Book Review: A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden

As a biochemist in early 1900s New York, Doctor Rosalind Werner has dedicated her life to the crusade against waterborne diseases. She is at the forefront of a groundbreaking technology that will change the way water is delivered to every household in the city–but only if she can get people to believe in her work.

Newly appointed Commissioner of Water for New York, Nicholas Drake is highly skeptical of Rosalind and her team’s techniques. When a brewing court case throws him into direct confrontation with her, he is surprised by his reaction to the lovely scientist.

While Rosalind and Nick wage a private war against their own attraction, they stand firmly on opposite sides of a battle that will impact far more than just their own lives. As the controversy grows more public and inflammatory and Rosalind becomes the target of an unknown enemy, the odds stacked against these two rivals swiftly grow more insurmountable with every passing day.

My Thoughts: I adored this novel!! From start to finish, it had so many elements that I want to find in an enthralling book. We brushed against characters from the last book. Revisited ongoing issues with their family. The characters are well developed and have such a realness about them. It’s easy to see them as real people and sympathize with the difficult situations they find themselves in. And, oh, the difficulties don’t stop for these characters! I was impressed with the variety of twists and turns. Camden keeps a steady pace throughout the entire novel.
The romance and was sweet and clean. And the historical elements are a treat. I never would have considered what a battle it was to get the clean water we take for granted today.
The spiritual content was really light in this one. It felt more like the characters had an underlying Christian principle but without directly connecting to the source. I would have liked to have seen them purposely turning to Christ as they navigated through their problems, so it felt more like a clean read than a Christian read. But it’s still one I can highly recommend.
While you can understand this story as a standalone, some of the issues found in this book were built upon things that happened in the first so I would recommend reading the series in order if you can.

*I picked up the audio copy and adored it!! The narrator did a great job, and I particularly enjoyed her version of Nick’s accent.

Rating and Recommendations: I give it 5 stars and recommend it to those who enjoy Christian Historical Fiction.

~ I received a copy from Bethany House through Net Galley. All thoughts are my own. I was not compensated for this review or required to give a favorable one.