Forgiven by Geoff Lawson

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Forgiven is a plot led Victorian drama, a wonderful historical noval that weaves two stories seamlessly together . There is the love story in New Zealand, and the story of Richards experiences during the Anglo Boer War. Uplifting and deflating, with unforgetable characters and subtle twists and turns, Forgiven will keep you reading to the very last page…

Rachel was once a socialite, but now she is an outcast; the victim of malicious gossip. Her wealthy father wants her to marry a man who can support her in the style she is accustomed to, but when Richard and Rachel meet, both know that something extraordinary has happened.

Unfortunately, Richard is a lowly farm labourer and it throws their lives into despair, for he will have to prove to her father that he is worthy enough to be her husband. Richard knows that tradition decrees that if he serves his Queen and Country, then Rachel’s father cannot refuse their wish to marry, so he joins the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and volunteers to fight in South Africa.

The war is a trial, and anything but adventurous. Thin and weary from overwork, he experiences a clash of culture with the glamorous but infuriating Lady Sarah. Then, ordered to escort her and protect her from harm, they are lead through a terrifying ordeal from which they luckily manage to escape. Hugely relieved, and believing they are finally safe, they are then thrown into an even more frightening and nerve shattering confrontation with murderous mercenary, Erich von Smidt. Not out of the woods, Richard is wounded and captured, and his morale plumets to rock bottom. He pines for Rachel and home. However, while he contemplates his current crisis, drama enters Rachel’s life. Danger comes calling from an unexpected quarter, which leads her to a dramatic finale that shocks them all …