Since booze and prohibition have made criminals out of every man in her world, Laurie Burke resolves to find at least one honorable man to fill her life. Convinced that handsome newcomer Daniel Shepherd is connected with her brother’s rum-running gang, Laurie quickly scratches his name off her list.
Daniel has mixed feelings about returning to the dirty mill town of his youth, but grudgingly agrees to manage his grandfather’s drug store until a replacement can be found. The moment he meets Laurie on the windswept bluff overlooking the beach, he knows that if he can earn her love, he might have a reason to stay. But when Laurie pushes him away—for none other than Federal Agent Samuel Brown—Daniel wonders if Laurie really is the upstanding woman he thought her to be.
The Strait of Juan de Fuca, just off the beaches of Port Angeles, Washington, was treacherous water for reckless rum-runners—and the agents who tried to catch them. So when she realizes her brother is in danger, romance is the last thing on Laurie's mind. Yet the people she believes she can trust may not be so honorable after all.
My take: You know how sometimes a book cover is so good that you just have to read the book? That's how I felt about Mistaken—the instant I saw the cover, I knew I wanted to read it. Happily, the book lives up to the cover.
Mistaken is the story of Laurie, a young woman who loves her family to the point of doing stupid things to protect them—things like eavesdropping on private phone conversations, getting mixed up with rum-runners, and creeping around late at night looking for evidence. Laurie also has a propensity for dating the wrong type of man, so when she meets Daniel and realizes he is a rum runner, she knows she should stay away, but she can't deny the attraction she feels.
I greatly enjoyed watching Laurie and Daniel's story unfold, and I appreciated how Laurie grew throughout the novel—from a girl who would do anything (even illegal things) to keep her brother out of jail and protect her father's reputation to a woman who learned that she could only be responsible for her own actions, and she needed to leave everything else in God's hands.
I did find myself wanting to shake both Laurie and Daniel a few times, as a simple conversation could have cleared up the misunderstanding about who was really rum running. (Those "just talk about it already!" misunderstandings drive me crazy.) But aside from that, I really enjoyed this novel. It dealt with some weighty topics, including alcoholism, domestic violence, and corruption, yet it never failed to entertain.
My rating: 4 stars
Watch the book trailer.
Buy the book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review from Abingdon Press through its early reader program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. 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.”
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