Category: book review

During the American Civil War, thousands of women organized to join the war efforts. In Daughter of the Regiment, Maggie Malone is one of those women that leaves the comfort and safety of her home to support those she loves.

About Daughter of the Regiment

Maggie Malone feels the effects of the war firsthand – first when her brothers go off to join the efforts and again when a group of bandits attack her farm. Feeling desperate and alone, Maggie heads off to find her brothers in the Federal Army Camp. There she quickly captures the admiration of Sergeant John “Colt” Coulter who immediately notices her skill and dedication. When circumstances beyond anyone’s control forces Maggie to stay with the brigade, Maggie quickly learns that there is a lot a woman can do to help the brave men she quickly deems “her boys”.

As the hostess of an acclaimed Missouri plantation, Miss Libbie Blair has learned to play her part and remain uninvolved in political affairs of her brother, Walker. When his aspirations lead him to organize the “Wildwood Guards”, Libbie must gracefully manage the house with the officers outside. With the war drawing closer to their home, Libbie must figure out how to protect those that rely on her.

When a battle brings the war to Wildwood Grove, Libbie’s home is transformed into a battle hospital. The two women whose brothers have fought on opposite sides of the battle come face to face.

My Thoughts

This novel was fantastic from start to finish. Historical fiction is always my favourite to read and Daughter of the Regiment delivered perfectly with two strong female leads and a role in history that I was never even aware of.

Maggie is the type of girl I admire – strong, fun and fearless. She doesn’t care what others think of her and sticks by her convictions. When she joins the regiment as a Daughter of the Regiment (a term that was coined by one of her French ‘boys’) she finds a role that suits her perfectly. She can care for those she holds dear and she even finds herself in the middle of battle! She faces all that comes her way with strength and determination.

Libbie on the other hand at first seems your typical aristocrat interested in only herself. As the novel progresses, we are able to see more into her character and witness the transformation she goes through. She actually becomes a character that I admire just as much as Maggie. While she was born into privilege because of the time in history she was stuck in a situation that she could not control nor leave. While both women are so different at first, we find that they are very much alike and would do anything to protect those that they love.

This novel would be great for young women as it features two strong female characters that despite the historical time difference many young women will relate to. Both female characters are strong, confident young women who follow their convictions. I was surprised that this was the first time I had ever heard of this role that women played during the war as ‘Daughters of the Regiment’. History can sometimes tend to minimize the role women played and it was great that this book illustrated the important role these two young women played. Without them who knows where the regiment might have been as they became to rely on the young women and their skills.

You can find this novel on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Stephanie Grace Whitson is the author of over twenty-seven novels. A frequent ECPA best seller, Stephanie is also a two-time Christy Award finalist. When she isn’t writing, speaking or keeping up with her five grown children and grandchildren, she loves to take rides aboard her motorcycle, Kitty. She received her Master of Arts degree in 2012. Stephanie and her husband reside in Nebraska.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.