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Anna Belfrage

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The Prodigal Son Paperback – May 17, 2013

by Anna Belfrage (Author)

4.4 397 ratings

Book 3 of 9: The Graham Saga

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Matthew's continued and stubborn religious support places his entire family in danger, causing quite the strain on his marriage. After all, Alex was born in 1976 and raised in an extremely secular environment (prior to being flung three centuries backwards in time) so she finds all these faith related conflicts very difficult to comprehend.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Troubador Publishing Ltd (May 17, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 392 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1780885741
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1780885742
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.83 x 7.8 inches

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4.4 397 ratings

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Anna Belfrage

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Had Anna been allowed to choose, she'd have become a professional time-traveller. No luck there, so instead she became a financial professional with two absorbing interests; history and writing. These days, Anna combines an exciting day-job with a large family and her writing endeavours. Plus she always finds the time to try out new recipes, chase down obscure rose bushes and initiate a home renovation scheme or two.

Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga , set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy.

Anna has also published The Wanderer, a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense trilogy with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. Her September 2020 release, His Castilian Hawk is a story of loyalty and love set against the complications of Edward I’s invasion of Wales in the late 13th century.

Her most recent release, The Whirlpools of Time , is a time travel romance set against the backdrop of brewing rebellion in the Scottish highlands.

All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of several Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.

If you want to know more about Anna, why not visit her website, https://www.annabelfrage.com

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Tbascoebuzz

Brilliant...

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2016

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This third installment of THE GRAHAM SAGA begins with Matthew Graham being hauled away under arrest for aiding and abetting Presbyterian Ministers and hiding them from the Crown. Frankly, it was all too much for this reader right on the heels of book #2 Like Chaff in the Wind (The Graham Saga Book 2) . I mean I was just beginning to catch my breath from that fabulous second book, only to be thrust into the trials and tribulations of the religious unrest that are facing our beloved Matthew and Alex. All the traumatic events just keep crashing down upon these two young people and I'm only left to wonder, "will they ever catch a break"? Given the era in which they live, probably not... I'm tired of reading about more bad luck, even though later in the first two chapters I learn it's 2-3 years later since Matthew has been rescued from the depths of his hell as a slave in Virginia and returned home to Scotland, once more a free man.

This entire third installment is about the persecution of the common people standing for their Presbyterian faith --- being forced to renounce their religious beliefs by the King or face death. At the same time it's the story of the struggles of a young boy coming of age while wondering who his real father is and searching for the truth. It's a fabulous continuing saga of epic proportions of Alex and Matthew's profound love for each other and their struggle to overcome so many political obstacles to safely raise their family in a time of frightening unrest. It is structurally well written carrying a solid, historical plot. Lust balanced with emotion...a harsh life filled with nothing but hard work, but full of the simple pleasures of life that are greatly valued. And Ms. Belfrage tells it so well.

Again there are some similarities to Outlander . It's sort of like Ms. Belfrage used OUTLANDER as a guide for her storytelling...taking a few scenes from that fabulous saga and then changes it up a bit. Even so, I'm addicted to this saga... enough that I must continue with the fourth book. I love Alex Graham...she's smart and intelligent....sassy and saucy....stubborn, opinionated and perky. She's a real spitfire on two legs --- ready to take on the world and anything else that stands in her way. This installment held enough suspense balanced with victory. There is humor as well as sadness that made me bawl buckets of snot filled tissues. The dialogue is witty and nicely balanced with narration. If you are looking for a story of epic proportions; of historical facts intertwined with romance and fictitious characters (and a few historical correct characters as well..)..then begin at the beginning... (although Ms. Belfrage adeptly brings us up-to-date with each installment....this third installment could easily stand alone).

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Jess S. Hughes

The Prodigal Son - A Story of 17th Century Scotland

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2013

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This page turner of a story is set in Scotland during the reign of Charles II, in the middle of the seventeenth Century. I knew little about the period and even though this is a work of fiction, I learned quite a bit about repression of the Scottish people because of their beliefs in the Presbyterian church. This is not a religious book in any stretch of the imagination. It is set during a time of great turmoil, civil war and religious persecution. There were strong feelings on both sides regarding religion.

The Prodigal Son, is the third book in a series written by Anna Belfrage. It stands on its own merit and can be read without reading the first two volumes. The story is seen through the eyes of one family, beginning 1665. The two major characters are Alex Lind, who is a 21st Century time slip-wife of Matthew Graham a rigid, staunch Presbyterian, who is determine to defend his religion, and its ministers, even at the cost of losing his life and family.

Alex, an intelligent, strong-willed, feisty woman is just as determined to bring him to her way of thinking and make him understand that he should think of she and the children first.

