Get 50% off Catholic Books & eBooks

Discover the Next Tolkien & O'Connor

Join Here for FREE to Never Miss a Deal

Find new favorites & Support Catholic Authors

Genre

Historcial Fiction, Romance

Audience

15 & Up

Author’s Worldview

Catholic

Year Published

2018

Themes

Slavery, Justice, Vocations, Religious Life, Marriage, Education, Family, Love, Courage   

Reviewed by

A.R.K. Watson

Brigid McGinnis is a normal Southern girl in Dallas, Georgia. She manages the household while her father works in Confederate President Jefferson Davis’s cabinet. One day, an injured Confederate soldier, Dominic is found on her estate, with no memory of how he got there.

A Life Such as Heaven Intended is a historical fiction novel that takes place during the Civil War. The drama of the Confederate South, along with the budding romance between Brigid and Dominic, create something worthy of an HBO mini-series. 

One aspect that makes the drama compelling is Brigid’s character arc. She’s a surprisingly complex character. She desires an education and pursues religious life in the hopes of furthering it. However, she never questions the fact of her neighbors having slaves or even if slavery is right or wrong. She saw it as “just the way things are.” This all changes when she discovers runaway slaves hiding out on her property. 

Even though Brigid comes off as condescending to the escaped slaves at first, she is called out on her behavior. The slaves are greatly fleshed out, being educated in their Bible and being more aware of the realities of this world than Brigid is. Brigid manages to do the right thing and helps bring the slaves to freedom. She also finds out that the religious order she planned on joining is helping with the Underground Railroad movement. (Side note: The nuns in this book are the coolest fictional nuns I’ve ever seen since The Sound of Music.) 

The romance between Brigid and Dominic is also very sweet. It develops over a long period of time, with Brigid nursing Dominic back to health. Dominic feels like he belongs with her, which is a huge deal considering he was orphaned shortly after immigrating from Germany. There’s also hints of him having PTSD, and it’s managed well. 

I recommend this novel to people who like realistic historical fiction, especially stories that integrate real history, such as the history behind the Sisters of Mercy. (Although there is no evidence that the Sisters of Mercy helped out with the Underground Railroad, they are a real religious order.) I also recommend this to fans of historical dramas. There is a bit of a Gone with the Wind vibe here.

See No Evil; A Father Gabriel Mystery by Fiorella De Maria

In Post-WWII England, nearly everyone has something to hide—even kill for. Father Gabriel starts uncovering the truth, bringing souls the chance for redemption.

Making a Better World By Michael Lacoy

Can Oscar be the man he wants to be to his family and friends?

Hidden: Don’t Fear the Unseen by Verity Lucia

Clare Thomson wasn’t sure she believed in angels and demons – until she could see them.

Nun of My Business by Karina Fabian

When a nun hires Vern to prove that a new pop song is evil, the dragon suspects his new client might be hiding something.

Shooting At Heaven’s Gate, by Kaye Park Hinckley

How does an ordinary boy become a mass murderer?

The Wistful and the Good by G. M. Baker

Two weeks after the sacking of Lindisfarne, Norse traders aren’t welcome in Northumbria. But they’re here. Does a Viking really have a chance with an English noblewoman?

The Mission of Joan Of Arc by Philip Kosloski, Alexandre Nascimento, and Jesse Hansen

Voyage Comics’ dynamic interpretation of the Life of Joan of Arc is based on the play written by St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Best Books of 2022

Our favorite book finds of the year!

A Very Jurassic Christmas by Corinna Turner

Christmas with Jurassic dinosaurs is often wild!

Markmaker by Mary Jessica Woods

Aboard a world-ship, in an alien society, one artist’s quest for truth will turn his whole society upside down.

The Gift Counselor By Sheila M. Cronin

If you’re a fan of Hallmark Channel’s cozy lineup of holiday Rom-coms, this book is definitely for you.

Finnian and the Seven Mountains (Vol.2) By, Philip Kosloski and Michael Lavoy

Can one map be the key to stopping the Viking Invasion?

Brave Water by Sarah Robsdottir

What if you had to risk your life for a simple cup of water?

Please Don’t Feed the Dinosaurs by Corinna Turner

A series of dino adventures that has been doing better what the mainstream Jurassic Park series only recently attempted.

The Tale of Patrick Peyton

How a humble, Irish immigrant brought Mary to Hollywood and then the World.

In Pieces by Rhonda Ortiz

Is a marriage without love the only way to save Molly Chase’s reputation?

Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon By Corinna Turner 

A human-sheep hybrid’s friendships with a friendly vampire and a very angsty house-wolf are tested in this story that explores nature versus nurture. 

The Phantom Phoenix

A humble phoenix rises from the ashes to clean up corrupt, 1920s Chicago in this thrilling superhero comic

I Hope You Find Joy By Eliza Mae Albano

Can Emma find joy with the man who hurt her?

Elfling by Corinna Turner

Serapia Ravena is on a mission to find and keep her father, but he has transgressed a boundary that no creature has the right to cross. Only the mercy of God can resolve this tension.