 Author: Beth White Genre: Historical Romance Series: Daughtry House #2 Joelle Daughtry has a secret. By day, the impoverished Southern belle has been helping her sisters in their quest to turn the run-down family plantation into a resort hotel after the close of the Civil War. But by night and under a male pseudonym, she has been penning articles for the local paper in support of constructing a school for former slaves. With the Mississippi arm of the Ku Klux Klan gaining power and prestige, Joelle knows she is playing a dangerous game. Loyalties shift when Schuyler Beaumont, childhood enemy and current investor in the Daughtry House renovation, takes over his assassinated father's candidacy for state office. Joelle finds that in order to protect her family and her home, she and Schuyler will have to put aside their longstanding personal conflict and develop a united public front. The trouble is, what do you do when animosity becomes respect--and even love--if you're already engaged to someone else?
 Reviewer: Caroline Star I loved this book! A Reluctant Belle started off with a bang -- one of the best hooks I've ever seen in a book, honestly. It reeled me right in and I pretty much didn't put it down unless when I had to go. The characters are genuinely so great to read about. Right from the beginning I loved Schuyler's unique name and also his character. Joelle I, personally, didn't love quite as much but I do think Ms. White did a fantastic job describing her character and writing even the narration as Joelle, which I've never seen in a book and really appreciated in this one. Joelle has this unique personality where she loves to write and also uses terminology that the ordinary person wouldn't use, and Ms. White would also use that sort of terminology when narrating. Because of that, I think this book might be harder / more advanced for the average reader; I know I had to pull out my dictionary to search up a word or two. Overall, one of my favorite historical fiction books. I typically am not a fan of historical fiction books because history isn't my strong suit and references to events tend to confuse me, but Ms. White did an excellent job explaining what happened and I really loved her writing style. This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group.  Reviewer: Winnie Thomas With a setting in post-Civil War Mississippi and a cast of colorful, engaging characters, A Reluctant Belle by Beth White drew me in from the first and kept me turning the pages. Independent, feisty, and maybe a bit quirky, Joelle Daughtry tickled my funny bone and made me laugh out loud. Known for her prodigious vocabulary and outspoken ways, she also had a propensity for landing into ridiculous and sometimes dangerous situations. I was delighted by the humor in this book. It helped to lighten the more somber and sometimes disturbing events that occurred and added to my enjoyment of the story. “We know you went to a fancy boarding school, Joelle, but can you try not to talk as if you swallowed a dictionary?” Whenever Joelle and Schuyler Beaumont, the reformed hero of the story, met, sparks of one kind or another flew, and their witty, and sometimes sarcastic banter kept me chuckling. Schuyler had a way of riling Joelle just by showing up, and he used it to his advantage. I enjoyed seeing their relationship mature and change throughout the story. Beth White’s writing is easy to read and her careful historical research is apparent. I enjoyed learning more about this interesting slice of history and some of the adjustments both the North and the South had to make after the Civil War. With intrigue, suspense, lots of history, humor, romance, and threads of redemption, courage, and faith, this story has something for everyone. This is the second in the Daughtry House series and can stand alone, but reading A Rebel Heart, the first in the series, will help with understanding some of the background a little better. Although I’ve enjoyed White’s other stories, I feel like this is her best book to date, and I’m looking forward to the next installment in the Daughtry House series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher Revell. All opinions are my own.  Reviewer: Nora St. Laurent This is book two in The Daughtry House Series. The story gripped me from the first line in 1860, “Tree limbs slapped Joelle’s face as she ran through the woods behind the bathhouse.” I instantly connected with the main character and her struggle. The author skillfully informed the reader of events from the previous novel in a way that didn’t bog down the story. I didn’t feel out of sorts because I didn’t read book one either. I liked how the spiritual thread grew organically throughout the novel. After the Civil War, impoverished Joelle Daughtry and her sisters prepare to open their Antebellum, Daughtry House to be a hotel. By day, Joelle helps her sisters prepare the run-down family plantation. By night, she pens articles for the local paper under a male pseudonym. Joelle’s a free thinker and an independent woman who gets caught up in a dangerous situation as the Mississippi branch of the Ku Klux Klan gains power and prestige. This Southern belle is also passionate about educating former slaves, which doesn’t sit well with society either. To the surprise of Joelle’s friends, she has finally said yes to Gill’s marriage proposal. Gill is