About the Book:

The Enemy’s a shipwreck, a soldier, and holding onto faith at Our House on Jakaranda Laan.

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

If you love a historical romance with frontier-flare and rediscovered faith, you’re sure to enjoy The Enemy’s Sister.

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?

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My Review:

The Enemy’s Sister by Dienece Darling
Rating: 5/5
Pages: 210
Published: August 14, 2026
Series: Our House on Jakaranda Laan

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I started out intrigued and excited for this story, but not quite sure what to expect. I knew it was about an English soldier with a group of Scots in South Africa. And what the blurb offers, and that was basically it. Little did I know that I would stumble into such a delightful heartwarming read! The characters were well written, and I loved getting to follow along as their story unfolds! It didn’t take long to realize this story was something special, and it quickly became one of my favorite reads this year. If the cover or blurb caught your attention, I highly recommend reading this one.

The faith aspects in this one were handled beautifully, and I love the comparison of ideas that the characters go through as they learn and grow. That’s not something I see often in stories, and yet is such an important part of our Christian walk. It was refreshing to see them both presented in a respectful way, although I don’t consider myself part of either denomination, I did align more with one side of the debate over the others, which encouraged me to think and consider my beliefs in a new way too. Stories are powerful, and I love finding those gems that inspire us to dive deeper into scripture, and to praise Him along the way. This was one of those for me, and I’m so glad I got to read it.

The characters were also a lot of fun. I love how the other soldiers and officers teased John with friendly banter. I also enjoyed seeing Anneke and Fatima’s friendship, but my favorite character(s) would have to be either Oom or Henny.

Other books in the series:
(Below is a list of the other books in this series. I’ll link to my reviews as I post them.)

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