A Covenant of Love

The saga of the Rocklin family begins as the Civil War looms on the horizon. The family will be torn apart, and the quest for the hand of Melanie Benson will forever affect the lives of cousins Clay and Gideon Rocklin. Maynard Villers reads this first book in the Appomattox series in a straightforward manner. Some character vocalizations--such as Gideon and Melanie--are subtle; others are more dramatic and less successful: The slave dialects and children are overdone, and attempts at strong Southern accents are unconvincing. His emotional tone, however, is true, and the narrative is well paced. M.A.M. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine