The character of Cate is based very loosely on Shakespeare's [The Taming
of the Shrew]. Cate has many of the characteristics of Katherine from
the Taming of the Shrew. Like Katherine she is stubborn, independent and
very headstrong. She would rather work for her father in the office of
his woodworking business than do the typical women's duties like cooking
and sewing. Some of the reasons she is like this is because she has had
to be a mother to her younger sister. Her mother died in childbirth so
Cate had to grow up fast even though she was still a child herself.
Another reason is that she has experienced ridicule by men in the
community and was hurt by one potential suitor. As a result she does not
trust men at all that is until she meets Pete Tregor and some of her
rough exterior starts to get smoothed out. She and Pete share a love of
books.
I like this book. There is humor in the book. Can't go
into too much detail here without giving away the plot. A couple of
characters I did not really like. One of Pete's mother but by the end of
the book I understood her and liked her a little better. The other
character I did not care for was Betsy, Cate's little sister. She was a
spoiled little brat who thought the world revolved around her. She did
not change much by the end of the book. At the end of the book she was
still a self-centered little brat. This book is the first in a series
called The courtships of Lancaster County. I can't wait to read the rest
of the series.
Thanks to LibraryThings's Early Review Program and Bethany House for providing me a copy of this book to review.
