Review: Prudence Pursued by Shirley Raye Redmond

 

Prudence Pursued by Shirley Raye Redmond
Published: July 2014, Astraea Press, 259 pages
Source: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

Description: At the advanced age of twenty-seven, vicar’s daughter Prudence Pentrye is on the shelf. Content to occupy her time by attending meetings of Mr. Wilberforce’s Abolition Society and helping her father administer vaccines in an effort to prevent a small pox epidemic, Prudence is resolved to see that her younger cousin Margaret does not share her own unmarried fate.

But Margaret is plain and shy. She is repulsed when a swashbuckling baronet, Sir James Brownell, makes her an offer of marriage. With his sunburned skin, eye patch, and indifference to fashion, Sir James is not Margaret’s idea of a romantic suitor. Nor does Margaret enjoy his tales of fighting against Malay pirates and trekking through tropical jungles on the island of Borneo in hopes of capturing a living orangutan.

Prudence, however, finds herself secretly smitten. Will she maintain control of her traitorous heart or will she trust God to make her life richer and more rewarding than the one she had planned for herself?

 

My Review: This story started out with Prudence helping with vaccinations in order to help curb the small pox. I was a little disgusted at the methods they used and appalled at how barbaric they seemed. It made me really grateful to just be able to go in and get a shot for things like this. 

As the story progresses beyond that point, Prudence is asked to help encourage her younger cousin to marry a man whom she has no desire of marrying. Not wanting Margaret to end up an old maid like herself, Prudence is determined to help out. Nothing Prudence says can change Margaret's mind, yet it does everything to change Prudence's. Previously, she'd been convinced she'd never marry and now she wonders...

I felt there was a lot of repetitive talk in parts, with Prudence trying to convince Margaret and Margaret adamantly refusing--over and over again. That aside, it was a fun story with fun characters. I love it when a romance novel has good-looking characters, but I love it just as much, if not more, if they're described with flaws or as plain looking. Not everyone is a supermodel and I love watching characters get to know each other--the real, deep inside, characters. And these characters are great fun! I think my favorite thing is when Sir James can't get Younghughes name right. I know it's on purpose, but I found it very funny. Of course, I loved the way things all worked out.

Content: some mildly disturbing descriptions concerning the vaccines; mild romance; otherwise, Clean!

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