Book description:
Trust no one in the shadows of the piney woods . . .
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.
My review:
This is the third book in a series of Western stories based on fairy tales. And it is my favorite series by this masterful wordsmith so far. The first book had the most parallels, and the second one not as many, but still some obvious ones.
Cloaked In Beauty does not have as many obvious parallels to the story of Red Riding Hood, but it was still an amazing read, and the parallels are there.
The book was full of likable and awesome characters. Letty, the young girl hidden with her grandma for fifteen years from her evil uncle. Phillip, the honorable Pinkerton agent hired by Letty's mother to find her and bring her home for her 21st birthday. Leah Radcliffe, willing to be apart from her daughter for so many years to protect her. Grandma Iris Hood, willing to hide to protect her granddaughter. Rusty, the wolf, Letty's faithful companion.
These made the story an awesome read. I love the author's writing style. She weaves humor, adventure, suspense, romance, and Christianity all together and makes a story hard to put down.
And this book had all that in spades. Letty and Phillip made such an unlikely, yet perfect pair as they wound their way the 270 miles or so from Cass County to Houston. (I Googled it.) :) He was determined to protect her no matter what, and she was not at all what he expected, and proved she could pull her own weight, even taking care of him when the need arose.
Though one would not call this a suspense novel, it had its share of suspense as Phillip did his best to protect her from her evil uncle and his minions, and as her uncle proved just how evil he was. A guillotine even comes into the picture. (Shudder!)
Good and love of course triumphs over evil, and the book had a great ending. I kind of saw it coming, but still enjoyed the surprise Letty had for Phillip.
This is another great addition to this great series that can be read in any order.
Special thanks to the author for an advance copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.
About the author:
Voted #1 Reader's Favorite Christian Historical Author of 2023 by Family Fiction magazine, bestselling and Carol and Christy Award-winning author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She and her husband make their home in Abilene, Texas. Learn more about Karen and her books at KarenWitemeyer.com.
Book #1 (Snow White)
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