingly perilous ground as she flirts ever more boldly with British officers to gain access to information the rebels so desperately need. Elizabeth’s assignment is to pin down when the Redcoats will march to capture the patriots’ hoarded munitions. But she hasn’t counted on the arrival of Jonathan Carleton, an officer in the Seventeenth Light Dragoons. To her dismay, the attraction between them is immediate, powerful—and fought on both sides in a war of wits and words. When Carleton wins the assignment to ferret out Oriole, Elizabeth can no longer deny that he is her most dangerous foe—and the possessor of her heart. As the first blood is spilled at Lexington and Concord, Carleton fights his own private battle of faith. And headstrong Elizabeth learns the bitter consequences of following her own impulsive heart when her dangerous role thrusts her into the carnage of Bunker Hill.
Anonymous
Posted August 27, 2008
You can't help but love Elizabeth for her bravery and strong spirit. She is a character that makes me wait anxiously for book three in this series. I appreciate the insight into American History that this book brings along with the fantastic story telling. I'm considering adding it to our American History home school curriculum because of the incredible detail included in the engaging story. Great book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 30, 2007
I'm incredibly impressed with the quality of this book and this author. Picture something between John Jakes and Diana Gabaldon, and you have Daughter of Liberty - a sweeping story of the beginning of the American Revolution AND the satisfying growth of a relationship that is fraught with impossibilities...and danger.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 29, 2006
For someone like me who is not a fan of historic fiction and who honestly believed I had already read more than enough accounts of our country¿s revolutionary period, I was pleasantly surprised to discover The American Patriot Series by J. M. Hochstetler. The first book in this excellent series, Daughter of Liberty, was also the first book I had read by this particular author, but I knew right away it would not be the last. Within moments of turning to the opening page, I was captivated by this story of the brave and daring Oriole, a spy for the American Revolutionaries with a secret that could change the course of a nation, and Patriot, another spy with a most amazing secret of his own. Hochstetler not only weaves a suspenseful tale of courage, intrigue, and romance, but also decorates the pages of this exquisite novel with some of the best writing I¿ve come across in years. This book was well worth the read, and served to push me on to the second book in the series.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 14, 2006
Rushing ahead to act without thought to God¿s will has consequences. Most often, negative, painful, and life-scarring. Yet we¿ve all done it. This is what connects a reader¿s heart to Elizabeth Howard, the main character in Daughter of Liberty, the first in The American Patriot Series, masterfully written by J. M. Hochstetler. Elizabeth portrays the essence of innocent and faithful daughter to an established Boston family stalwartly supporting the Whig party. All the while, she is passionate for the patriot cause and dons the role of Oriole¿elusive rebel spy. Life takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of Captain Jonathan Carleton. He¿s magnetic, handsome, and a Redcoat. Elizabeth¿s traitorous heart is completely captured¿ a complication she hadn¿t counted on, especially when the first shots ring out in Lexington and Concord. More than just her heart is at stake during the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War. The lives of many depend on Elizabeth. But has she truly learned to wait on God¿s will, or rush ahead in her own power to save the day? J. M. Hochstetler¿s story delivers to the reader not only a page turner, but a wealth of education about the beginnings of the War for Independence.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 16, 2006
¿The crack of the pistol¿s report came from directly behind the courier. Sizzling past so close to his ear he could feel the heat of it.¿ With these words, and the impact of a rebel fieldpiece, J. M. Hochstetler¿s Daughter of Liberty bursts onto the historical fiction scene. Twenty-year-old Bostonian Elizabeth Howard sympathizes with the patriots¿ struggle for freedom from English oppression. Her convictions set her at odds with her parents¿ pro-British sympathies, and force her to live a life of lies and deception. By day she is a debutante, by night she is a spy. Ruggedly handsome Jonathan Carleton was born in England, but is now a wealthy Virginian landowner. He¿s committed to serving his country, but to which does he owe his allegiance? As a member of the British regulars he stands for everything Elizabeth despises. From the moment these two meet, their attraction is fiery and dangerous, and neither Jonathan nor Elizabeth suspects the other¿s true allegiance. Are they destined to remain enemies forever? Add to this conflict a villain out to get both the hero and heroine, and a final plot twist that will delight fans of the Jane Seymore version of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and you¿ve got a truly interesting read. The Revolutionary War makes a great setting for the realistic plot and action Hochstetler incorporates. Fans of American history will appreciate this novel as a painless way to learn more about the lives of such famous historical figures as General Thomas Gage, General John Pitcairn, Paul Revere, and Dr. Joseph Warren. Although I am a fan of historical fiction, I was a little overwhelmed with the depth of history included in this book. The emotion of ¿disgust¿ was also used too frequently in the prose for my taste. However, the plot, the lively dialogue, and the character interaction¿especially the romantic development¿are fabulous, so don¿t let the historical details stop you.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This awesome lovestory compels you to read it all the way to the end without stopping. My heart ached at the battle scenes where often people knew each other on opposing sides. They fought for what they believed in and were willing to die for freedom. Americans have lost their sense of patriotism. The heroine in the book is torn between her family and her beliefs about liberty and oppression and is willing to risk everything to see that happen. The love which develops between her and a British officer is compelling and well done. The suspense keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat. I cried when it seemed like all was lost. I admired the heroine's faith in God. I can't wait for the sequel to come out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 4, 2004