The novel is a page turner full of plot twists and emotional mine fields which tug at the reader's hearts. There are a couple of scenes in which the reader may shed tears, I won't give them away. There are several subplots which involved the continual harassment by English soldiers as they try to catch Matthew hiding renegade minister's; Matthew's brother, Luke, who hates Matthew's guts; and the relationship Matthew has with his ex-wife, Margaret--she arbitrarily dumps her son, Ian, into the lap of Alex and Matthew's and leaves Scotland to be with Luke, who is now her husband.

It is Ian and the protection Presbyterian Minister, Sandy Peden, by Matthew, which the story revolves around. Although the book title, The Prodigal Son, is obviously about Ian, I was a little confused as it seemed so much emphasis at the beginning of the story was placed on hiding and protecting Sandy Peden from the English which is seen throughout the entire story. However, the theme became much clearer as Ian's relationship to Alex and Matthew grows stronger as the story progresses. This is but a small detail.

This story is well-written and each character has his or her own distinctive voice. You will not want to put this story down until you reach the end.

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Charmaine Power

Sure not to disappoint!!

Reviewed in Canada on December 3, 2017

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Yes again Ms Belfrage draws us into the wonderful world of Matthew and Alex Graham. This book tugs at the heartstring of all who read it, and we can feel the many emotions all the character go though. Each character is give a moment to shine in his or her respective place. It helps bring the story together and give us a small glimpse into their world. The world of Alex and Matthew and their undeniable, fated love. Love, love, love this series!

Susan C. Saberi-Faschingbauer

Sehr gut

Reviewed in Germany on March 17, 2016

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Ich bin einfach begeistert mit Anna Belfrage's "Saga" von der Graham Familie
und hoffe das sie noch lange weiter schreibt über die Grahams!

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Plain Jane

Love and choice

Reviewed in Spain on April 19, 2014

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The heroine of this interesting novel is a modern woman's woman, Alex Graham: a women who has fallen through time back into 17th century Scotland taking with her a love of cosmetics, chocolate bars and pool-side vacations. Being a resourceful girl, Alex devises ways round these absences by creating her own herbal oils and a natural swimming pool in a nearby burn. The concept of living out of one's time is dealt with convincingly. Alex has a modern take on what is going on around her, but also accepts and negotiates the difficiluties and dangers of the period, when there was almost none of the medical knowledge and basic education we take for granted. This is a heroine to respect, to admire and empathise with. So when tragedy hits we feel the terrible sadness and, like Alex Graham, want justice. Justice in those days, however, was in the hands of a few high-ranking males - something Alex cannot change.
The underlying theme in this novel is the limitations of real choice within the concept of 'free will'. Having not read any of the author's previous novels in this series, I do not know if Alex can choose to go back to her previous existence, but I suspect she would prefer to stay with her 17th century husband, Matthew, who despite causing her great worry through his religious allegencies, is in every way a wonderful husband. As a reader I wanted to know more about the origins of the relationship; how they came to fall in love. In many respects I wanted this novel to be a 'stand-alone' - it has a fascinating plot and convincing characters, but itseemed the author was holding back, not giving too much information - perhaps assuming her readers already knew the secondary characters and the established family situation. This is a great story, but it may be better to start at the beginning of the series.

Book Addict

An Out of the Ordinary Read - In a Good Way

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2014

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Alex loves Matthew and he loves her - but he also loves God's word - and at a time of martyrs, when preachers are executed and their faithful followers transported this places Matthew in great danger. Whilst Matthew feels he must follow his conscience, Alex can see the bigger picture and knows that Matthew's faith endangers not just him, but her and their children. Undeterred, Matthew insists on assisting preachers to evade capture, and in so doing brings heart break on his family when his daughter meets an untimely end in an accident involving a dragoon guard.
The Prodigal Son is a sweeping novel that tackles many issues: from religious persecution to paternity rites, from wifely obedience to a husband's duty the reader is in the hands of a skilled writer. For me the book has a similar feel to the work of Diana Gabaldon, and dare I say it, I find Ms Belfrage's work far more credible. I absolutely loved the intimate scenes between Matthew and Alex - the physical attraction between husband and wife was tastefully written and utterly necessary to help the reader understand the strong bond between the couple.
I didn't realise until reading some of the reviews, prior to writing my own, that The Prodigal Son is the third book in a saga. I was no disadvantaged by starting with #3 but I can see there would be an added richness and depth to the story if I already knew the characters.
Bravo Ms Belfrage and I can hand on heart recommend this book to any reader who wants a historical fiction read that's a little out of the ordinary - but in a good way!