Deeanne Gist - Fair Play

Saddled with a man’s name, the captivating Billy Jack Tate makes no apologies for taking on a man’s profession. As a doctor at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, she is one step closer to having her very own medical practice—until Hunter Scott asks her to give it all up to become his wife.
Hunter is one of the elite. A Texas Ranger and World’s Fair guard specifically chosen for his height, physique, character, and skill. Hailed as the toughest man west of any place east, he has no patience for big cities and women who think they belong anywhere but home…
Despite their difference of opinion on the role of women, Hunter and Billy find a growing attraction between them—until Hunter discovers an abandoned baby in the corner of a White City exhibit. He and Billy team up to make sure this foundling isn’t left in the slums of Chicago with only the flea-riddled, garbage-infested streets for a playground. As they fight for the underprivileged children in the Nineteenth Ward, an entire Playground Movement is birthed. But when the Fair comes to an end, one of them will have to give up their dream.
Will Billy exchange her doctor’s shingle for the domesticated role of a southern wife, or will Hunter abandon the wide open spaces of home for a life in the “gray city,” a woman who insists on being the wage earner, and a group of ragamuffins who need more than a playground for breathing space?

Comment: This is the second full length book which is part of the Chicago Fair setting the author has chosen for these stories. I liked the first book but then I read a snippet with the protagonists of this book, where they are introduced to us. That snippet was cute because of the way the main couple meets but it's in this book they have their story.

In this story we finally get to learn more about doctor Billy Jack Tate, a woman who is one of the first to be a doctor and to take a man's profession in a field which, in 1893, wasn't that broad to women. Billy's father wanted a son and that is why she has a masculine name and she has always tried to be the son her father wanted never thinking twice about trying to be who she wanted, even if that meant to try to hide how feminine she really is. Her role as a doctor becomes important when she is asked to replace a sick doctor at the woman's building at the Chicago Fair, where she meets Scott Hunter, a Texas Ranger. He is at the fair as a sort of exchange program, so he could bring what experience he gets back to Texas but he is discomfited to be place at the woman's building. It turns out, though, he was lucky, for the female doctor helps when when he becomes sick and he even likes her, and they become some kind of friends, even though their feelings become stronger. However, not all is easy for both their jobs get in danger when they decide to help those in the poorer parts of Chicago...

If there is one thing which has become very obvious in the latest books the author has written is how much dedication she is giving to research and unique settings and how much detail is included. This is not an historical book disguising a romance, this is seriously the finished product of the author's work in looking up things about the Chicago Fair, in picking elements and using them as best as possible within the fictional sections.

I do applaud this, for the sense of seeing the images in my head and learning things is impossible to ignore. However, I wonder if the author didn't go just a little too far with this, because the romance does feel a little weaker when in comparison with the historical setting and descriptions. Nevertheless, I think the author's intention of - my assumption! - spreading her horizons more towards historical fiction instead of Christian historical romance seem to be her goal.

Regarding this, I've seen several readers have disliked this novel because it wasn't Christian enough and they felt embarrassed reading...well, nothing improper happens in this novel, there are some kisses and the doctor does touch the hero when he is sick, so she can determine what is wrong. I can understand why this bothered people who only want "clean" novels but it wasn't such a big deal. Actually, I think if there's a problem here is the lack of more demonstrations of affection.

I say this because while the protagonists learn about one another as the plot moves along, I kept thinking they didn't really have much chemistry. Yes, Scott is a product of his time but his opinion on women and what their role should be got on my contemporary nerves! It really annoyed me even accepting this was the way things were back then, but it was a little more irritating when it was obvious her profession was important to Billy, so although things ended well for them, I kept thinking that despite their personality traits and backgrounds, their opinion of one another could have been softer, could have been more obviously tender as things develop between them...

Although some things aren't as well done as I wished, I must say that globally the story has a good sequence pace. Things happen in a believable way but then, while I was reading, between the little irritations at what was wrong with the mentality of the time and the less positive action situations, I realized I was not having much fun reading this. It felt as if every decision the protagonists made wouldn't be accepted by the other, their future seemed difficult for their lack of agreement and because of the consequences of some choices they did, plot related. The tone was bleak and I felt that, even guessing things would end well, the path to get there wouldn't just be about acceptance and love. conquering all.

