Welcome to the Takeover Tour for Elinor by Shannon McNear, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Elinor
Series: Daughters of the Lost Colony
Author: Shannon McNear
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Release Date: December 1, 2021
Genre: Historical Romance
A Journey Full of Hope…
Escape into a riveting story based on the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.
Author Shannon McNear portrays history with vivid authenticity.
In 1587, Elinor White Dare sailed from England heavy with her first child but full of hopes. Her father, a renowned artist and experienced traveler, has convinced her and her bricklayer husband Ananias to make the journey to the New World. Land, they are promised, more goodly and beautiful than they can ever imagine. But nothing goes as planned from landing at the wrong location, to facing starvation, to the endless wait for help to arrive. And, beyond her comprehension, Elinor finds herself utterly alone. . . .
The colony at Roanoke disappeared into the shadows of history. But, what if one survived to leave a lasting legacy?
MY REVIEW
Disclaimer: Although I received a copy of this book from the publisher as part of the Takeover Tour, the opinions below are my own.
Much has been guessed about the disappearance of the Roanoke colonists, with theories suggesting they assimilated with nearby Native American communities appearing as early as the 17th century. In this new novel, historical fiction writer Shannon McNear, takes a speculative approach and focuses on Elinor Dare’s life after she crosses the Atlantic with her husband Ananias, and husband, Governor John White. Elinor is mostly known as being the mother of the first English baby born in the colonies: Virginia Dare.
Although the book is called Elinor, and she is the main character, the book included the perspectives of several characters both English and Native American. Time passed irregularly. The first half encompassed a span of three years and read like a series of snapshots from the colonists’ lives. In comparison, I felt the second half covered a shorter time span. The story went in a direction I didn’t expect and ended surprisingly. I won’t say further, for fear of spoiling it. Romance fans, though, should be aware that they’re in for a disappointment. There’s also no sense of everything being neatly wrapped up. The subtitle of the novel is Daughters of the Lost Colony so I’m hopeful this means it’s the start of a new series. There’s nothing, however, to show a follow up title or who might write it. The publisher has previously created at least two series of books written by different authors.
Where this books really shines, is in the detail. It’s clear McNear did extensive research on not only the English, but also the Native American peoples in the Carolinas at the time of the Roanoke Colony. Her writing brings to life the different practices of each group; how they differed in some instances but were similar in others, and how they fought and allied amongst themselves. The “enemy of my enemy” was not always a friend, and there were good and bad people in both the Native American and colonial camps. The end of the book has various historical sources, an extensive cast of characters, and pronunciation guides, as well as lists of places names, historical terms, and a glossary of Carolina Algonquian words.
I’m intrigued to see where Barbour will take this series, after a very promising start.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Christianbook | BookBub
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CONNECT WITH SHANNON: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive a print copy of Elinor and a $15 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight December 1, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on December 8, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
McCombs on Main 
Thank you so much for that generous review!! There is indeed more coming … I have the honor of calling this series all mine! Book 2 is in process and will be both a parallel story and sequel, with book 3 centering on Jamestown and Pocahontas. 🙂
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Thank you for sharing a review! – JustRead Tours
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