The Lawyer's Luck by author Piper Huguley: really, Lawrence, studying to become a lawyer, has little idea what kind of luck he may be in for when his horse is stolen by a beautiful runaway slave, Aurelia. The fact that Lawrence mistakenly shoots her in the arm doesn't help matters.

It's very rare that book covers, even great ones, are my strongest initial attraction to a book, but, come on. How could I see this cover and resist? The models are on point, giving us personality without melodrama; everything in the image is on theme; the layering is superb; there's a beautiful blend of light and shadow; and the overall tone is muted but bold, giving us a modern look without sacrificing the historical feel.

And the vibe from the cover models does match the characters in the book. Lawrence is upstanding, well mannered, and educated, and Aurelia (Realie) is a tomboy with spirit and dreams, though life has jaded her, particularly where men are concerned. The narrator's style adjusts well with the characters' points of view, and it didn't take me long to grow to like these two. There were a couple places where I had a little trouble following the course of their emotions, but their chemistry works nicely with this engaging story.

Plenty more fans of historical ChristFic with romance should enjoy this read. ( )

While I am not a big fan of short fiction, I do realize the value of a novella prequel to introduce an upcoming series to reads. I must say that the author achieved her goal of writing an engaging prequel and has me anticipating reading the books in the series. I am big fan of historical fiction especially stories which looks into the history of black people. I appreciate how the author wrote the characters with dignity and grace within the troubling time period of the 1840s. This is a sweet romance that is fully flushed out in the novella and who does love a feisty heroine and protective hero finding their happily every together. I am glad to find a historical series that I can read along with my teenage granddaughters. ( )