Of course, that is precisely how things end, but not without some lessons to be learned and bad things to overcome. I like how realistic and true to the times and customs of the time the author was but it was a chore to finish this book and I haven't "kept" sweet scenes to carry me on about this book so it feels a little unfair to say I didn't like it as much as I wanted precisely for what it is strongest at, but that's a romance reader perspective anyway...

Grade: 6/10

Mini - Comments

Last week, I've read two stories which weren't great, both in plot and in page count, and since I don't have a lot to say about either, I'm simply adding a small comment post about them.

 

When a World’s Fair Guard and the woman doctor assigned to treat him square off in the White City, a storm is brewing…
Hunter Scott is one of the elite. An 1893 Chicago World’s Fair guard specifically chosen for his height, physique, character, and ability to serve and protect. When he is overcome with debilitating abdominal pain, Hunter stumbles to the Fair’s infirmary only to discover the doctor is female—who ever heard of a female doctor? But even worse, she has the nerve to diagnose him, the toughest man west of any place east, with constipation—an unspeakable ailment in mixed company. What will happen when this tough Texan and attractive doctor face off? Either way, a tempest is brewing...

Comment: This is a very small snippet, around 30 pages so I can't even think of it as a short story. I got interested in it because I've read the first book in the series and the couple featured here had an appearance there and I was curious enough to want to read more about them. The second installment will be their full length story but this snippet was available and it wasn't expensive, so I decided to give it a go. 

It's nice, for certain, but so short that it doesn't give more than one or two scenes on how the main characters meet and how the relationship between them starts. I suppose it starts the tone on how things might evolve, we do get an idea of their personalities but nothing is developed. It was just an original introduction on how they meet. I'm still curious about their romance, though...

Grade: 5/10

-//-

Where do you hide in space?
On the courier ship ferrying The Hero of Ararat, the Dragonkiller and their daughter, Ekaterina ‘Kat’ Avondale, from the Saurian homeworld back to human space, newly promoted third-shift commander Stephan Ocasek has found a sneaky ion trail. They are being followed. No, not followed, hunted.
Not by Saurians, since they’re flying an honor escort. Not by humans, because the engine signature is all wrong. When they detect a comm signal that Kat recognizes from Saurian history, they know the Ancient Horror—the species that nearly ended Saurian history a couple of millennia ago—has returned, and it knows where they’re going.
The Saurians sent a suicide ship into a black hole to stop it last time. This time, all they have is Stephan’s reflexes together with Ekaterina’s calculations to save two of the three known sentient species in the galaxy. And even if their plan works, they might not survive long enough for him to finish teaching her how to be human. 

Comment: This is the 3rd installment in the Human Diaspora by Val Roberts. I really liked the first book but the second wasn't as great.

In this sci-fi world, there are different beings and planets in the universe and a lot of details pertaining how everything works. The hero is related to previous characters in the other books and he embarks on a special mission while helping the heroine to explore her human side.

I'll be honest, this story felt very out of place, I struggled to remember the events of the other books and why certain things were important. I ended up with the feeling this story was more focused on the hero's mission than in the romance and the development of their personalities and personal lives. Of course one can defend this was what mattered but I can't avoid comparing with the other stories and how those felt more balanced. The romance, in particular, was very basic and superficial here and I'm sure I won't even remember the characters' names in the near future. 

I just didn't get the same vibe of the first book, with a good premise and development and a romantic relationship which progressed in a cute manner. I think the ideas for that do exist in this book but the execution didn't win me over and I didn't connect with the characters. Their backgrounds are special, different, the way they interact with so their family members was included so there was plenty to develop this into something romantic, special, emotional... but the focus is on the mission, which is fine, but then, everything else felt under developed.

