The Weight of Air by Kimberly Duffy

In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. But at his unexpected death, she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham for America in hope of finding the mother she's just discovered is still alive. Isabella Moreau, the nation's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. When her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, Isabella is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth.

If you like Joanne Bischof''s The Lady and the Lionheart or Kristy Cambron's The Ringmaster's Wife, then definitely pick this book up! It's a love story between an unusual couple, but it's also a mother-daughter story, set almost entirely within the circus. It has its share of dark and weighty topics, but it also shines light on those rise above.

The main characters are all great. As one who is definitely taller than average, I found it wonderful reading about a heroine whose height and strength is celebrated. Mable is generally very confident in her appearance, and something of a fashion hound--not what you'd expect out of the world's strongest woman, right? And then there's the secondary heroine of the story--Isabella, Mable's mother. She's a woman who makes mistakes, but she also struggles with depression; very relatable in our day and age. And Jake, our beloved hero, treats Mable so honorably and respectfully, even as he struggles with bitterness and forgiveness. Each responds to fear in their own way, but each learns to overcome.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.