"A Daring Venture" by Elizabeth Camden

I love that the main female characters in Elizabeth Camden’s books are always strong, smart, independent women. The main character in “A Daring Venture” is no exception. 

This is the story of Doctor Rosalind Werner who is no stranger to sadness. Her parents died from a water-borne disease when she was young. She was forced to live with a relative who later died, forcing both her and her brother, Gus, to move to Germany and live with yet another relative. She has dedicated her life to saving as many people as she can from the same type of horrible death as her parents. Rosalind is also struggling to live in her tiny house with her brother and his German wife, Ingrid who harbors ill feelings toward Rosalind as they were forced to leave Germany because of a scandal involving Rosalind.

She and her associate, Dr. Leal, are trying to convince the world that chlorine is the answer. It can kill harmful bacteria and is safe. However, not everyone is easy to sway, especially the handsome Nicholas Drake who just happens to be the newly appointed Commissioner of Water for New York.

Nicholas has lots of issues, too. He is from “new” money, his aunt is trying to exact revenge upon him, his sister, and his sister’s family and he finds himself attracted to Rosalind, who is on the other side of the cholrine debate.

One issue in this book really resonated with me. Nick was in charge of moving the residents of five towns so that a new reservoir could be created. I empathized with the folks of those towns who were angry and upset that they were going to be “bought out” and forced to move. I live in an area that was purchased by the government and flooded in 1933 when the Tennessee Valley Authority built 40 dams to control flooding and create cheap electricity. People lost their family farms, homes and livelihoods.

My favorite part of the book is when Dr. Leal, Rosalind’s associate, tells her that “all God asks of us…” is to “do our best with what we have.” What a great reminder!

This is the second book in the series, but it is a standalone story. I have not read the first (yet), but it in no way inhibited my enjoyment of this one. The third book, “A Desperate Hope” comes out Feb 5, 2019.

Publication Date: June 5, 2018

Genre:  Christian Fiction, Romance, Historical, 20^th Century

Cover: Perfect

Rating: 4 stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher, Bethany House, in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!