Grade: 5/10

Deeanne Gist - It Happened at the Fair

A transporting historical novel about a promising young inventor, his struggle with loss, and the attractive teacher who changes his life, all set against the razzle-dazzle of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Gambling everything—including the family farm—Cullen McNamara travels to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with his most recent invention. But the noise in the fair’s Machinery Hall makes it impossible to communicate with potential buyers. In an act of desperation, he hires Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to tutor him in the art of lip-reading.
The young teacher is reluctant to participate, and Cullen has trouble keeping his mind on his lessons while intently watching her lips. Like the newly invented Ferris wheel, he is caught in a whirl between his girl back home, his dreams as an inventor, and his unexpected attraction to his new tutor. Can he keep his feet on the ground, or will he be carried away?

Comment: I've liked the majority of books by this author I've tried so I was quite eager to read this one as well. Added to my expectations was also the fact the theme made me very curious: a man looking for a tutor so he could read lips since he was loosing his hearing.

This is also the first buddy read of the year with my friend H.

In this book we meet hero Cullen McNamara, a young man who works in his father's farm but he he has quite a bad time because he is sadly allergic to many of the things related to farming. Unknowingly to him, his father signs him up at the upcoming great fair in Chicago, so he can show everyone his automatic sprinkler invention, something he has developed after the death of his mother in a fire.

Cullen doesn't think he has what it takes to succeed but his father spends a lot of hard earned money which is non refundable so Cullen reluctantly attends the fair but his invention is at the machinery hall, a very noisy place which further affects his difficulty in hearing.

Hoping to gain more if he can understand what people say, he hires Della, a female tutor for the deaf, also with an exhibit at the fair, so she can help him lip read. But how can he focus if the woman is quickly becoming his best friend and someone he is falling in love with?

First things first, this is a romance but it is quite clear the author has researched a lot about the 1893 Chicago fair so the information is as accurate as possible. My copy's edition also has pictures of the fair and that certainly helps readers to better imagine where the characters were and how their movements happened.

I think it was very rewarding to be able to follow the plot while the historical information was also an important part of the story and, even better, how the author managed to insert everything without it looking as if the importance was only the true historical data.

At the end of the novel, the author also included some notes of her research and I found those very informative and special, and the experience of reading this book was even more special, not as much for the information itself but because it helped me to imagine the whole writing process.

Of course, though, that the biggest element I was curious about was how the romance would be developed and I must say, apart from one little detail, I was quite happy with it.

I must say (and the cover also indicates it) this is a so-called "clean romance" so nothing physical happens between the protagonists except kissing and some inferring to closed doors activities at the end but I'm certain this is not a surprise for those who have read the author before. For those who don't, nothing is detracted from the romance, for the author provides enough clues about how far they are into their feelings here and there and there is no need for explicit content, in my opinion.

The love story between Cullen and Della is sweet, slow burn and not as central as one might imagine. I'd say the beauty is in the little things, the subtlety of some scenes.

Cullen is one of those heroes we can't help but like because he is a good man, he has principles, he has vulnerabilities but he defends what he believes in and tries to be there for Della when necessary without imposing his own thoughts on her. At a time a woman was not primarily liked for her personality, he lets her be herself and that is very appealing.

Della is a little more difficult to describe, she is everything a heroine is supposed to be, she acts correctly in regards to what is right but I admit I expected her to be a bit more fleshed out.

Their romance is more about a joining of souls rather than inevitable matchmaking.

There are a few things I'd change or improve. 

I thought the book would focus more on the lessons Della gives Cullen and although the subject of how deaf people were to be thought of was present enough to be a subject, I'd have liked more on it.

Cullen doesn't share one special information with Della which brings out a conflict close to the end and I think the same conflict could exist but dealt with differently.

There is a lot of descriptions of the fair and of what people could do while participating but the events Della and Cullen see/visit seemed to be a little too convenient for the plot. I understand why but it felt a little too much, considering they both worked there anyway. 

I liked this story despite the little things I might change. I think the author did a good job, she has thought about all the necessary elements... if only she could think about evolving to mainstream historical, perhaps her romances could be a little sexier. I'm not saying she should write sex scenes but without the "clean" label, perhaps even hints could be more obvious. I think the love story within her novels might be even more powerful with the right words/clues.

Still, if her style continues as such, I will still like her way of telling a story and I'll read the other book set during the Chicago fair for certain.

All in all, this was a very entertaining novel to spend time reading.

Grade: 8/10

Deeanne Gist - Love on the Line

Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man's world ... which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.
Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He's a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.

