Review: Third Cotillion installment excels
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
REVIEW COPY PROVIDED BY AUTHORAuthor Becky Lower hits her stride in the pages of "Banking on Temperance," the third installment of her wonderful Cotillion Ball series. Ms. Lower whets our appetite on page one when she gives us Basil Fitzpatrick, the brother and playboy of the Fitzpatrick household whom we met in Ms. Lower's first and second books, "The Reluctant Debutante" and "The Abolitionist's Secret." At last, we will get to know this scoundrel better.The year is 1856 and yet, the minute we meet Temperance Jones, we realize she could easily step into the 21st century as a role model for women who work hard to achieve their goals. After her father dies, she shoulders the burden of her family's survival, determined to fulfill a deathbed promise to move them West, despite any and all obstacles standing in her way. Much to his dismay, Basil finds himself involved in her struggle, a role that threatens his bachelorhood and his own determination to avoid commitment. The reader mentally rubs her hands together as the pages turn. Basil has surely met his match.Ms. Lower sweetens the experience by bringing back Ginger and Joseph Lafontaine, that long-haired Indian who makes our stomachs flutter. Ginger is a champion of women's rights and when she and Temperance become friends, they make a formidable pair.We're invested in Temperance and her challenges, the weariness of her toil seeping into our own bones, and irritated at Basil for denying his true emotions. Men can be pretty stupid in the face of true love and Basil, who worries about heartburn, is no exception. Our emotions ride the same roller coaster as Temperance and Basil, anxious to read the outcome.  If you are a fan of historical romances, or a Becky Lower fan, you want to be sure to add "Banking on Temperance" to your bookshelf. I could not put this book down.