"A Rebel Heart" by Beth White

Five years after the end of the Civil War, Selah Daughtry is running out of options for saving her family plantation. Pinkerton Agent Levi Riggins is investigating a series of robberies and sabotage that seem to be leading back to the Daughtry plantation. Posing as hotel management for the railroad, he convinces Selah to turn her home into a fancy hotel for the railroad. Selah will do almost anything to save her home, but can she trust the slick-talking Yankee?

I really enjoyed the complexity of the characters in this story. Selah is a very strong and intelligent woman, but still very feminine. Maybe the best way to describe her is that rather than denying some aspect of her personality or looks, she's always pushing to become more of herself. The secondary characters are very well drawn too--whether it's the former slaves that Selah is hoping to employ in her hotel, or the boy she brings home from the train wreck, they all have distinct personalities, and none are perfect, not even the wise old mammy who half-raised Selah. Along with their good qualities, they have prejudices and fears, making them feel very real. I hope we get to see more of them in the future books! And I really like how the author portrays Selah's father; he's very broken, but he's not a monster; he's still her father.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that liars in fiction will be found out, generally at the worst possible moment--even (or especially) if the liar is a good man who has to withhold certain facts due to his job a Pinkerton agent. Selah's inevitable misunderstanding during that revelation aside, I thought the story has a unique plot as Levi helps the Daughtry girls set up business for themselves, while at the same time untangling the case he's investigating. The story shows the good that comes of a community working together, and how it can revitalize a place.

I thought it was really interesting with the varying racial tensions the author brings to the story--not just between black and white, but even within the black community. She brings up points that I never would have thought of but that make sense for the Reconstruction time period.

Thank you Revell for the free book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Daughtry House
1. A Rebel Heart