An intriguing historical romance with a little mystery thrown in makes for a good story. I love historical novels when things were so much different, especially for women. Wealthy Henrietta, likes to buck the norm. Will she ever meet anyone who loves her as she is and not for her money?

This is a pleasant, clean, simply written story (with a few generic, religious overtones) that's fine for readers 12 and up. The heroine is an investigative reporter in Brockton, Massachusetts, and there's some G-rated romance with a local firefighter. It came across to me like an adult Nancy Drew. The story is based on an actual 1905 event, which the author describes in an afterward. It's just my taste I guess, that had me enjoying this note detailing the grittier description of this history, more than the feel-good story. But it's a nice, light read.

5 Stars – A Sweet, Faith-Filled Historical Romance

Etta Maxwell has always longed for more than the constraints of high society life. As a passionate reporter working under an alias—because women aren’t permitted to write for the newspaper—she’s determined to make a difference. Local fireman Leo Eriksson wrestles with his feelings for Etta, torn between their social divide and his own painful past.

When a devastating explosion rocks the community, Etta and Leo are thrown together, working side by side to help the injured and uncover the truth. But when edited information from Etta’s article sparks conflict, mistrust begins to grow—and her secret identity faces exposure.

This is a clean, heartfelt frontier romance with strong characters and a beautiful thread of faith. I appreciated the emotional depth, the slow-burn romance, and the courageous journey of both leads. A lovely, satisfying read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own.

This story has an interesting plot and likeable, complex characters that I cared about. I appreciated the way both Etta and Leo had to wrestle with some difficult moral quandaries and rely on God. I was also impressed by the historical detail about early 20th century life, including journalism and firefighting. Christian readers will appreciate some messages about trusting in God and about forgiveness.

This wasn’t quite a five-star read for me because some of the writing was too heavy-handed for my taste, and I felt that the some storylines were wrapped up too easily/hastily. (The resolution of the arson investigation, which seemed to be the main plot of the book, was quite anticlimactic; a misunderstanding is seemingly just solved with a sudden grand gesture.)

Overall, Christians will likely enjoy this story if they enjoy closed-door historical romance, independent female heroines and brave, loyal heroes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour for the free eARC. I will cross-post this review to Goodreads no more than 30 days prior to the book’s publication, and to Amazon and Instagram within one week of publication.

Content notes: peril, injury, and death related to fires; a woman cross-dresses as a man in order to have more freedom in the early 1900s; kissing, including more descriptive kissing and implications of more between a married couple

I wanted to like this book, as I thought the premise sounded interesting. Unfortunately, I didn't find the characters very engaging or the story well written. It seemed that there were too many strands of things going on that may have been important but ultimately weren't. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the free e-arc.

Etta Maxwell has always wanted more out of her high society life however in her current time period that is slightly impossible. She is a reporter for a newspaper but has to use an alias since women reporters are not allowed. Local fireman Leo Eriksson has always felt something for Etta but antagonizes over the fact that a relationship could never happen due to different social standings and heartbreak in Leo's past.
When an explosion occurs at the nearby factory Etta and Leo find themselves working together not only to help those who have been injured but also help Etta gather facts for an article. However, edited information causes Leo to develop mistrust for the paper. Even though Etta works under an alias there are those who wish to expose her identity.
I overall found this to be a sweet and clean frontier romance. The characters were enjoyable and their faith in handling the situation at hand was very admirable.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley but all opinions are of my own