Kathleen Y'Barbo's Women of the West series wraps up with this final book. This book is good as a stand alone novel - I didn't know for sure it was part of a series until the very end of the book. There are clues along the way that hint at a series but it reads well on it's own.
Unlikely romance is sometimes just an inconvenient marriage away
Charlotte Beck may be entering adulthood, but she can’t seem to keep to her stubborn, independent spirit from bucking social protocol. Fed up with her behavior, Charlotte’s father Daniel pressures her to settle into a nice marriage despite knowing she is set on going to college. Then Daniel sees Charlotte with the handsome but annoying English astronomer Alex Hambly, and everything changes.
Though Alex and Charlotte can barely stand one another, Daniel offers them a deal they can’t refuse: if they agree to marry, he will save Alex’s family from financial ruin and grant Charlotte the freedom to go to college. Reluctantly the couple agrees, but in private they plot to annul the marriage as soon as possible.
But when Alex’s feelings change and he refuses to dissolve their contract, will Charlotte find a way out of her vows? Or will she discover that maybe this marriage isn’t so inconvenient after all?
This book is a bit different from other "arranged" marriage books in that most of the book leads up to the marriage rather than the marriage happening at the beginning of the book.
Part of the story takes place in London and part takes place in Colorado. The characters are interesting and the descriptions are beautiful. I especially like the little sayings at the beginning of each chapter by Charlotte's tutor, Miss Pence.
Charlotte is a bit ahead of her time in wanting to work in her father's business rather than be a wife and mother, particularly she wants to go to university. She's quite the schemer when it comes to getting what she wants.
Alex is only concerned with the stars. He wants nothing more than to be able to study the stars and explore the nighttime sky. But when he becomes responsible for this family's finances he has to find a way out of debt.
A very good read.
Jody
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review
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