Comment: Deeanne Gist is a familiar author to me. I have enjoyed her books more or less although the last one I read by her, last year, wasn't my favorite at all. I had good expectations for this one, though, as I do about other books by her I'll want to try as well. This was a good story despite the less than interesting parts for me...

In this book we meet Georgie Gail, a telephone operator, before each telephone line was fixed to a different house. So everyone who wanted to call somebody else, had to call a central and then the call would be forwarded. Georgie is the first woman to have that job in the Texas city where the action takes place.

Luke Palmer is an undercover Texas Ranger looking for Frank Comer, a bandit who has gained people's applause because of his attitude when robbing trains but he is still a criminal and the bane of Luke's career. Knowing Comer's band will be around that city, makes Luke get there and try to find out ore about who might belong to the gang. But he was not counting on Georgie...

Like I said, this was a good story but I confess it did take some time to read it. I think I wasn't in the right state of mind and it just happened to be Easter season, always a busy time at work, which doesn't allow me as much free time to read as usual.

My biggest issue with this book was the relationship between the main characters. I know this is a Christian themed story but all intimacy references aside, the relationship still didn't look as interesting as it could simply because their connection doesn't feel natural. Plus, we don't see them interact as much as it would be necessary to make me believe in them. I can't say why this bothered me in this book when it didn't in some of her older titles which happen more or less the same, but maybe because of everyone around them was acting, I got this impression, who knows...

When I say "everyone around them", I mean the secondary characters. I just wasn't interested in most of them so the whole feel of community or family or even personal development didn't strike me as something to be focused on, so...I could be easily distracted, which added to not having as much free time, made this a slightly boring read.

Although overall, I still think this story is better when it comes to main characters' relationship, it still didn't win me over after all details were put into consideration.

The plot has its moments, I liked the elements about the German traditions, about birds (Georgie loves them and this is a key part of the story) and even the telephone operations, which tells me the author has had fun researching and including this in the story. But the characters themselves just... I can't explain it, but they were rather bland.

Then we have some revelations closer to the end of the book but I wasn't impressed by them.

I think we didn't learn enough about Georgie. It's hinted often about her having moved to this city, she's an independent woman and that's huge for the time, which I liked, but why she moved we don't know.

Luke is a character I feel we got to understand and know better but the epilogue shows a side of him that doesn't really match what he keeps defending through the book (like why he is dedicated and so on) and I can understand why, it suits the HEA perfectly but...it just feels weird.

All in all, a good and entertaining novel, but when compering to some of her other books, not as impressive. I hope the other books by her I want to read are more in the lines of her best work. 

Grade: 6/10

Deeanne Gist - Maid to Match

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled—by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in the ways of refined society, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid.
But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs...and their hearts.

Comment: I got this book recently, because I've been enjoying all the books I've read by this author. This title is part of the author's backlist which means it's closer to her older style and more inspirational themes rather than her latest stories which go more towards historical fiction with romance. But I was still intrigued and wanted to read this one.

In this story we meet Tillie Reese, a young woman who wants to be a lady's maid to ms Vanderbilt. Tillie knows the position will exist soon and she tries her best to be chosen. But the tasks of her work and the demands of what she does don't give her much confidence, especially when a sort of test is put in her path. And things got even worse when Mack, the new footman, seems to get under her skin, no matter how much she knows a relationship would mean the end of her dreams.

But Mack makes her realize she doesn't only dream of being a lady's maid and when children in danger must be helped, can Tillie be the person that could make a difference?

After having read the two types of books the author has written, the more inspirational and the more historicals I have to confess I prefer her more recent type of books... there's a certain sense of elegance and perfection in the story's evolution that her older books don't seem to have a much because characters are more worried about religious matters.

Not that an inspirational is wrong, only that the narrative she writes seems to flow better when religion isn't the focus.

In this book, despite the inspirational label and certain obvious references to God and society rules and obedience and so on, I don't think anyone that reads this book will think this is preaching. I suppose this is why the author's style appeals so much to me. It's never in your face and I appreciate the subtlety, which can makes us make up our own minds.

