Outstanding
Who would have ever thought a lawsuit, The Aldermen of Jersey City vs. the Jersey City Water Supply Company, from the early 1900s would make such an interesting backdrop for an historical romance novel? Once again Elizabeth Camden has developed an original plot embedded in a story with historical accuracy and importance. Today we are accustomed to advances in all areas related to public health, and even young children understand the idea of germs and bacteria too small for the naked eye to see. For the most part we do not question what is in our water (although there are times we probably should). In the early 1900s city water in the United States was filtered, but chemical purification was quite controversial. Deaths from cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne diseases were still an issue, but so was adding chemicals to kill the bacteria that caused those deaths. Camden places the heroine of this story on a team with other scientists working to insure water purification through chlorination while placing her romantic interest in the opposition. As if that did not create enough tension to keep the story moving, she added a character bent on vengeance and just a tad of scandal. The result is a compelling read that will grasp the reader's attention from start to finish.
I thank NetGalley and Bethany House for providing me with a copy of A Daring Venture in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation and was under no obligation to write a positive review.