The Creole Princess

4.5 stars.
I loved this next installment in the Gulf Coast series. Lyse is such an unusual heroine! Her mixed heritage-French, Indian, and black-gives her a toe in many cultures, yet a solid foothold in none. Her shiftless, drunken father cannot provide for his family, yet is too proud to ask for help, so the ragamuffin group grows up as best they might. Just as she begins to enter womanhood, she hears rumblings of those foolish colonists who think they can throw off King George and rule themselves. As war approaches, what side can be trusted?

Rafa is a definite mixed bag. Debonair and smooth-spoken, he couldn't care less about the heritage of the spirited girl he encounters while visiting Mobile. Lyse can't figure him out; does he not care simply because he is toying with her? Or is he sincere, and a man to be trusted?

On the side is the story of Daisy and Simon, of Scarlet and Cain, and of Antoine and Justine. I felt like I grew to know all of them pretty well except for Justine, and that disappointed me. I'd have much preferred to have a short epilogue that dealt with those left behind in burning Mobile. That was my only gripe; I'd have liked to have seen a glimpse of the fulfillment of everything that had been the goal throughout the book, and I didn't get the whole picture I wanted. It was still a good ending, though I think it bumped my rating down!