The year is 1776 and the fate of the brand new United States of America is in extreme peril. The British and their Hessian help invade the homes of people in New Jersey.

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Carpenter is caught in the middle. She and her sister-in-law are forced to house and care for five boarding officers. Things get more dangerous as a wounded patriot spy ends up on their doorstep with nowhere else to turn and Abigail finds herself deeply embroiled in the patriot cause, and an unexpected friendship has Abigail searching for answers as to what she is willing to sacrifice if she is faced with a difficult choice.

This historical fiction novel by Jeannette DiLouie is filled with wonderful historical facts about a time that was detrimental to the birth and success of our nation.

Jeannette DiLouie wrote this novel in first person, which as a writer, I find very difficult to do well. Ms. DiLouie did a fine job of it, although I did feel like there were places where Abigail became more of a narrator “telling” some of the story. I didn’t feel there was enough live action and dialogue. However, that’s my personal opinion, which could very well stem from the fact that I don’t read many novels that are written in first person. In any event, it didn’t keep me from liking the story line and the characters.

Ms. DiLouie is very good at creating characters that capture the reader’s interest and make the reader care about them. In combination with Abigail and one or two other characters in the story, the story line also kept my attention as I love history. These are the two things that kept me turning the pages.

I would like to see Ms. DiLouie write at least a novella as a follow-up because I would really like to know more about a particular relationship in the story.

If you like American history and strong, interesting female characters, I think you’d like Maiden America by Jeannette DiLouie.