A Reluctant Belle

By Beth White

Book Overview

Impoverished Southern belle Joelle Daughtry has a secret. By day she has been helping her sisters in their quest to turn the run-down family plantation into a resort hotel after the close of the Civil War. But by night and under a male pseudonym, she has been penning articles for the local paper in support of the construction of a Negro school. With the Mississippi arm of the Ku Klux Klan gaining power and prestige, Joelle knows she is playing a dangerous game.

When childhood enemy and current investor in the Daughtry house renovation Schuyler Beaumont takes over his assassinated father's candidacy for state office, Joelle finds that in order to protect her family and her home, she and Schuyler will have to put aside their longstanding personal conflict and develop a united public front. The trouble is, what do you do when animosity becomes respect--and even love--if you're already engaged to someone else?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0800726901
• ISBN13: 9780800726904
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company
• Length: 366 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Civil War era

A Reluctant Belle by Beth White is the second book in her Daughtry House series. Joelle Daughtry is one southern belle you don’t want to tangle with. Helping her sisters turn their run-down plantation into a hotel resort is no job for the weak. Schuyler Beaumont, childhood enemy, becomes an investor in the hotel when the girls become in need of additional funds. As the Ku Klux Klan starts gaining power Joelle and Schuyler must work together to protect friends and loved ones. Can they extinguish the sparks that continue to fly between them before they both get burned? I always enjoy a story where the heroine is not a push-over and can handle things on their own. Joelle had an inner strength that saw her through a tough time in our history. I loved the interaction between Joelle and Schuyler. Ms. White did a very good job with a very touchy subject matter. The history didn’t overwhelm the storyline; it just enhanced it. If you like Civil War era romance then this is a book you would really enjoy! I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Flop for me

Reluctant Belle by Beth White I could not get into this book, I read some about Joelle wanting to get a larger school or schoolroom so she could teach former slaves their 3R's. She has a giving heart. Other than that, the book didn't grab me at all. I skipped ahead a few chapters-nope, still didn't work-this is as close to a "perfect image" of my most favored genre. Reluctant Bell by Beth White I was provided a complimentary copy from LibraryThing and Revell, Baker Books with no obligation for a review.