A Reluctant Belle #ourgoodlifebooklist

Thank you to Revell Books for selecting me for the A Reluctant Belle Blog Party and for supplying me with a copy of the book for my review. My opinions here are my own.

Back Cover

Impoverished Southern belle Joelle Daughtry has a secret. By day she has been helping her sisters in their quest to turn the run-down family plantation into a resort hotel after the close of the Civil War. But by night and under a male pseudonym, she has been penning articles for the local paper in support of the construction of a Negro school. With the Mississippi arm of the Ku Klux Klan gaining power and prestige, Joelle knows she is playing a dangerous game.

When childhood enemy and current investor in the Daughtry house renovation Schuyler Beaumont takes over his assassinated father's candidacy for state office, Joelle finds that in order to protect her family and her home, she and Schuyler will have to put aside their longstanding personal conflict and develop a united public front. The trouble is, what do you do when animosity becomes respect--and even love--if you're already engaged to someone else?

Review

This is my first book by author Beth White. I love a good character and I felt that the author took the time to develop Joelle and Schuyler. She created great banter between the two of them and how hard it was to recognize that their childhood angst turned into deep love for one another.  Other characters added much to the storyline, which I find delightful, when I care about the minor characters as much as the main one!  I give her high marks on creating characters that you want to continue to read about, after the story is done!

The plot was full of adventure, danger and romance. The danger was real and felt real.  The romance was sweet, yet sultry as we see inside Joelle's budding desire for Schuyler.  The author did a nice job in showing us how confusing those first feelings of desire are to a young, innocent woman.  The subplot of Schuyler's father's murder was intriguing and helped the story find and keep momentum, especially when Joelle's and Schulyer's romance seemed to take forever to ignite.

The author's historical details were spot on. I have read much about educating former slaves after the war, and the story reflected that danger well. I have read about the treatment of men who tried to join the KKK and Schuyler's experience seems to echo what has been written in the past.  

I enjoyed my time with this book and would recommend it to others who like romance but don't want a lot of passion-driven passages that make you blush!  This beautiful story uses faith in a way that doesn't feel preachy but more like, here is what this character believes is true.  

If you are interested in reading the book, consider purchasing it from me at the link below. I will get a small commission but the price stays the same for you. Purchases like this keep this small blog operating!  Thank you!