About the Book

Book: Rebel Light

Author: Marilyn Turk

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: 2018

She ran away from the war only to find herself in the middle of it. Who will protect her now?

It’s 1861, Florida has seceded from the Union, and residents of Pensacola evacuate inland to escape the impending war. But Kate McFarlane’s impulsive act of rebellion changes her life and that of many others in ways she never expected.
As a result, Kate finds herself with an eccentric aunt in an unfamiliar place. Lieutenant Clay Harris, a handsome Confederate officer, offers a chance for romance, but his actions make Kate question his character. When a hurricane brings an injured shipwrecked sailor from the Union blockade to her aunt’s house, Kate fights attraction to the man while hiding him from Clay. She’s determined to warn her sea captain father about the blockade, but needs someone to help her. Who can she trust – her ally or her enemy?

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About the Author

Award-winning author Marilyn Turk writes historical and contemporary novels laced with suspense and romance. She especially likes finding little-known historical tidbits to include in her books. In addition to fiction, Marilyn is a contributor to Guideposts’ Walking in Grace and other anthologies. She and her husband are lighthouse enthusiasts, have visited over 100 lighthouses, and served as volunteer lighthouse caretakers at Little River Light off the coast of Maine.

When not writing or visiting lighthouses, Marilyn enjoys reading, walking, kayaking, fishing, gardening and playing tennis. She also sings in the choir at her church and leads a women’s Bible study group.

She is a member of ACFW, Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers, AWSA, Word Weavers International and the United States Lighthouse Society.

More from Marilyn

When I moved to Florida, I “met” my first lighthouse in person, the Pensacola Lighthouse. I was hooked on lighthouses from then on. I’ve always been interested in Civil War history as well, since so much of it took place in the south where I live, and I’ve been curious about what it was like to live in Florida during the war. Research on the subject got my creative wheels turning, and the story of Rebel Light was born. The book takes place in the beginning of the Civil War in Florida and shows the effects it had on the people living in the area. I loved the story of Katherine, the only child of a seafaring father, as she matures after leaving her familiar home in Pensacola and finds herself in an unfamiliar place where she has to abandon the rigid societal confines of her former life and become an asset to her hardy great aunt in Apalachicola.

These characters are like my good friends, and I love them and their personalities. In fact, I love them so much, I wrote a sequel to Katherine’s story, Revealing Light, and thus the whole series of the Coastal Lights Legacy was born.

My Impressions

“‘the key to God’s light is in His Word.’”

I found many reasons to like Rebel Light by Marilyn Turk. It takes place during the Civil War, but in a place I don’t normally think about being part of the War- Florida. It also is set in lesser-known (to me)cities: Pensacola and Apalachicola. (I had to look up my own map.) It involves a major storm. The strict, eccentric character, Aunt Sally, turns out to be one of the best, solidly likable and godly secondary characters. The main character, Kate, has to grow up in many ways through the book. We see both people who are extremely prejudiced and others who understand that all are created equal- and treat others as such. We see true faith lived out, attracting others.

Kate, a sea captain’s nearly grown daughter, decides to stow away on her father’s ship, rather than flee to a relative’s home away from Pensacola. Her father then leaves her in the care of an aunt she barely knows and a beloved, free servant. Kate moves from a life of semi-luxury to feeling like a field hand as she works the farm with her aunt and others. Can Kate stop thinking of herself first and begin to put others’ needs before her own? She will have plenty of opportunities to make a choice either way. And will she find the love she is looking for, or will she be known for being single as her aunt has been for so long?

I loved that the repeated answer comes from different people when problems arise- “Pray!” The establishment of daily oral Bible reading with household members creates a very real unity that becomes unbreakable.

If you enjoy clean, historical fiction about the Civil War with threads of faith, Rebel Light is a great book to pick up. I picked up the next three in the series when I finished this one!

I received the book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“Sometimes when things don’t work out the way we expected, we have to understand there must be a reason. We must look for God’s plan in the matter. What lessons can we learn? Is there anything He wants to teach us?”

“Mr. Harris, the good Lord’s taken care of me this long; I don’t expect He’ll stop now. I just trust Him to do it, that’s all. Didn’t He say in the Good Book, ‘Fear not, for the Lord is with thee’?”

“…sometimes de Lawd puts thoughts in yo’ head at just de right time. So I don’t argue with Him. If dere’s one thing I’se learned in my life, it’s don’t argue with de Lawd. If He say do somethin’, you just go ahead and does it.”-John

“But these days we can’t always do what we want when duty calls.”- Joshua