Prudence Pursued

by Shirley Raye Redmond

At the advanced age of twenty-seven, vicar’s daughter Prudence Pentrye is on the shelf. Content to occupy her time by attending meetings of Mr. Wilberforce’s Abolition Society and helping her father administer vaccines in an effort to prevent a small pox epidemic, Prudence is resolved to see that her younger cousin Margaret does not share her own unmarried fate.


But Margaret is plain and shy. She is repulsed when a swashbuckling baronet, Sir James Brownell, makes her an offer of marriage. With his sunburned skin, eye patch, and indifference to fashion, Sir James is not Margaret’s idea of a romantic suitor. Nor does Margaret enjoy his tales of fighting against Malay pirates and trekking through tropical jungles on the island of Borneo in hopes of capturing a living orangutan.


Prudence, however, finds herself secretly smitten. Will she maintain control of her traitorous heart or will she trust God to make her life richer and more rewarding than the one she had planned for herself?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Regency, Regency Romance, Clean Romance

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2014

About the author

Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of several "sweet" romance novels and dozens of children's books. Many of her titles have won both national and regional awards. She is a member of numerous writing organizations, including Women Writing the West, Southwest Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives with her family in New Mexico.

Reviews

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Prudence has been enlisted by her aunt to convince her cousin to marry Sir James. He is an eligible bachelor with the means to relieve the family's financial burdens.

Prudence soon learns that Sir James is not suitable for her cousin, but he would be prefect for her. The predicament is one that she has a hard time working through. Sir James and Prudence share a love of helping others and a determination to see everyone vaccinated against small pox.

This book was sweet. I had a hard time getting into the story, but I'm glad that I kept reading. It was fun to read. I enjoyed Prudence. She is a great character, a strong woman who's not afraid to try new things or go against common opinion.

[Rissi]

Sadly, the Indie author scene is one often uncharted merely because it doesn’t get the publicity that publishing house books receive. This novel might be one that wasn’t a favorite (because historical fiction is hit or miss with me), but it was sweet and doesn’t shy away from some interesting historical topics that I do believe many history addicts will find intriguing to read about. It’s about the 27-year-old vicar’s daughter Prudence Pentyre and her journey to Bath for the express purpose of convincing her younger cousin to marry the man her aunt thinks best suited to her daughter, Margaret. Only trouble is, James is quite a bit older than the shy Margaret and she has no romantic feelings for the baronet… but contrary to her mission, Prudence quickly develops feelings for the man and learning more about him and what he believes in only further cements her growing feelings. But time is running out and after all, Margaret is nearly promised in marriage to James…

If I had one “major” complaint about this book, it’d be the dialogue. Honestly, I just didn’t think some of the conversations were always “natural” to the setting or moment, which sometimes pulled me out of the story and distracted from being “in the scene” with these characters. That being said, there are some really nice things about this story not the least of which are the characters. All of them are fun to know and while I confess to taking a while to warm to James, I do think he was a unique hero, which is something fiction does need – it’s good to see someone that goes against the grain and James definitely does that and then some. He’s not the more refined, gentle kind of gentlemen we’re used to in this era.

Addicts of Austen or North and South are likely to enjoy this sweet novel. I definitely saw reflections of these classics, most specifically Persuasion. More serious issues than ball gowns and parlor room tea do crop up in the belief that everyone should be vaccinated against the small pox, something that was no doubt prevalent for the time frame and is intriguing to read woven into an otherwise lighthearted and sweetly romantic kind of story.

Sincere thanks to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book.

[Tressa (Wishful Endings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prudence Pursued was an unexpected story. It's the second book by this author I've read and so I assumed I would enjoy it. What I wasn't expecting was the setting that dealt with the small pox vaccine, the small community of Bath set in historical England, and the quirky and sweet characters the story focused on, specifically the heroine and her hero.

I have to be honest that the beginning of the story was a little slow for me. I wasn't sure about the historical background of the vaccine, but I did find that interesting. I just wasn't sure how it all fit with the story. I also could tell where Pru's interference with Margaret and Sir James was headed, but it took me some time to really connect with the characters and feel invested in the story. However, once I got to know these characters better, especially Pru and James with their nonsensical chatter, blunt and honest conversations, and the beginning of flirtations my interest became more peaked. By about half-way through I was cracking up at the dialogue and curious to see how Pru and James would get to where I thought they were headed and when they would realize what was happening. The ending was a complete joy! I loved the way James talked to Pru and I loved Pru's insecurities and how she tried to stifle the hope that had been awakened for the first time in her, but that she couldn't stop.

Prudence Pursued was an enjoyable sweet historical romance. By the end of the story the characters had become dear and ones I connected with. I loved the dialogue and the mannerisms of many of the characters, even if I thought several of them were rather humorous. I'm looking forward to seeing what Redmond writes next.

