Jewel of the Pacific

Title: JEWEL OF THE PACIFIC

Author: Linda Lee Chailin

Publisher: Moody Publishers

April 2013

ISBN: 978-0-8024-3751-8

Genre: historical / thriller

The wedding's abandoned, and the clouds of political disaster loom overhead.

The fire that almost ended Eden's life has put an end to the promise of marriage. While saving Eden, Rafe lost not only his eyesight, but also his independence, his determination, and his pride. In a short letter, he ends Eden's hope for happiness. Hurt and angry, Eden sails to the leper colony on the island of Molokai where her mother is suffering.

During Eden's year-long absence, Rafe seeks medical care in San Francisco and eventually regains his sight. Returning to his coffee plantation on the Big Island, Rafe finds the beautiful Bernice Judson waiting.

This is the year of decision. Hawaii is on the brink of revolution. The anti-Royalists threaten to depose the Hawaiian queen and bring the Hawaiian Islands under the Stars and Stripes. Eden must choose a side in politics and where to put her trust.

Will Eden discover the painful lesson God wants her to learn? And will she ever find healing for her broken heart with or without a life that includes Rafe?

JEWEL OF THE PACIFIC is the third book in Ms. Chaikin’s series The Dawn of Hawaii. These books are not stand alone and readers should read The Spoils of Eden and Hawaiian Crosswinds first. I did read the previous two books, but it’s been over two years since the last one came out and I was still quite lost in this one. So readers will want to refresh them memories by rereading the first two books.

Ms. Chaikin is certainly talented in prose, painting such a vivid word picture of the setting that the reader can literally see the exactly blue of the sky and know how many clouds floated in sight. The setting is very beautifully portrayed, but as a result it does slow the story down considerably, making it almost drag at times.

Still, Eden is a very believable character, loving and kind, and Rafe also. The story is set in a real time period of Hawaii’s history, with some very real people appearing as characters in the book. Ms. Chaikin included a directory of who people are, whether they were real or imaginary, and a map of the islands. She also included a glossary of Hawaiian terms, which was very helpful.  352 pages. $14.99.