Book Review and Giveaway Info: Courting Cate

About the book

When This Couple Gets to Courting, Sparks Will Fly!

In Paradise, Pennsylvania, Cate Miller is known more for her sharp tongue and fiery temper than her striking appearance. Her sweet and flirty sister, Betsy, on the other hand, seems to have attracted most of the bachelors in Lancaster County!

But the sisters' wealthy father has made one hard-and-fast rule: older Cate must marry first, before younger Betsy can even start courting. Unfortunately, untamable Cate has driven away every suitor-until Pete Treger comes to town, that is.

Prodded by the men of the area, Pete turns his attention to winning Cate's hand. But is his interest true or is there a scheme at play?

Book 1 in The Courtships of Lancaster County series.

My thoughts

 I enjoyed this book, but found some of the characters a bit irritating.  Cate seems to have trouble trusting others.  I know people like Cate, and some do have very legitimate reasons for their mistrust, but the things that Cate has faced in her life that caused his to lose faith in others, particularly men, is not that different from things that we all face at some point in our dating lives.  Without giving to much away, Cate seems to mistrust men because the one guy she ever really courted, had supposedly only done so for a reason other than to build a relationship.  We never learn exactly what happened that led her to believe that he had other intentions, but I would question if it wasn't Cate's overactive mind causing her to believe that he had other intentions.  I also found Betsy to be a bit annoying as well.  She seemed really sweet in the beginning, but as the book went on, her true colors came out.  You can tell she loves her sister, but she is also incredibly selfish.  She does not care about how her sister feels, as long as she gets what she wants.  The character of Pete, I had a hard time disliking, even though I wish he would have insisted on communicating more with Cate, particularly in the latter half of the book.  It is not that the characters are not well written, it is just that some of them were a bit unlikable.

Aside from the characters, I enjoyed the rest of the book.  This is the first piece of Amish literature that really addresses the financial differences among Amish families.  I honestly did not think that there was a difference.  I guess I just never really thought about it, because they all seem to live to simply, but in Courting Cate, we really get to see how a wealthy family's daily life differs from a very poor family's daily life.  It really made me think about how even the things that I consider to be so simple and basic, are still a luxury to some people, Amish or otherwise.  

The storyline is different from the many other romance books that are out there.  This was more like a forced romance that blossomed into something more.  There are a few tender moments, but it is more about the emotional growth that the characters have to go through in order to mature.  I also like that all of the characters grow in some way by the end of the book.  The author did a good job of developing most of the characters, and explaining why they behaved in certain ways.  The only one I would like to have known more of their history is Cate.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a love story, but can handle it not being a lovey-dovey romance novel.  I am told it is a re-telling of Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew, but I have to admit, that I have never read it (gasp! I know.) so I cannot compare it.  However, if you enjoy the Taming of the Shrew, you may find this to be enjoyable as well.

About the author

Leslie Gould is the co-author, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 bestselling The Amish Midwife and The Amish Nanny. She is also the author of numerous novels, including Garden of Dreams, Beyond the Blue (winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006), and Scrap Everything. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She resides with her husband and four children in Portland, Oregon. 

Learn more at www.lesliegould.com.

About the giveaway

A retelling of the Taming of the Shrew! Leslie Gould is celebrating the release of Courting Cate  with a fun Kindle Fire Giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party (11/20)!









One lucky winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire


• Courting Cate by Leslie Gould


Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 19th. Winner will be announced at the "Courting Cate" Author Chat Facebook Party on 11/20. Connect with Leslie, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at an Amish trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!





So grab your copy of Courting Cate and join Leslie on the evening of the November 20th for a chance to connect with Leslie and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)






Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 20th!

*Disclaimer*

Thank you to Litfuse for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for this review.  As always, my opinion is my own.