The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo was on my list of fun summer reads this year! There is nothing like summer vacation to read for fun. It's a tradition that I've had since I learned how to read... and I can't wait to begin this tradition with my kids.

The main character in this novel is Charlotte Beck. Her character reminds me a bit of Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables -- she is a spitfire -- determined to get her way and heaven help anyone who stands in her way. Amid social pressures and the encouragement of her father to be placed in an arranged marriage, Charlotte rebels and makes her wish to go to college be known. After observing her interactions with the English atronomer, Alex Hambly, her father makes an offer to both of them: Get married and 1) He'll give Charlotte the chance to go to college and 2) He will provide financial security for Alex's struggling family. And it's an offer that they cannot refuse.

The character development in this novel was excellent! I loved each of the characters and how the author created their interactions with one another. Charlotte's escapades are a riot and so is the demeanor in which her father and Alex handle the escapades. I also enjoyed the way the author wove together prim and proper English culture and the barely settled Colorado frontier.

If you are looking for a book to finish up your summer reading list -- grab this one! It did not disappoint! And... because I just can't help but judge a book by it's cover -- what a fabulous cover! I had just as much fun looking at the book on my coffee table as I did reading it! Special thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for giving me this book for free for this review.