Tillie is a well behaved person, she tries her best to be good and proper and do the right things and I applaud her, but I got the feeling most of actions are led by the belief her life can change for the better and she can help her family, not because God put her on that path. The religious references happen mostly towards the end where, you've guessed it..., Tillie has to make a choice.

Tillie is a maid. She has a unrewarded job and must do things we wouldn't accept easily nowadays (the intimacy of helping a lady with her more personal habits, for instance). But what made me angry was how this was just expected, the way things were. Because she was poor and had to work, she could be treated like that. Yes, in real life that happens all the time too...but to read about it, it's difficult.

I think the historical facts presented were quite realistic and close to what really happened at the time, but it certainly gave a sense of despair because it's something we can't change. Even in the idea of romance, Tillie wouldn't miraculously become someone totally different, which is something we can hope for when we read other types of romances. The romance here is just a tool, in a way. The focus isn't about Tillie's romantic relationship, it's about her facing her choices and what could be better for her.

Mack is an interesting hero. He has all the good aspects to convince us he would be the best husband ever, but at the same time he felt too aloof and dispassionate about other things except his siblings. Not that this isn't commendable, but the way he thought of Tillie wasn't always as romantic as that. 

And this is why this book didn't feel the best one ever, the hero and heroine liked each other, could fall in love but because of the inspirational idea, it seemed their connection was only circumstantial. I just didn't feel their love, no matter how cute their few kisses were or how well they could be matched.

Now that I can compare differences between the author's work, although both have their time frames and purposes, I have to say the older ones feel less meaningful in terms of emotional descriptions, of purpose... and of all the inspirational ones, this looked sadder and with less positive aspects overall to seduce me into being glad I was reading. The HEA helped but isn't the whole book.

Still, an interesting read. But I'll look for to read more of her recent work now.

Grade: 6/10

Deeanne Gist - Tiffany Girl

As preparations for the 1893 World’s Fair set Chicago and the nation on fire, Louis Tiffany—heir to

the exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry empire—seizes the opportunity to unveil his state-of-the-art, stained glass, mosaic chapel, the likes of which the world has never seen.
But when Louis’s dream is threatened by a glassworkers’ strike months before the Fair opens, he turns to an unforeseen source for help: the female students at the New York Art Institute. Eager for adventure, the young women pick up their skirts, move to boarding houses, take up steel cutters, and assume new identities as the “Tiffany Girls.”
Tiffany Girls is the heartwarming story of the impetuous Flossie Jayne, a beautiful, budding artist who is handpicked by Louis to help complete the Tiffany chapel. Though excited to live in a boarding house when most women stayed home, she quickly finds the world is less welcoming than anticipated. From a Casanova male, to an unconventional married couple, and a condescending singing master, she takes on a colorful cast of characters to transform the boarding house into a home while racing to complete the Tiffany chapel and make a name for herself in the art world.
As challenges mount, her ambitions become threatened from an unexpected quarter: her own heart. Who will claim victory? Her dreams or the captivating boarder next door?  

Comment: After reading some interesting and positive comments about this title I got very curious about it and decided to buy it, even more so because I've read the author's work previously and liked it. I think the author has a very clear and fluid writing style and I knew it would be a good read, so this month, after being in the pile for almost half a year, I finally started it.

 

This is the story of Florence "Flossie" Jayne, a young woman who helps her mother sewing business but in reality, she dreams of better things, and believing she is a talented artist, the doesn't think twice about moving to a boarding house so she can be free to work at Tiffany's when the men go on strike.

At Tiffany's she is to help with the glass work, usually done by men, along with other colleagues from the Arts Institute where mr Tiffany himself went to choose them. Flossie now has a new life, new ideas to develop and she can't help but impact everyone at the boarding house, including mr Wilder, a man often lonely, but someone who'll change the more by knowing Flossie.

But nothing everything is easy or simple or positive. Will Flossie be able to learn to deal with heartbreak as with all the good things?

 

Well, I enjoyed this story a lot and didn't read faster because I couldn't read anytime I wanted. But last night I stayed up until I finished and I was quite glad about the way things happened. I think the author inserted a very realistic feel to the story by not sugarcoating everything nor by making the characters have their way all the time.

