Review: A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden

About the Book

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, Nickolas 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.

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My Thoughts

One of my most anticipated releases every year is the new Elizabeth Camden novel. Last year's A Dangerous Legacy was one of my favorite historical reads and I got so excited when I saw that there was going to be a sequel featuring Lucy's brother Nick as the main character.

A Daring Venture was so great. It was fascinating and so interesting learning about water purification in the early 1900's. I love how Camden can take obscure and oft forgotten subjects in history and create such intriguing and beautiful stories. I feel like I learn so much by reading them.

Nick and Rosalind both want the same thing – clean drinking water. But they're on opposite sides of the argument about what the best solution would be. I didn't know how things were going to work out between the two of them. They're so different and they see things in such contrasting ways. It was great watching them try to overcome their obstacles.

There were a couple of times that I got really frustrated with Rosalind and Nick. Both characters did some things that didn't sit quite right with me, one of them a bit more than the other. I won't go into too much detail because it'd be a spoiler, but the methods with which something was initiated and then was later applauded, bugged me. I completely understood the character's reasoning, but it still didn't feel okay to me.

Despite my one issue, A Daring Venture was a fantastic read that I devoured as quickly as I could. I was completely engaged in it and had a hard time putting it down. It's another winner for Camden and I can't wait for her next release.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

Four Stars