Book Review: The Songbird and the Secret Author: Celena Janton

Melissa  Benjamin never knew her parents or about her family history.  Her  grandmother who raised her never spoke of the past. However, a  high  school genealogy assignment piqued her interested in her past,  changing  her life forever. At first, she was more interested  preoccupied with  finishing her last year of high school well enough to  attend college and  her crush Tom Berrington, who seemed equally  interested in her. Their  bond starts to deepen while Tom helps Melissa  learn more about her  family history. Then, he disappears. Though  heartbroken, Melissa invests  more time into discovering her family  history. She becomes intrigued  with the bravery of one of her ancestors  Katharina and her parents and  becomes entangled in tales of deceit,  unrequited love, and courage that  have haunted her family for  generations. Eventually, Melissa learns she  is heiress to a large  estate. However, the same evil force that  destroyed her parents has a  grasp on the young heiress. Melissa must  uncover this evil force to  free herself before she becomes the next  victim. 

The saga begins with a budding romance between a teenage Katharina   and her childhood friend Daniel Berrington that is threatened by the   jealousy of his cousin Francis. When Daniel does not return to their   hometown after finishing his legal studies, Francis convinces Katharina   to marry him and then whisked her to America. Alone in a strange  country  with her first husband who transforms into a stranger then  disappears,  Katharina has only her faith to save her as she adapts to  life in a new  country that is on the verge of war.

Katharina reminds us that God is still with us and will delivers us   from our darkest moments. Even when Francis left her, even when she was   taken by a Native American tribe, she always called upon God to rescue   her, and He answered her prayers. She is a shining example of  unwavering  faith in God and an inspiration to those having a crisis of  faith.

A free copy of this book was exchanged in return for an honest review.