Love in Disguise - Not Your Usual Historical Fiction

When I read the back-cover blurb describing author Carol Cox's latest release, Love in Disguise, I was intrigued.

Jobless, and down to her last dime. Ellie Moore hears about a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency and believes it is the perfect chance to put her acting skills and costumes to use...she adopts the disguise of elderly Lavinia Stewart and takes off to Arizona--arriving in a stagecoach.

Did I mention this is a historical? The story takes place in 1881, and Arizona was a far cry from Ellie's native Chicago. The wild west to be sure. She pulls off her Lavinia disguise, but can she do the same playing Lavinia's ravishing niece as she tries to track down thieves who are stealing shipments from a local silver mine. All goes well until the mine owner falls in love with the niece.

I did have a problem at the beginning staying with the story, as the pacing seemed to drag at times when Ellie seemed to have similar situations over and over again. It also took me a while to connect to the character, but once I did, I came to enjoy the story as a light read.

Cox has blended a serious subject with just the right amount of humor to make a unique storyline that is bound to keep you turning pages until you reach the last page. And Cox knows her stuff when it comes to Arizona, because that's where she lives!

This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more in the future.

Bethany House Publishers provided a complementary copy of this book for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own.