The idea about this book was also very interesting, unlike many readers about there, I wasn't very aware of the Chicago Fair event and it was quite interesting to learn a bit more about the Tiffany girls and how in real life they were actually asked to help with the glass cutting  after the men's strike. I did like to learn new things in a very soft and easy way, without too much information that would make this too heavy or uninteresting.

As for the fiction part, of course that was what appealed me the most.

 

It was very god to read this story, I was immediately captivated by the characters and their lives, although, from a contemporary POV, certain rules of the society of those days, which the author obviously used properly, really made me glad I wasn't a woman living in those days, for their lives were extremely unfair and serviceable. But once the focus turned to Flossie and her experiences and personality, we got to savor the changes and the news in her life with a different attention.

I think the best details I liked about this story was the type of life one has in a boardinghouse and all the different types of people that could live there. The author includes some notes explaining it was normal for doors not to be locked in such places and how anyone could enter... in fact, many of situations in the book seem rather simplistic for me, but again, we see everything through contemporary eyes. Also unexpected was one twist related to Flossie's chance at exhibiting a painting which I didn't see coming. Maybe I'm too naïve.

 

The romance was very subtle and sweet and slow paced. But I liked how their relationship seem more realistic because the time since they met until they get their HEA, because each one had to learn things and grow up emotionally for happiness to be achieved.

I liked how good and not so good things happened, which allowed each one of them to realize certain things but I also had to notice that not all is perfect for me, personally. I felt this was a very long book, maybe a few pages less wouldn't harm the overall plot and in some situations too much time spent on one or two things would detract from the intensity of the story. Perhaps this is intentional, but the process of going from a very strong scene to a very basic or less important would be too obvious and it felt like the plot lost the pace here and there. But well, this is just an impression.

 

Another issue is the sexual content (actually non existent) in this novel. Mrs Gist apparently is migrating towards more mainstream romance, rather than the inspirational or clean stories from the beginning of her career. But there has been talk about this and Wendy, the SuperLibrarian says it all here, basically this isn't sexual at all, it's definitely not pornographic, unlike so many people say in certain platforms. personally I prefer this style, but I can understand how some readers might feel if they got to this book by the labels and it's not what they thought they would get. But one thing is to express an opinion, another to be as aggressive and unfair as the issues they claim they hate. Anyway...

 

All in all this was a great story, a sweet romance, I liked the plot, the details, the majority of the scenes and development and I think it's a good read with which one can spent some enjoyable time.

I think this is a good book to recommend and I do.

Grade: 8/10

Deeanne Gist - A Bride in the Bargain

In 1860s Seattle, a man with a wife could secure himself 640 acres of timberland. But because of his wife's untimely death, Joe Denton finds himself about to lose half of his claim. Still in mourning, his best solution is to buy one of those Mercer girls arriving from the East. A woman he'll marry in name but keep around mostly as a cook. Anna Ivey's journey west with Asa Mercer's girls is an escape from the griefs of her past. She's not supposed to be a bride, though, just a cook for the girls. But when they land, she's handed to Joe Denton and the two find themselves in a knotty situation. She refuses to wed him and he's about to lose his land. With only a few months left, can Joe convince this provoking--but beguiling--easterner to be his bride?

Comment: Like a raindrop in the ocean, step by step I'm reading things in my TBR list. Obviously putting aside the fact I still buy books, thus adding up to same list, I'm pretty happy to be able to finish up things, namely loose books I have by several authors.
This was the case with Deeanne Gist for this was the last book by her I had to read.

This is the story of Joe, he has been working in his land for years but now everything is in danger and he might lose part of it if he doesn't present a wife, because this is one of the conditions to have the amount of land he has. When he applied he had a wife but, unfortunately, she died and now time is up to present one of loose the land.
In comes Mr Mercer, he has promised to bring widows from east to marry the men in order to increase the population and settle a city for sure. There's just a little problem, he's been telling the women they are going to be working as maids, nurses, governesses...most of them don't even imagine marriage in their future.
This is the case of Anna, a cook who's desperate to run from her daring boss, fearing for her life due to his threats. When she embarks she thinks she's going to be the cook for a group of working men but at her arrival, she realizes she was duped and meets Joe, the man she's supposed to marry. She refuses the marriage but he accepts her in his house to cook for his crew and soon they're falling in love and creating a life for them.

