lunabee34

Courting Anna: Women of Destiny by Cate Simon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really like this book; it explores the world of the 19th-century American Wild West and what the life of one of the very few female lawyers of this time might have been like. I really enjoy the way that Anna uses the expectations for women at that time to her advantage; her fiance died before they could marry, and though she genuinely mourned for him, she also uses her status as Perpetual Grieving Almost Widow to carve out agency for herself. I really enjoy the ways that she asserts her authority and the different reactions that people she encounters have to her profession. I also really like that Anna commits herself to fostering orphan girls and encouraging their education. She's an incredibly interesting and vital protagonist.

The male protagonist is great--the handsome former outlaw with a heart of a gold; the romance is sizzling. There's an interesting treatment of the sexual double standard here as well.

I won't mention one of my favorite parts of the book for fear of spoilers but it concerns Anna's rival lawyer in the town.

All in all, highly recommended.



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