thrilled. Joelle starts to rethink everything as she learns what’s involved in becoming a preacher’s wife. Her heart grows heavy as she faces the reality of her decision and hears of Gill’s expectations. Her close friends feel like she was caught in a week moment, after all this wasn’t Gill’s first time to propose to her. Joelle’s friend Schuyler Beaumont, a complex engaging young man, unexpectedly takes over his late father’s candidacy for state office. Joelle puts aside her longstanding personal conflict with Schuyler and develops a united public front to help him in his quest to win the election. Things start to change as they work together. They’re both surprised as they don’t know what to do with these emerging feelings. I loved how the author draws readers into this time period and puts them in the middle of the drama. I felt like I was there transported to a time when the Ku Klux Klan was rising after the Civil War ended. I love learning about history this way. I also enjoyed this authors’ well-timed humor. Here’s one example, “…How could Joelle not know ladies didn’t play billiards at a party? Probably someone had said so at some point, when she was reading a book or thinking of something more interesting…” This story has it all characters to cheer for and those you aren’t fond of intermingled with plot twists and turns that keep the pages turning as these characters you like face danger, intrigue, adventure and a sweet romance blossoms in the middle of it all. I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series. This book would make for a good book club pick. This book is a keeper. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”  Reviewer: Paula Shreckhise A Reluctant Belle by Beth White is the second story in The Daughtry House series. It is best if you start with A Rebel Heart, Selah’s story, for a full experience and background information. A Reluctant Belle is about middle daughter, Joelle. The third will be A Reckless Love, Aurora’s story. The Daughtry sisters have come through the Civil War but have lost their father. In order to provide for themselves, they are making their family mansion into a resort hotel in the midst of Reconstruction. In order to realize this enterprise, they have accepted the financial backing of distant relative and sometime enemy Schuyler Beaumont. He is from wealth and influence. Schuyler is a colorful character who delights in goading Joelle into arguments just to see her reactions. They may have more in common than they realize. Schuyler muses: “The women, of course, had always been family— if, at times, of a distant and somewhat contentious variety, in fact, to his surprise, he realized that Daughtry House felt more like home than Beaumont House in Mobile. He might not own it outright, but he’d invested much more than his finances here. He suspected that his heart and purpose in life might actually be found in the soul of this place.” Joelle Daughtry is a progressive thinker. She feels God prompting her to speak up for the underdog. She writes articles under a false name advocating for education for the freed slaves so they can vote in an informed manner and make their way in commerce intelligently. While they each have their secrets to keep, Schuyler and Joelle are learning who they can trust and we see them maturing in their views and purpose in life. Since the story is set in the Reconstruction period, Ms. White has dealt with the many injustices that followed the Civil War. Among them are Negro voting rights and education, simmering racial tension and the beginning of the KKK. She handles it with realism and tact. There is plenty of intrigue and excitement as the characters navigate the turbulent times. The Southern humor and witty banter make this novel enjoyable as well as interesting and informative. I recommend this book for those who like Civil War fiction with a clear faith thread and characters who don’t back down from their convictions. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher on behalf of the author. I was not obligated to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.  Reviewer: Sabrina Wade Very interesting story line. Very much so a page turner. Centered on the events that played out during and after the civil war between the north and the south regarding the abolishment of slavery. Thank you White for painting a very vivid picture, while fictional, yet it depicts the realness of how families were divided based on individual beliefs. The novel gets most interesting when White flipped all personal beliefs and intellectual ideas on its head bringing out the humanity of man and the graciousness of the Lord. To believe a group of people are inhuman due to the way the Lord created them; of a hue of brown complexions. To believe because mankind decided to separate people due to physical differences, there is separation in heavenly places as well. Yet, grace and mercy is sought after within the hearts of both groups involved; those of lighter complexions as well as darker. Evil and hate are not prone to one set of people due to physical differences but a choice individuals make. We can choose to side with evil or grace on every choice we make. At least that's what White helped me to see. Read it for yourself. Gather your own conclusion. This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group.  