Mine Is the Night, by Liz Curtis Higgs

WOW.

Liz Curtis Higgs has penned an incredible sequel to Here Burns My Candle (linked to my review).  Mine Is the Night did not disappoint me in any sort of way.  In fact, I enjoyed this tale of Elisabeth and Marjory even more than in the first book.

Here Burns My Candle begins this two book series interpretation of Ruth and Naomi, set in Scotland in the 1700's.  Elisabeth lost her husband, and vows to stay by Marjory.  After being wealthy and of the upper class, they are now poor...so poor.  Mine Is the Night takes them to a different town where they beg to stay with a distant cousin of Marjory's.

Marjory and Elisabeth do all they can to help their poor cousin Anne.  After having servants all of her life, Marjory serves her daughter-in-law and cousin.  The changes in Marjory are amazing.  I love this humbled character!  Elisabeth seeks employment as a seamstress, a trade she is well-skilled in, though her services are not needed for long.  Eventually she finds herself employed by a wealthy man.  Strangely enough, some affection seems to develop between them.  Society would never have them together, especially since she has committed treason.

Liz Curtis Higgs wrote an endearing tale of redemption and restoration for both Majory and Elisabeth because both women were able to humble themselves.   This book will certainly leave you wanting to read of Ruth and Boaz in the Old Testament to see how God worked in these actual people's lives.  Our God is truly a God of love.  He shows it repeatedly as he wishes to redeem each one of us...and restore us to himself.  God offers us a gift of mercy and grace-salvation through Jesus-and we just need to accept it.

While Here Burns My Candle was a dramatic and emotional story of sorrow, Mine Is the Night is also emotional and dramatic, but it is a tale of hope.  I may not always enjoy romance, but this is a book that I am thankful to own.  Though romantic, it is even more so honoring to God...including the romance.  Without including spoilers, I thought Marjory didn't quite think through her suggestion of Elisabeth presenting herself without a chaperon.  I would have liked that to be a bit differently written, but still was captured by it.

Mine Is the Night is the conclusion to this two-part series.  Having read the first one about a year ago, I was able to pick this up and dive right into the language.  It read very easy for me (unlike HBMC which took some getting used to).  I think you could read and enjoy this book independent of HBMC, but I wouldn't recommend it.  Though sorrowful, HBMC is well worth it!  I highly recommend Mine Is the Night, especially if you like historical fiction.

(If you ever visit Net's Book Nook to see what titles I've been reading and listening to, you will see that recently I have been reading almost no books except the Bible.  I have just been too tired!  However, MItN kept me up LATE several times because I could not put it down....so good...definitely read it for yourself!  I couldn't believe how quickly I finished it, especially since I remember it taking me a couple weeks to complete HBMC.)

I sincerely thank WaterBrook Press for providing me a review copy!  (If you are interested in Blogging for Books, you can, too!)