Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Book Review: A Sweet Misfortune

A Sweet Misfortune. Maggie Brendan. 2016. Revell. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

I found A Sweet Misfortune by Maggie Brendan to be a pleasant enough historical romance. John McIntyre, our hero, is a cattle baron in Montana; Rachel Matthews, our heroine, is a dance hall girl. After a note from his friend, Preston, John McIntyre rushes to save Rachel from her current job. The rush-save isn't without embarrassment and miscommunication. Was he really in so big a hurry that he couldn't mention that he was either a) friends with her brother b) that her brother wrote him telling him to get her OUT of there?! Thinking that she's being kidnapped by a stranger, her first impression of him is less than ideal. And while we're talking of first impressions, he's not sure he really wants a DANCE-HALL girl around. Especially one whose beauty wows him. But she makes a good impression on John's grandmother, and, in the end that is enough. She offers Rachel a job in her shop, and, of course, a place to stay on her grandson's ranch for as long as she needs it.

Rachel has several potential suitors. And there are plenty of women who find John swoon-worthy and great husband material. But will John be one of Rachel's suitors, and, does she find him swoon-worthy. The grandmother may have an idea--a fixed idea--that these two belong together, but, do they?

I liked this one okay. For readers looking for clean romance, this one works well enough. Perhaps if it had ended three or four pages earlier it would have been even better. But every reader has their own idea of what is "too much." And I've read a lot worse published by Christian publishers. For Christian readers who can't get enough, especially when it comes to historical romance novels, this one is a good pick.

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