Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

Another great book by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James. The story set in the 1890s in Newport, Rhode Island centers around Lilly Westbrook and her family doing their best to maintain their status in a society where money means everything. During a time when the Astors and the Vanderbuilts were people everyone aspired to be like, there were certain rules to be followed in order remain in the upper eschalon of society. No one in Lilly's social circle, including her family, soon -to-be fiancee, and long-lost beau who has just reentered her life, knows that she pens dime novels under another name. She feels God has called her to write these books but to reveal that she does would destroy her reputation as well as her family's. Two problems arise as Lilly must face protecting her secret as well as her family and choose the man that truly has her heart versus the one that is "socially" right for her.

Cara Lynn James does a great job of quickly establishing the characters and the storyline and keeps your attention until the very end. I enjoy reading historical novels and this was interesting in its revelation of society life in those times. What was required to be in the upper social circle, the rules that must be followed, and the ease it took to quickly fall from grace. James wove a good spiritual lesson into the story with folllowing God's will for your life but that it could come at a cost. Lilly had to make the decision about what was most important: writing these stories and sharing her faith or protecting her family's reputation. The only place I felt the story fell short was developing the spiritual aspect of it. There were times when Lilly prayed for God's guidance but never truly looked for Him to guide her. She constantly handled things on her own, which could be considered a lesson in itself. All in all it was an easy read, entertaining, and I enjoyed it all the way through!