Skip to main content

Review: The Enemy's Sister - Our House on Jakaranda Laan #3

The Enemy's Sister book cover on blue background

Having enjoyed Dienece Darling's Regency books, I was excited to read her new book in a very different setting. The Enemy's Sister—part of the Our House on Jakaranda Laan series that is multi-authored—takes place in South Africa and is a fascinating story where English, Dutch, and German blend together seamlessly on the page.

Many thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Book Synopsis

He learned a lot of things in the army. Falling in love with the enemy’s sister wasn’t one of them.

Lieutenant John Beauchamp’s faith is as tattered and torn as the storm-tossed ship transporting his regiment to Cape Town in 1795 when they shipwreck on a South African beach. But the steadfast faith of persecuted local, Anneke Terblanche, and her unlikely friend, a freedwoman, inspire John to remember how sweet a life of faith can be. If only Anneke's brother wasn't trying to kill him.

Anneke has never met anyone more important to her than her twin brother, until John sweeps into her life. John is both raging storm and fragrant breeze. But her brother loathes the English and fears they mean to control the Boer’s new settlement at Cedarfontein. If Anneke chooses John, she’ll lose her twin and any chance of hearing her brother say he loves her.

Will Anneke and John leave their hearts behind on that fateful South African beach, or does God have another plan for this war-torn soldier and his faithful frontier girl?

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This book is a refreshing change of scenery and an important exploration into conflicting beliefs and worldviews. I appreciate that Dienece Darling incorporates different languages and cultural practices to show us what life looks like for Anneke Terblanche, who is living in South Africa. When she encounters Lieutenant John Beauchamp, there is an initial language barrier that eventually fades over time as John regains his proficiency in Dutch. While John's survival skills in the wilderness are tested, Anneke's loyalty to her family becomes a clash of wills as she seeks to be obedient to God.

I absolutely love that this book tackles the dilemma of predestination and free will in a compelling manner without pitting opposing theologies against each other. The messages regarding unity, Christian charity, and spreading the Gospel make this story stand out even further by having the characters examine why they believe what they believe. It's clear that the author takes these subjects seriously, exhorting readers to practice grace and to engage in evangelism with all the nations. If you enjoy stories that delve right into biblical interpretation amid cultural and colonial conflicts, The Enemy’s Sister promises a fulfilling journey that will leave you spiritually enriched and thirst for the Bible even more.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍

Book Quotes

Was it wrong to teach Fatima about God? Lord God, I don’t understand. Please, help me understand. I returned to the meat, willing my hands to stop trembling. We’d lived through a dearth of God’s Word before. We could survive again. But how painful to know the Water that could make one never thirst again lay so close yet still sat so far out of reach.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All the Cheese

I've been coming across content within the past several weeks that has stereotyped Christian books (and other mediums) as being cheesy on Christian accounts. While this isn't a new label or even a new topic, what has surprised me somewhat has been seeing more Christian authors jump into this conversation who wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Although some authors will name others whom they believe are writing non-cheesy fiction, I feel as though the damage has been done by repeating this blanket statement. While readers have freely been engaging in this type of commentary for some time, it's been interesting to see authors chime in, where in some cases, there seems to be an emphasis on self-promotion over reflection. I'm not stereotyping and saying that all authors or even the authors I'm connected to respond with this tactic (because I really don't think they do!), but there are a few out there from my limited experience who seem to respond to this disc...
13 comments
Read more

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 List last updated: June 4, 2026 Christian Publishers 10ofThose Availability: US, Canada, and UK residents Format: Only books published by 10ofThose qualify for review requests so as to avoid impeding with other Christian book review programs Genre: Christian non-fiction, children's books Email for availability and eligibilit...
10 comments
Read more

Mortality and Reading

This is a topic that has been resonating for me over the past few days, ever since I saw James Trevino's Instagram reel about why you shouldn't finish every book you start. In it, he breaks down the math of how many books we'd be able to read in a lifetime, based on reading a set number of hours per day and the average lifespan. He then compares this number to the number of books that are available worldwide. At first glance, it made me realize that I would have a lot of unread books, no matter whether my life is short or long. There's just too many books to read. Thinking about when my life might end led me to think about the types of books I read and how I'm currently filling my time. I don't think it's a coincidence that right after this crossed my mind, I was listening to  The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis where he espouses a simple but profound line that stopped me in my tracks: "If you don't read good books, you will read bad ones." Thi...
8 comments
Read more