By Karen Witemeyer
Published by Bethany House
Description from the Publisher:
Letty Hood has spent the last fifteen years of her life hidden away with her grandmother in the backwoods of east Texas to escape the deadly schemes of an uncle who wants her dead. Now, with her twenty-first birthday on the horizon, she is forced to accept the escort of a stranger and return to Houston in secret so she can claim a birthright that will make her one of the wealthiest women in Texas. If she lives long enough to inherit.
Pinkerton agent Philip Carmichael has one duty: get the Radcliffe heiress home alive. Expecting a spoiled girl, Philip is surprised to encounter a woman of rare strength with a kind soul and keen wit. As they journey together, Letty's resilience wins his admiration, breaking through his hardened cynicism. Yet the threat to her survival grows more menacing with every mile, and Philip fears that keeping Letty out of harm's way may be just as impossible as keeping her out of his heart.
I enjoyed this book so much! Philip and Letty are such likable characters--good, practical people who don't play games but are honest about their feelings. I like how they were both strong and could work together and rely on each other; Letty took the lead sometimes and Philip did at others.
I also loved the Christian themes; the characters' faith was truly part of their lives and they trusted in the Lord to help them and guide them.
While I really enjoyed the characters, the plot was a bit less interesting to me. The threat was off-screen for so much of the book (we don't really see Letty's uncle much) and thenwhen it was front and center, it all got resolved fairly quickly. I also felt like Philip's legitimate concern about why he and Letty might not have a future together got resolved perhaps a bit too easily (or quickly, in terms of pages in the book)--but I really appreciated the problem was NOT have the stereotypical "I'm not good enough for her because she's so wealthy" theme. Still, the sweet romance, the great characters, and the inspiring messages make this an excellent book.
4.5 stars.
I read a DRC provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.