Reviewer: Liz Franklin From the gorgeous cover to the well-crafted plot, A Reluctant Belle was quite a read. It’s one of those books you just don’t want to put down! If you read this book for anything, read it for the history and intriguing characters. This book takes place in the Reconstruction period and, before reading this book, I actually didn’t know much about it. I learned a lot from this book. Joelle Daugherty - as the second book in this series, A Reluctant Belle definitely focused more on Joelle. And I’m not complaining since she’s my favorite character. Joelle is a fabulous word loving bookworm. Schulyer Beaumont - in the first book of this series, A Rebel Heart, I really did not like his character. He was very stuck-up and aloof and overall, just not a person I really enjoyed reading about. He improved in this book SO much and that made me very happy. Levi - this guy is also one of my favorites. He can be very mysterious and has a pretty cool job. Selah - there wasn’t very much detail about Selah in this book. She’s a great character anyway! Horatia is also pretty cool. And there was a part about the opera singer and pseudonyms that really made me laugh! I loved reading about the progress made on the hotel and I’d definitely like to read more about it! Joelle’s mission, I guess you could call it, was super interesting to read about and I hope she keeps it going. I felt like it could have been more resolved at the end with the villains, but no spoilers! Oh, and that twist near the end! Did anyone see that coming? Because I sure didn’t! And now I’m really excited for the third book. Mrs. White better hurry up and write it! I’ll be interested to see how the hotel starts up and if they’ll make enough money doing it. Also, I hope it’ll be more focused on Aurora... maybe Thomas Anne too. I don’t think I know them quite well enough. I’m kind of interested to know more about “Doc” and Wyatt too. And I want to see what ends up happening to Lemuel and his wife. There are many questions I’d like to see answered. 4 stars and recommended for 14+ This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group.  Reviewer: Marta Aldrighetti The year 1870 in Mississippi was hard with north and south economy problems, slaves and freedmen, violent atrocities committed by Ku Klux Klan, the battles for education and other rights for black people. The three Daughtry sisters run a hotel in Tupelo, Mississippi: practical and math-minded Selah, gregarious and outdoorsy Aurora, wild and writer Joelle. Schuyler helps them with money. he is a charming, lovely, wild, macho man. all women love him, with his jokes and kind words. Joelle cannot admit she loves Schuyler, and addresses him as 'pompous donkey' and 'ridiculous idiot', but she thinks also 'Dinner would be boring without him. Oh, how she missed him when he wasn't around.' The book is nice, sometimes hilarious, sometimes mysterious and with suspense and great important topics. This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group.  Reviewer: Beverly Laude "Every bookworm princess needs a hero to keep her from walking into walls." This is the first book that I have read by Beth White and is the second in the series "Daughtry House." However, it is easy to follow the story without having read the first book. The author gives enough background throughout the book that you can pick up on what you might have missed. After the Civil War, Joelle Daughtry and her sisters are getting ready to open their Antebellum home, Daughtry House, as a Hotel. Joelle is a free thinking woman, determined to educate black freedmen against all opposition. "God's Word tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated." Joelle is full of what the author calls Righteous Anger at the way that the former slaves are treated. As well as educating the former slaves, she also writes pointedly directed articles for the local newspaper using a male pseudonym. Her childhood friend, Schuyler Beaumont, is an infuriating distraction to her goals. When Schuyler's father is assassinated while giving a speech in his run for political office, he has to find out who is behind it. He enlists the help of Joelle's brother-in-law, Levi Riggins, who is a Pinkerton agent. In order to solve the mystery, Schuyler joins up with the local Ku Klux Klan. "People are good at holding grudges in the South." Although it sickens him to hide his true thoughts while around these men, he doesn't see any other way to come to the heart of the matter. "I'm tired of wasting time on things that don't matter." As the book progresses, Joelle and Schuyler's friendship starts to grow into something more. There are some references to sexual attraction between them, but nothing explicit happens. Some readers might think that this does not belong in a Christian book, but it doesn't overstep, in my opinion. I did find Joelle's wavering between two men to be a little tedious, but I can also understand that this was typical of the times. Do you marry the "right" person or the one you love? Ms. White does a great job in describing the atmosphere of this era. It was interesting to read more about the feelings of Southerners from both sides of the issue of the freed black men. There were some scenes and situations that were truly heartbreaking, but necessary to the story. Her writing is wonderful and easy to read for the most part. There were a lot of references to