Book Review: Otherwise Engaged

Joanna Barker's new book, Otherwise Engaged, is out and it is so good! I really enjoyed this one.

Rebecca Rowley is a quiet rebel to the society that has so many restrictions for women. She rides bareback and is secretly engaged! It's all so exciting---until she meets her new neighbor. Lieutenant Nicholas Avery. He has moved in next door with his half-sister and they both are quite vexing---and fascinating at the same time. Nicholas and Rebecca form a friendship, but she is soon drawn to him as more than a friend. But should she explore her feelings for Nicholas or go on with the man she's already---and maybe a bit hastily---promised her hand in marriage to?

I loved everything about this book. The descriptions, the characters, and the setting worked seamlessly together to highlight this tender tale of love. Nicholas is a sigh-worthy hero who has his faults, but is working so hard to do what he thinks is right---no matter what the cost. Rebecca is making all sorts of mistakes with her life, but finds a true friend in Nicholas. Their journey to love was such a page-turner for me. I really enjoyed seeing them find admirable traits in the other person and have their opinions change. The secondary cast was also well-drawn and added to the main story with all their foibles and perspectives. This one is definitely going on my keeper shelf!

You can get your copy here

Here is the back copy:

Constantly stifled by the rules of Society, spirited Rebecca Rowley enjoys finding ways to quietly—or not so quietly—rebel. But riding bareback and avoiding nosy neighbors are nothing compared to the thrilling secret she is keeping from her family.

When Rebecca’s quick thinking saves the life of a young girl, she unwittingly attracts the attention of the child’s dashing brother, Lieutenant Nicholas Avery. As that attention turns flirtatious, Rebecca is forced to tell him the truth: she is secretly engaged—to the one man her family would never approve of. Fortunately, Lieutenant Avery is a navy man with no wish to marry, or so they both assume as they enter into a friendship. Rebecca hopes to change her family’s mind about her betrothed, but the more she comes to know the handsome lieutenant, the more she wonders if she promised her hand too hastily.

After all her carefully laid plans are shattered during a family crisis, Rebecca must force her heart to decide. Should she stay true to the promise she made or fight for the future she’s only just begun to imagine?