I liked this story a lot, it was so sweet and easy to read. Sometimes this is exactly what I need to decompress from harsher reads. This story isn't complicated and emotionally hard, it's a romantic story of finding love and taking care of it.
Joe is a good protagonist, he never forces Anne to do anything and is very proper to her, although he's desperate to secure his land. When faces with the choice between her and the land, we realize just how much in love Joe is and although that part made me a bit sad, after all it's always hard to give up on a dream, I was happy because he would gain a woman who'd be on his side forever. The book didn't end there and the final twist was a balsam in their troubles.
Anna was very sure of her ideas and beliefs and she didn't want to fall in love but she did and I liked how she also learned her lesson, that she can depend on someone she cares about.
This is a pure romance, there isn't anything explicit or rehearsed to make the book something it is not. I liked it especially for its innocence, which I knew I'd get.
This is labeled inspirational but like in her other novels it doesn't make the reader distracted or anything, it's all very subtle. I recommend it to anyone wishing for a sweet, easy, uncomplicated read.

Deeanne Gist - Measure of a Lady

FIVE RULES FOR PROPER 19th-CENTURY LADIES
SPEAK POLITELY. Even when you're the only respectable woman around, protesting San Francisco's decadent surrender to gold fever.
DRESS MODESTLY. Wear your sunbonnet at all times. Ensure nobody sees your men's boots muddied by the city streets.
REMAIN DEVOTED TO FAMILY. Protect your siblings from the temptations that surround them, even against their wishes.
STAND ABOVE REPROACH. Most difficult when a captivating man turns out to be a saloon owner.
RISE ABOVE TEMPTATION. No accepting gifts. No bestowing favors. No impeachable behavior ... well, maybe just one...little...kiss?
WHEN THESE RULES BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO UPHOLD, CAN RACHEL VAN BUREN REMAIN A BEACON OF VIRTUE IN A CITY OF VICE?

Comment: This is the second book I've read by the author and I'm still happy with the style and stories.
In this book, Rachel and her brother and sister arrive to San Farancisco because their father told them there was gold to help them become rich but after all all things aren't that easy. Rachel is a proper lady and refuses to abandonn her beliefs to a life of indulgences in a city full of sin. Hwever, with a rebel sister and a virtual love interest, she doesn't know how to keep everything balanced in her life.
I enjoyed the book alot, I liked rachel and hr efforts to get a life for herself and her siblings in a way that's repected and proper. Things aren't easy and soon she realises she has to make some compromises. Still she keeps true to her feelings and beliefs, something I really enjoyed. Johnny, her love interest, is a quiet but strong person and helps everytime she needs and it's very good to see them fall in love.
I admit I got very angry at her sister's behaviour, she didn't realise how her actions were seen by others and although one must try to eb true to one's dreams and beliefs, there are limits.
I have another book by the author to read and but I'm sure it will be as good as this one and the other I had read before.

Deeanne Gist - A Bride Most Begrudging

When Lady Constance Morrow finds herself held against her will aboard a ship bound for the American colonies - a ship filled with "tobacco brides" and felons - she is quite sure that as soon as she arrives she will find a reasonable man who will believe her father is an earl and send her back on the next ship to England. Instead she meets Drew O'Connor, a determined Colonial farmer who is nearly as headstrong as she is. Drew wins Constance as his bride but soon realizes he has taken on much more than he bargained for...

Comment: This was my first attempt to read an historical inspirational novel. I was a bit afraid it would exagerate the reliogious theme, but the author was superb in balancing the romance, the plot and the Scriptures.
Almost at the end there were some things I found too seen, but I guess after so many years reading romance it's bound to happen.
The end was bittersweet. I mean, it ended ok, the couple is happy but one character, a dear one, had a tragic finale and it made me sad.

Overall, I liked it a lot. We can see how both main characters think about their new relationship and it's fun to watch them admiting they actually want to be together. Constance learns to live an love the new land and Drew and he sees love is the best part of living. I really loved the whole book.
I'll certainly try to get more books by the author.