God and faith throughout the book, but not to the point of being preachy. And, just because the reader might think that someone was a good guy, they just might turn out to be not so good. I have to say that I did find that parts of the book got bogged down in details and sometimes I found it hard to follow exactly what was happening. Some of this was due to Schuyler's attempts to infiltrate the KKK and I had to reread some parts of this in order to know what was happening. The book does have a happily ever after ending, but it is still open ended for further books in the series. Not everything is tied up in a neat package. One of my favorite quotes from the book: "I've played the fool for years, so this is just one more monkey in the circus." This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group.  Reviewer: Mindy Houng “Cracking you open is like getting the sweets out of a pecan. It’s a lot of work, but the result is pretty tasty.” Ah, the second book in The Daughtry House series picks up right after where the first one left off. A Reluctant Belle continues with Joelle, the middle Daughtry sister, and her long-time frenemy Schuyler during the middle of the Reconstruction Era as the poor town of Tupelo, Mississippi struggles to find its footing in the midst of violent racism. With her easy-to-read and descriptive writing style, multi-faceted characters, and a finely-honed theme of faith, Beth White vividly paints life in the 1870s Deep South. Joelle is an independent, intelligent, compassionate, passionate introvert who spends her days writing, under a pseudonym, articles supporting the education of freedmen so that she can buy the supplies to educate those freedmen who work in the family’s renovated hotel. She’s socially awkward and completely oblivious, as well as obtusely blunt, but has a heart of gold and is fiercely loyal to her family and friends. Schuyler is the happy-go-lucky youngest son of a rail tycoon who gets embroiled in the heat of southern politics and racism when his father is assassinated during his gubernatorial campaign. The death of his beloved father helps Schuyler turn his life and attitude around to better mankind with the gift of speech and money that he has. The spark and electric banter between Joelle and Schuyler are so incredibly fun and it’s nice to have Selah and Levi from the first book return to add more layers to the plot. There is a delightful and surprisingly solid suspense aspect to the plot which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you love historical romance, this series by Beth White is not to be missed. I received the book from Baker Publishing House via Interviews and Reviews book review program and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.  Reviewer: Rebecca Maney "Sit down and tell me why you failed to keep my granddaughter from betrothing herself to that young Ichabod Crane." Joelle Daughtry's accidental-on-purpose betrothal to the Reverend Gil Reese came about with no fireworks or heirloom ring attached; it just might have happened on the rebound after one of her most embarrassing, public humiliation moments, which of course included her childhood nemesis, Schuyler Beaumont. She intended to put as much distance as possible between herself and Schuyler; getting engaged seemed like a practical way to do it, until she finds herself weeping and praying beside a terribly distraught version of her family friend. In post Civil War torn Mississippi, Joelle has manged to find a way to assert her independent spirit by using her gift of words; surreptitiously submitting potentially inflammatory articles, supporting the education of freedmen, to her local newspaper; thus earning extra money for her family and supplementing her efforts to fund a small school for members of the Daughtry House staff. When Schuyler's determination to solve his father's murder takes him deep into the web of clandestine Klan activities, Joelle and Schuyler come to an important crossroads; "Jesus, have mercy". Quite possibly Beth White's best book to date, "A Reluctant Belle" skillfully navigates the treacherous waters of political and social discrepancies during the volatile years of reconstruction following the end of the Civil War. Adding a toe tingling romantic triangle to the mix was just the right ingredient! I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing through Interviews and Reviews.  Reviewer: Laura J. Davis
The second book in the Daughtry House series by Beth White will keep you entertained as the story focuses on Joelle Daughtry and her long-time nemesis Schuyler Beaumont. It was wonderful to see all the sisters in the second book, and of course see the relationship between Joelle and Schuyler develop. I liked the friction between Joelle and Schuyler and how their love for each other grew. There was definite growth in both characters as they took their problems to the Lord. The aspect of racism and its poisonous rhetoric was very well done, with just a bit of mystery and a whole lot of danger to anyone who tried to do the right thing. A twist in who was involved in helping the Ku Klux Klan was a real surprise towards the end of the book. Overall, this was a great story with lots of fun, mystery, danger and romance. A perfect combination! This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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