Content: Clean
Source: From the author, which did not affect my review in any way.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story started out with Prudence helping with vaccinations in order to help curb the small pox. I was a little disgusted at the methods they used and appalled at how barbaric they seemed. It made me really grateful to just be able to go in and get a shot for things like this.

As the story progresses beyond that point, Prudence is asked to help encourage her younger cousin to marry a man whom she has no desire of marrying. Not wanting Margaret to end up an old maid like herself, Prudence is determined to help out. Nothing Prudence says can change Margaret's mind, yet it does everything to change Prudence's. Previously, she'd been convinced she'd never marry and now she wonders...

I felt there was a lot of repetitive talk in parts, with Prudence trying to convince Margaret and Margaret adamantly refusing--over and over again. That aside, it was a fun story with fun characters. I love it when a romance novel has good-looking characters, but I love it just as much, if not more, if they're described with flaws or as plain looking. Not everyone is a supermodel and I love watching characters get to know each other--the real, deep inside, characters. And these characters are great fun! I think my favorite thing is when Sir James can't get Younghughes name right. I know it's on purpose, but I found it very funny. Of course, I loved the way things all worked out.

Content: some mildly disturbing descriptions concerning the vaccines; mild romance; otherwise, Clean!

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of regency fiction, you will want to get a copy of Prudence Pursued! This was a really enjoyable story. I liked that it was a clean, Christian read with interesting characters.

Prudence and Sir James are both a joy to read about. I loved the descriptions of Sir James, with his sunburned skin, a limp, and an eye patch! Ruggedly handsome seems an apt description of this man. Hearing of his exploits fighting pirates and living among natives was fun. Also highly interesting was Prudence and James’ interest in helping to vaccinate the population with cow pox to help stop the spread of small pox.

It was fun to read the book from Prudence’s perspective, as she valiantly tried to encourage her cousin to accept the proposal of a man she began to find intriguing. Watching Prudence begin to lose her heart to James before she even realized it herself was sweet.

I really enjoyed this regency story and recommend it to readers who like historical, Christian fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review, which I have given.

You can read this review on my blog at:
http://brittreadsfiction.wordpress.co...

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange little book. It's like the author was trying to find something to write about and came up with cowpox of all things. I think it's supposed to be like smallpox, but I'm not sure. People are getting vaccinated but there are people that are objecting to the serum that's used which is derived from sick cows.
If not for the constant mention of cowpox and vaccines this might've been a cute little book but that was just a little offputting and rather boring.
The main story however, is about how she was sent to her aunt's house to try to convince her cousin to marry a man who had just come back from India, quite ill but was getting better. Her cousin was rather plain her aunt really wanted her to marry this man since he had lots of money and can pay the debt her late husband left her. But her cousin couldn't abide the van, and later we find out the real reason she didn't want to marry him.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love regency books and eat them up. This book just didn't hit the spot. This is a regency that has to deal with Christian characters but doesn't really bring religion into the story. It's main theme is Vaccinations and how they began and that part of the story was interesting to learn. We really live in a world that doesn't embrace new ideas very easily, and this book shows the danger in that, without a lot of fear or danger. The story was very dry and the characters very cardboard and kinda cold. I just didn't care too much because the characters were hard to care about. The writing was repetitious and that always kills a story for me. When thoughts and feelings are repeated over and over and over it feels like the author is just trying to fill pages and dumbs down the whole story. Not an author I will be reading again, but I did get threw it and it had a nice ending so two stars.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't blown away by the story, I admit. But it was very sweet. And quirky! I mean, it begins with Prudence and her cousin Margaret getting ready to go to a pox party (to be vaccinated with cow pox, meant to prevent small pox). If that's not an interesting beginning... :) Prudence is on the shelf, as almost all of these sorts of heroines are, and she's quite happy there. But then she makes the acquaintance of Sir James, who is promised to Margaret. And over the course of them getting to know one another, and finding many things in common, they fall in love. Which is inconvenient since he's already taken! But in due course, all works out. It was pretty cute as they fumble their way to their happily ever after. If you need a quick read filled with sweet moments, try this one.

[Marisa Valle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why but I got a kind of steampunkish vibe from this book. It was unexpectedly good. Lord James Brownell was perfectly imperfect and Prudence was a refreshing change from the standard regency heroine. They were so meant for each other that I'm surprised it wasn't obvious to everyone since the beginning. I will read anything else this author writes. My one complaint is that the story didn't really reflect the title. Prudence was not really pursued all that much. As a matter of fact there was little romantic "action" until the very end. I wish there would have been a little more flirting or foreplay.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars
A little alternative for a regency book. Quite good. Review to follow.