Freed from a cruel marriage, Esther Andrews agrees to winter at the Lockridge homestead to help Jared’s pregnant sister-in-law. Lame in one foot, Esther has always known she is secondhand goods, but the gentle carpenter-turned-scout draws her heart with as much skill as he creates furniture from wood. His family’s love offers hope even as violence erupts along the frontier—and Jared’s investigation into local incidents brings danger to their doorstep. Yet how could Esther ever hope a loyal man like Jared would choose her over a fine lady?
Publisher: Wild Heart Books
Publication date: September 5, 2023
I always look forward to reading a Denise Weimer book. I know that each time I open one up whether it be in print or ebook, I am leaving my century behind for a well researched story. One that has all of the little details that make my history loving heart sing. But on the other hand, one that also puts a face onto and emotion into those dry dates and boring history book chapters from school days.
A Counterfeit Betrothal was quite the story and unlike some historical fiction it held my attention all the way through. Not all fluff and fancy dresses, there was a lot more to this first Scouts Of The Georgia Frontier novel. That fact is something that I love to discover in any historical fiction book that I read but I've also come to expect it from Denise Weimer. She'll take on some of the tougher parts of history and retell them in a way that neither excuses nor rewrites the facts. And as someone with both white and Cherokee ancestors living in Georgia around the time period of A Counterfeit Betrothal, it made the initial Scouts Of The Georgia Frontier doubly interesting for me.
Denise Weimer really had me going with A Counterfeit Betrothal. Just when I thought everything was solved and the main characters had a smooth road ahead of them, surprise! And I found myself enjoying the fact that I didn't have to say goodbye to Esther and Jared – not to mention the redoubtable Duchess – quite yet. I also appreciated the additional resolution to certain obstacles instead of the usual kiss and everything is all hunky-dory. Nope, Denise Weimer had to put her Scouts Of The Georgia Frontier characters through a little more angst before the final page of A Counterfeit Betrothal could be turned. Now, after finishing it I absolutely cannot wait to see where the Scouts Of The Georgia Frontier will go next...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives A Counterfeit Betrothal by Denise Weimer a 4.5 Bark rating.