Book Review: Laffite's Lady

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Laffite's Lady     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Susan Elliston
Class/Genre:   Fantasy   Time Travel   Romantic Suspense
FirstPublish, Jul 2000, $29.95, 602 pp.

While swimming in an isolated cove in Louisiana, Tori travels through a time warp that leaves her in 1810. When she reaches the shore, a plantation owner takes her into his home. Though she enjoys the hospitality of her host, Tori knows she must return to the year 2000 where her little girl Linni waits, probably in fear for her.

The brother of Tori’s benefactor brother forces her to flee until one adventure and mishap after another leaves her with Jean Laffite. The duo makes love and soon Tori is carrying his child. However, her enemies insure that Jean is incarcerated on the eve of the Battle of New Orleans. Only Tori understands her beloved pirate’s critical role in the upcoming bloody battle, albeit post peace treaty, of the War of 1812. She must decide between risking her life rescuing her beloved and finding the way back to her cherished daughter.

LAFFITE’S LADY is a wonderful time travel romance that centers on the brave reactions of the heroine during an interesting period in American History. Real personage and events, especially those leading up to the second war of American independence add to the feel that this tale is historical fiction told through the eyes of a displaced time traveler. Tori is a remarkable heroine and Jean is flesh and blood rather than just a heroic legend. The love between the two lead charcaters feels genuine as if Tori was Jean’s real counterpart. Though the journey in time is typical of the sub-genre, Susan Elliston paints a vivid picture of a pivotal moment in history.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner