Book description:
River pirates, a stolen steamboat, and a deadly chase down the Mississippi—but falling in love might be the real adventure.
When river pirates attack and steal his steamboat, Emmett Carter barely escapes. Rescued and transported to a magnificent world of glitz and showbiz aboard a flashy showboat, Emmett is immediately captivated by something more than recovering his lost inheritance—The River Queen’s beautiful, but quirky, songbird.
Anola Flynn, the star singer on The River Queen, is struggling to keep the business running as attendance dwindles during the 1923 season. With her dreams of saving the family legacy—and the only life she’s ever known—slipping away, she forges an alliance with Emmett to keep her family afloat.
Now, to outsmart the gangsters chasing them, Anola and Emmett must wade through a dark current of deception and betrayal to save not only their dreams, but everyone they care about, from sinking deeper into the Mississippi River.
My review:
I saw a couple people remark "what a fun read!", in regards to this book. And after reading it myself, I 100% agree. What an awesome and fun read. I have read some of the author's other books, and enjoyed them....but this one was different from her usual, and the best so far. In my not so humble opinion.
First the cast of characters: Emmett enters the picture first, having been tossed in the Mississippi River by boat pirates. Victim of his brother's ill conceived and illegal activities, he doesn't always make the best choices throughout the book as he tries to protect the Flynn family.
Anola makes a great heroine, the star of the shows her family puts on throughout the year on their showboat, The River Queen. She makes a great partner, in more than one way, for Emmett.
The Flynn family: In addition to Anola, there are her parents, and her grandparents. They are a close family, and cause for a lot of humor and family drama.
This book is set in the early 20's, and most of the story happens on the boat and on the Mississippi River. There are bad guys, so there is a lot of suspense and drama, especially as Emmett tries to get out of his brother's schemes without causing injury or death to the woman he loves and her family.
It truly is a fun read. The author obviously did a lot of research on the area, time period, and showboats during that time period. And the result is an entertaining, exciting, suspenseful and romantic read with a definite and obvious faith element. Emmett admits to himself at one point that he has been slacking off in the faith department, but realizes he has been praying a lot over the situations he he faces, and that he needs to step it up in the faith department if he is going to marry Anola and be the head of the household.
I enjoyed the book. A lot. I read 60 some percent of the book and had to go to bed, but very reluctantly. I finished it the next day as soon as I was able to pick it up. The author definitely hit it out of the ball park on this one. It is a book she can be very proud of. Quality Christian fiction at its best.
I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.
About the author:
Stephenia H. McGee is a multi-published author of stories of faith, hope, and healing set in the Deep South. She lives in Mississippi, where she is a mom of two rambunctious boys, writer, dreamer, and husband spoiler. Her novel The Cedar Key was a 2021 Faith, Hope, and Love Readers’ Choice award winner. A member of the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), she loves all things books and history. Stephenia also loves connecting with readers and can often be found having fun with her Faithful Readers Team on Facebook. For more on books and upcoming events and to connect with Stephenia, visit her at www.StepheniaMcGee.com.
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