The Mark of the King

Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including Wedded to War, a Christy Award finalist in 2013, and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman.  Jocelyn lives with her husband and two children in Iowa.

Connect with Jocelyn at www.jocelyngreen.com.

Life in this new world requires more strength than she ever imagined.

After the death of her client, midwife Julianne Chevalier is imprisoned and branded, marking her as a criminal beyond redemption.  Hoping to reunite with her brother, a soldier, she trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling French colony of Louisiana.  The price of her transport, however, is a forced marriage to a fellow convict.

New Orleans is nothing like Julianne expects.  The settlement is steeped in mud and mosquitoes, and there is no news of her brother, Benjamin.  When tragedy strikes, she turns to military officer Marc-Paul Girard for help, but does he know more about her brother than he will admit?

With her dreams shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous land, where only grace - and love - can overcome the stigma of the king's mark upon her shoulder.

My Thoughts:
In The Mark of the King, Jocelyn Green takes readers back to the 18th-century frontier.  With masterful description and characterization, she draws readers in and holds their attention until they have turned the last page.  If you enjoy Historical Fiction, you will appreciate the research and attention to detail in this story of 18th-century New Orleans.
Julianne's journey from France to New Orleans is one of overcoming some of the most desperate circumstances to find her true identity and one of hope.

"A fleeting smile lit Julianne's face before her gaze traveled to the Bible on the bureau.  'If we had prayed harder for peace, could we have prevented the arrow from touching you?'  "I don't know," Marc-Paul admitted.  "Certainly the hand of God could have nudged the arrow off its path= and maybe He did, for it didn't strike my heart or head.  But the greater miracle is for us to have peace and grace in our spirits, no matter what the circumstances."

I always try to read whatever book I hold in my hands with a gospel-centered lense.  Some books are easier to see the gospel in play than others.  The Mark of the King was very easy to see an underlying picture of the gospel.  Julianne begins her journey with a mark, literally a brand identifying her as a criminal.  But, she ends her journey with a mark of grace upon her life.  What happens in between is nothing short of the grace upon grace spoken of in the book of James in the Bible.  The Mark of the King should be in your personal library and Jocelyn Green is an author to be followed.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book.  All opinions are my own.

Happy Reading,
Jennifer