A Reluctant Belle by Beth White

Joelle Daughtry is not your typical southern belle facing life after the civil war. She's a business women, a writer, and a teacher for the local freedmen. She's also, perhaps, my favourite female protagonist I have encountered this year.  

I cannot figure out how Beth White has managed to stay under my radar before this point. Her ability to weave plots left me on the edge of my seat.

Between the rising violence with the klan, the tug of war for Joelle's heart, and the twisting turns surrounding the death of Schuyler's father the story had this sense of chaos and urgency that made the characters spring to  life. It felt less like a linear plot at times and more like exploring the lands and lives of those connected to Daughtry House.

I also appreciated the way White respects the characters she's created. While no one could deny the growth evident in the characters they stay true to themselves. As an introvert, it can be so frustrating to see introverted protagonists suddenly "find their courage" and turn extroverted  to save the day. There is certainly no denying Joelle's capability but at the same time there was a respect for her abilities and allowing the character to flourish within those characteristics. 

Now for those of you, like myself, who are coming into this series on book two, take heart. A Reluctant Belle can easily stand alone. Any plot points that carry over from A Rebel Heart are explained within the context of the story. This does give the feeling of major spoilers for those of us coming in late, however, with White's skill at bringing together her plot and characters I will definitely be looking for A Rebel Heart  to dive into the details of Selah and Levi's story.

4.5 out of 5 stars

I received this book through the Revell Reads Book tour in exchange for my honest opinion.

When You Are Near by Tracie Peterson

When You Are Near has mystery, murder, and romance, that said, it doesn't read like a normal Christian fiction/historical romance. I was surprised that central character Lizzy Brookstone's potential love triangle became more focused on her personal grieving journey adding  layer of interest and depth I wasn't expected from the summary. This shift, I felt, allowed for more character development with the other female characters which was a refreshing change. Having the interactions with Mary, Ella, and Rebecca made the book more enjoyable and really sets up potential focuses for the later novels in this series.

Truly, this reads much more as a historical fiction than a romance with Peterson investigating grief's expressions through Lizzy, Rebecca, Mary, Wes, and Oliver's individual stories. I appreciate how while they all shared the varying losses the expressions were unique to the characters established personas.

That said, I'm not sure how to give a full review of this novel as it feels very incomplete. When You Are Near is book one of the Brookstone Brides series and it very much feels somewhere between incomplete and an excellent groundwork novel for what's to come. 

The mystery of August's death, the challenge for Lizzy's heart, the future of the Extravaganza all felt like they were just starting to pick up as I closed the last page. I was left wishing I could grab the next book. Thankfully, it appears that Peterson has anticipated this desire in other readers with book 2 slated for June of 2019 and book 3 possibly slated for October, a blisteringly fast  pace for most series release and lends to the possibility that Peterson has purposely interwoven the three books to function more as a single narrative over three books.

Either way, I'll be looking forward to seeing if this series lives up to its strong start in When You Are Near.

4 out of 5 stars.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."