My review of The Lady Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden.

About the book:


Female journalists are rare in 1879, but American-born Clara Endicott has finally made a name for herself with her provocative articles championing London's poor. When the backlash from her work forces a return home to Baltimore, Clara finds herself face-to-face with a childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished factory worker she once knew. In her absence, Daniel Tremain has become a powerful industry giant and Clara finds him as enigmatic as ever. However, Daniel's success is fueled by resentment from past wounds and Clara's deeply-held beliefs about God's grace force Daniel to confront his own motives. When Clara's very life is endangered by one of Daniel's adversaries, they must face a reckoning neither of them ever could have foreseen.


My review:


More like 4.5 stars but close enough to round up.

The Lady of Bolton Hill was an enjoyable novel set in the late 1800s. I loved getting to know the characters and found the redemptive themes to be believable in that the people who had reasons for antipathy toward God were convincing in their rejection of faith. A few of the scenarios were a bit of a stretch for me to believe, but I still found the story very engaging and read the book almost straight through.

This author's voice is a blend of Tracie Peterson, Nancy Moser, Deeanne Gist, and Julie Klassen. At the same time this author has her own distinct voice, and I like it. I will definitely read another book by this author. I was firmly planted in the time period and found the romance enjoyable between the characters. The tension between them was fun to read, too. That first kiss was heart-stopping and worth the wait.

I really enjoy reading stories set during the late 1800s time period and with child labor and child welfare issues in them. A female crusader who happens to be a journalist trying to take on children's issues makes it that much sweeter of a read. I loved the lesson regarding revenge and bitterness that was part of the overall theme, too. I would definitely recommend this author to people who adore historical romances.

The Lady of Bolton Hill is published by Bethany House and will release in June 2011. I won this book from Librarything's early reviewer program.