Book Review: Otherwise Engaged by Joanna Barker


My Rating: 4 Stars

Confident and daring Rebecca Rowley has carefully crafted a plan that will simultaneously bring her lifelong happiness and get to the bottom of her family's fifteen-year-old fallout with her father's former business partner. However, as Rebecca begins to investigate her father's old business journal and in the meantime becomes acquainted with principled and dashing Lieutenant Avery next door, she finds that her carefully laid plans begin to unravel. In order to make sense of her heart and her family, she must learn what it means to truly love and truly forgive. 

At a Glance:  I liked this book a lot. The writing is delightfully witty--it had me laughing throughout the whole story! There is situational humor and no end of witty banter between all characters. Joanna Barker's writing is fluid and engaging. She weaves a story that is both light and deliberate in tone, much like Rebecca Rowley's personality. I found the characters are well-developed and believable. I had a hard time putting it down!

Themes explored here include deception versus truth, fidelity to commitments, and judging individuals by their goodness of heart, rather than their mistakes. 

Content Guide:
Sex & Affection--A couple shares a few meaningful kisses, a married man suggests he enjoys marital intimacy, a woman dresses with a low neckline to attract a man's attention, a woman wears a dress with a low neckline to a dinner party, a woman unintentionally attracts a man's gaze toward her bosom because a piece of paper is accidentally poking out of her stays.
Language--None
Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Use--Wine is consumed.
Violence & Crime--None

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