I wanted to like this book. I had high hopes but it moved so slowly, parts were unbelievable (like a young single male as a chaperone to a young single female and even camping out a night). The Christan aspect was at random times Abigail would blurt out part of a scripture. . The author explained in minute detail his feelings and thoughts as well as hers. It seemed over-the-top and unnecessary which made the story drag. I don't think I would necessarily recommend this book unless you want to kill time.

Set in a most favorite place of mine, An Unlikely Arrangement by Cindy Patterson shows a great accuracy in detail. I can visualize the rooms in the Biltmore when they are mentioned. The main characters Abigail and Garrett both have regrets in their past. Even when they know God has forgiven them, they have trouble forgiving themselves. Can they forgive themselves in time to move forward to a life together? A copy was provided for my review with no requirement for a favorable review. All opinions are mine and are freely given.

Abigail Dupre is a young lady running away from the disgrace of her past sins, which has made her family relocate to Charlotte to let the gossip settle in their hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. To conceal her dishonorable past, her parents are blackmailed by William Arandel, a selfish man whose character is quite questionable, and Abigail loathes him. In an attempt to get away from William Randall, Abigail decides to redeem herself by seeking reconciliation with Randall Thorne, the man behind her dishonorable past, but this proves difficult with the unexpected appearance of Garret Barringer, who is not only blessed with good looks but has a perfect character. According to Abigail, only God can tell if she will find the happiness and self-forgiveness that have been lacking in her life, in the end.

In this narration, I like the way the author has managed to come up with a fascinating romance story with a spiritual touch to it. For example, on page 230,”"Do you or do you not believe the Word of God?”” and on page 231, "“Nor do I need to. But you need to accept that God forgave you the first time you repented, Abigail. No matter your sin.”” Readers will encounter such statements in this book, which makes the book more interesting. It is also a beautiful story that will hold the reader in suspense until the end.

I rate this book, An Unlikely Arrangement, by Cindy Patterson 4 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this book to those readers who have a past that needs revisiting to make things right, for they will realize that self-forgiveness is the starting point. I also recommend it to those who love romance as well as historical fiction books that contain a spiritual touch.

Loved reading the inspirational and captivating story. To escape William Arendell's marriage proposal, Abigail willingly goes to her Aunt's house for the summer in hopes of rekindling her romance with Randal Thorne, but Garrett is tasked with keeping Abigail from harm. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting romance story.

I found great pleasure in reading this book, as I have a deep appreciation for historical romance and found this one to be exceptionally well-written.
The story is enthralling, filled with themes of integrity, love, redemption, and faith.
The setting of the time period was captivating and beautiful, adding to my enjoyment of the book.
I am eager to explore more works by this author in the future.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Abby and Garrett were extremely likeable and I just wanted to give Abby a hug during the entire book. Forced proximity is one of my favorite tropes and their journey to Ashville ticked that box. Unfortunately there were other elements of the book that did not work for me.. This is a Christian romance and if you are in that demographic, you probably would like this book.

Abigail and Garrett’s love story was a beautiful picture of redemption and grace. When Abigail thought there was no chance at true love for her, God had a different plan. The unfolding of the story kept me guessing. This was an easy read, and very enjoyable. I hope to read more by this author soon!

"An Unlikely Arrangement" by Cindy Patterson is set in North Carolina. The heroine Abigail has made some mistakes in her past. With her wish to honor her parents she may end up having to marry one of two men that do not treat women well. In order to give his daughter a choice, Abigail's father hires Garrett to be her guardian as she travels to Asheville, NC to visit with her aunt.

In Asheville, Abigail is able to visit the beautiful Biltmore Mansion and meet many people from Garrett's life. She connects with an old suitor who she feels can redeem her mistakes. In the end, Abigail learns so much about herself, her God and redemption in ways she never thought were possible.

This book is a Christian fiction historical novel. The first part of the book doesn't mention any of that but the last quarter of the book has a strong faith storyline. For readers of Christian fiction looking for stories of redemption this one is for you. I enjoyed the faith aspect of the book and wish that it might have been felt more throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author who published this as an indie book for the receipt of the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Everything about this story is written really well. It has everything… romance.. mystery.. adventure.. characters to feel close to… loved it!.

A lovely story of redemption! Clean and beautifully written, a romance that teaches to trust and all about Gods forgiveness. A charming story for romantic readers....highly recommend this one!

Cindy Patterson is a new author for me, whose literary offerings are generally set in contemporary America. "An Unlikely Arrangement" takes place in 1902 North Carolina. Abigail Dupree, impetuous and the author of all her troubles, is assigned a male "companion" of sorts to ensure she doesn't find herself in deeper waters with her "love" Randall Thorne. At least that's why I think Garrett Barringer was introduced, at least at first. Furthermore, Miss Dupree believes she can convince Thorne to love her. That's not how it works, of course. It defies belief she's even willing to attempt this after being used and discarded by this shining example of humanity. There's also an undesirable suitor, William Arendell.

What follows is an unlikely series of events, some downright implausible. While at a ball, Abigail dances barefoot to spare her aching feet. This is both charming and enterprising. From a historical perspective, it also doesn't happen. In addition, a non-related single male is not a suitable chaperon for a young woman, and they certainly don't sleep in adjoining tents. That would destroy a lady's reputation, or in Abigail's case, make it even worse.

As a reader, I will overlook the occasional grammatical error. However, as the case is here, there are a multitude of them. There are misused words, missing commas, or commas where there should be none. This lack of editing distracts from the story, and I find myself using my mental red pen.

That being said, there are things I enjoyed about this tale. It is clean with no violence. Christian elements are gentle and appropriate. Romans 3:23 is particularly meaningful. A few historical figures are mentioned or make onscreen appearances, notably Alice Roosevelt, the Vanderbilts, and Biltmore Estate. Frederick Law Olmsted gets an honorable mention, too (he designed my city's park system.) I also liked Rose. If there's a story about her, and editing improves, I'm willing to give this author another try.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

This is Christian Fiction. I’m not sure why the publisher hid that fact. The pacing was on the slow side, and the book didn’t hold my interest.

CW: domestic violence.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book a lot! It was a very well done slow burn romance. The romance and banter were very well done. And I would highly recommend this book!