melsbookshelf

I really did enjoy my first read by Carol Cox. I was reasonably sure just from reading the synopsis that this would prove to be a fun book with adventure and romance and I was not disappointed! This is so different from the other Christian/Inspirational fiction I have read, given that Ellie also disguised herself as other characters and took the story in multiple directions.Overall, I thought that Cox did a great job writing all of the characters. It was fun to see all sides of Ellie and watch her grow as she played the elderly widow Lavinia and the saucy redhead Jessie, though naturally I couldn't wait for her to finally be herself out in Arizona because I was curious to see how the revelation would play out. I was glad to see that Cox didn't blow the revelation out of proportion and everything worked out quite well once Ellie was able to be herself. All too often when identities are revealed, there is a lot of melodrama and seemingly fabricated angst over what is usually a relatively harmless charade and I was glad that Cox didn't treat Ellie's situation this way. Overcoming the shock of her true identity pretty quickly, I appreciated that Steven was able to see Ellie for the person she was.As for the mystery itself, the story takes some twists and turns and it is not immediately obvious who is behind the theft of the silver. Now, I'll be the first to admit as "historical" fiction goes, this story is not very plausible, but it makes for such a fun fictional read. The Christian element isn't in your face or preachy at all, which is what I usually look for in this genre. The story did start off a little slow, but once Ellie is in Arizona, the pace really picks up and the book moves very quickly.If you like to read inspirational historical fiction, I think you'd enjoy Love in Disguise. I am looking forward to reading other books by Carol Cox, as well!