The Thief’s Daughter by Victoria Cornwall.... Historical Fiction ...

The Thief’s Daughter by Victoria Cornwall is set in 1765 through about 1790 in a small village within Cornwall, England. The story opens with a tense scene of little four year old Jenna hiding from the thief-takers as her parents and older brothers are trying to evade capture. Now only Jenna and her older brother Silas are all that is left behind of her poor family. Jenna’s parents were known thieves and she never saw them again after they were taken to the prison. Enabling the smugglers was a way of life for many of the costal poor. Later Jenna is married to a smuggler who is hanged for his crimes. He was a brutal man who had treated her badly and she wanted to ensure he died at the hanging. The tale of how she contributed to his quick death on the gallows is very witty. She was thought to be doing him a kindness by the onlookers, when in her heart she wanted to make sure he was truly dead. Jenna’s brother Silas has continued in the ways of his parents and schemes his way through life. Jenna tries to find employment as a housekeeper to help pay his fines and get him released from the debtor’s prison. He lies to her time and again for his own gain. Silas is all she has, and so Jenna will do any honest work to help him. Jenna has tried so hard to live an honest life as best she can. She wants to live above the reputation her parents have left behind. I won’t post spoilers, but when Jenna first meets Jack she has no idea that later in her life he will become such an important part of her survival. The story of Jenna and Jack along with the smuggling and deceptions of Silas weaves a very interesting story of historical fiction. The cover is beautiful!