J. M. Hochstetler has written an exciting, informative story about what our founding mothers and fathers endured so that we might live in a free country. The early days of the American Revolution are brought to life through the eyes of patriot spy Elizabeth Howard and the man she must not love, Captain Jonathan Carleton of the British Light Dragoons. As both face life and death situations, their courage is tested time and again. Choosing love of country over their own hearts¿ longings, each faces an even more powerful, more personal struggle to find God¿s will in the midst of the escalating war. This is an exceptional book. I read the last 150 pages in one sitting. Heart racing, tears falling, I suffered the anguish and indecision that Elizabeth and Jonathan experienced. Hochstetler has created a magnificent, well-crafted story that will endure with the classics because she did not fall into the weak folly of so many modern writers ¿ that of forcing today¿s values and ideas into a time in which they did not exist. To read Daughter of Liberty is to live in 1775 and to experience the spirit that made our country great. Read this book for pleasure, but don¿t be surprised when you receive an awesome history lesson that brings you an appreciation of the United States of America in a deep, new way.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 19, 2004
J. M. Hochstetler¿s Daughter of Liberty ushers us back to 1775 and surrounds us with the unsettled essence of that troubled time in American history. As Elizabeth Howard continues her dangerous mission as the elusive courier ¿Oriole,¿ she¿s torn between her family¿s ties to England and her own hidden devotion to the Regulars. Rubbing elbows with key players on both sides of the war, Elizabeth encounters risk at every turn, but never more so than when she meets Jonathan Carleton, a charming captain in the Seventeenth Light Dragoons. Fighting her attraction to the British officer, Elizabeth must keep her composure and remain focused on her secretive work. But love and war are fickle companions, often blurring the lines drawn in the sand. Hochstetler¿s research is impeccable, woven through a compelling love story that keeps us guessing to the final page. Her extreme talents as a gifted story teller shine on every page, drawing us in deeper and deeper until we can almost smell the smoke of gunpowder and hear the echo of battle cries. A great read, leaving us wanting more! Looking forward to the sequel in this American Patriot Series!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In "Daughter of Liberty," J/M/ Hochstetler brings to life that unique period of history when Americans won their independence from the British. In 1775, the English king has enslaved his colonies with such excessive taxation on imported goods they can't earn decent livings to support themselves. Though the puritanical Loyalists follow scripture by submitting what they demand to the king and his governors, a growing number of colonists believe the tyrant king has forfeited his right to rule, also according to God's directions in scripture, and they band in rising rebellion against their British masters. Central to the success of this resistance movement is Boston's Elizabeth Howard, a stunning beauty who, by day, tantalizes British officers to charm them into revealing military plans and then, by night, transforms into the boy courier, Oriole, who delivers secret intelligence to the leader of the American troops. There is a high price on Oriole's head, but no one suspects "he" is a woman whose parents are prominent supporters of the British Tories. Politics and adventure. Conflict and terror. All ingredients of the same conditions we face today.
Living by wit and her feisty nature, Elizabeth meets the newly appointed British officer of the Seventh Light Dragoons, Jonathan Carleton, and loses her heart to him, only to face the hopelessness of their love because of their opposing loyalties. When the British capture the notorious spy, Patriot, Elizabeth discovers it's actually Jonathan and devises a plan for his escape. Together at last, they think they are free to wed and can openly work for the rebel cause.
J.M. Hochstetler takes us in her time machine and transforms poster-stamp names in history, such as George Washington, John Hancock or Samuel Adams, into real characters we can see, hear and at times even smell, like or dislike depending on their moods or deeds. She helps readers reconnect to the "pluck" that built her nation's love of freedom and independent enterprise. In these difficult economic times, Americans need to be reminded of the resourcefulness and courage of their forebears, of the united spirit that rescued them from poverty and tyranny, and to show them that once again they can rise to overcome oppressive conditions.
This fictional trilogy set in the American Revolution is not only a thoroughly entertaining Five-Star read but also belongs in every library across the country, especially from middle schools to universities. As required reading, it would certainly make history the exciting study it truly is and give back to Americans pride in their heritage.
Anonymous
Posted June 28, 2005
The novel was exceptionally written. It came with a guarantee that if you read it you would love it or the store would give you your money back. So I got it and I have throughly enjoyed reading it. It left you wondering what was going to happen next. It had a plot of a love story mixed with adventure that would satisfy any reader's palate.
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Posted September 7, 2009
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Overview
Eastertide, April 1775. In the blockaded port of Boston the conflict between the Regulars and the Sons of Liberty rapidly escalates toward a fateful confrontation. Caught in the deepening rift that divides Whig and Tory, Elizabeth Howard is torn between her love for her prominent parents, who have strong ties to the British, and her secret allegiance to the cause of liberty. By night she plays a dangerous game as the infamous courier Oriole, hunted by the British for smuggling intelligence and munitions to the ...