The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper

I loved this book. It transported me to a different time in history. I am a busy mom but every chance I got I couldnt wait to get back to my story. I found it a quick read and very charming. I dont like romance novels but this is different, It is a romance but it isnt the mushy or sexual type of trash romance novels. I plan to pass this book on to my friends.

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question show more is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her. (taken from back cover of book)

Gennie is one of those characters that are so full of life that you can't help but want to know her in real life. Her story is very entertaining and fast-paced and just brimming with romance and adventure. A mix of everything that I like in a book. I did find that the Mae West excerpts were a bit distracting from the story but in the end it all came together nicely. Although, I did find that at times it was predictable, I couldn't help but wonder where the next chapter would lead. This is categorized as Christian Fiction - but it is not overly religious. It can definitely be enjoyed by Christians and non-Christians alike. This was a fast-paced adventure with great characters and loads of wonderful moments. If you're in the mood for a quick, fun read this should definitely be your choice. show less

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper was an enjoyable foray into the adventures of Miss Eugenia "Gennie" Cooper. She was a thoroughly likable character with plenty of spunk and personality. When I requested this book, I didn't realize it was Christian Fiction and more romance than purely historical fiction. The latter doesn't matter much since I like romance, but since I'm neither Christian nor religious in the traditional sense, I hoped it wouldn't be too preachy a book. Luckily for me, the faith was written into the storyline seamlessly and in a believable manner.

From near the beginning the book left me wanting to know what would happen with Gennie and Daniel, what excitement lay ahead, etc. I did have doubts at how the book would show more actually end, even if it seemed as if it would be a bit predictable. While I do think Charlotte came around to Gennie too quickly, it was welcome and made it easier to like a child whose behavior was bratty and obnoxious. My biggest problems lay in the whole big "misunderstanding" in the hotel room. I felt that plotline was too forced and the author felt there needed to be a huge hurdle for the two leads. I'd rather a more western adventure for Gennie, full of trouble (like a Mae Winslow episode). Speaking of Mae Winslow, the excerpts (or whatchamacallits) at the beginning of each chapter detracted from the story and made it halt; I felt it unnecessary and it didn't add anything to the book as a whole. Maybe some of those would have been better added into the story or an extra at the end of the book. Lastly, and I may have just forgotten (I have to admit to rushing the last part of the book so I could finish it! :P), what happened with all the mine problems and what was the point of bringing that into the story in the first place? Maybe I just missed something. Otherwise I found the book well-written, entertaining, and hard to put down. Now I'm wondering if Miss Anna Finch will have her own story. :D show less

Every time I read a novel taking place in the untamed Wild West, I am more and more enamored with that time. Kathleen Y'Barbo's book is no exception!

Gennie is a woman who I could totally relate to. Her father has made plans for her life, and as a young respectful woman she is to comply, but her heart longs for adventure just like her favorite heroine Mae Winslow of the dime-novels she loves. Gennie makes the leap to one adventure before she becomes the wife of banker Chandler Dodd. Gennie takes a chance and heads on to Denver rather than a trip to Boston, and while Gennie's adventure begins, she does get much more than she bargained for.

I loved reading this story. It was easy to relate to Gennie as I recall putting myself into stories show more when I was in my youth. Gennie relates to her heroine and sees their parallels in likes and loves. Adventure calls to her soul and Gennie has to answer. What fun it was riding along with Gennie on this journey through adventure, romance, and growing up--really growing up. I also thoroughly enjoyed the snip its of Gennie's favorite heroine's novel interspersed through out the novel. You could see what inspired Gennie and it was just fun seeing what was going to happen to Mae next as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming story and highly recommend it. show less

The plot is set up as poor little rich girl looking for adventure in the wrong place (1880s Colorado, with the angry silver miners).
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I thought it was going to be one of those guilty pleasure trashy romance books with sex and drama and all that fun stuff, but it actually had substance. The interweaving of Mae Winslow's story with Gennie and Daniel's was brilliant. I was also very fond of the background characters and surprised by the side plots, I didn't expect them to be so detailed.

This was a fun story to read. You have Eugenia "Gennie" Cooper, a New York socialite in the 1880's who reads one to many dime store novels about the Wild West and feels she must experience it before she "settles down". She has a chance to go West and take someone's place as a governess for a wealthy gentleman, Daniel Beck, in Denver, Colorado for a month so she goes for it. When Daniel and Gennie first meet they don't realize they are employee and employer. It was instant attraction for both of them, but when the truth of who they are comes out things get a little topsy turvy. There is alot of laughable moments between these two characters and with Daniel's daughter, Charlotte. I had a hard time putting it down, but did feel the author show more ended the story rather quickly with alot happening at the end and not many details of how it all came about. And although I know why she started each chapter with a "dime store novel" insert, by the end of the book, I wasn't interested in that, just wanted to keep reading the actual story. I look foward to reading the other two books in this series. A lighthearted, quick read. show less

It's an amusing book, but I'm not quite sure it was worth the time. There were a great deal of plot holes, probably due to the fact that the book is only 300+ pages. None of the characters were overtly believable (I'll buy Daniel Beck, but Eugenia? A true socialite? Or the ten-year-old?) and all of the plot points seemed contrived. For instance (spoilers ahead!) - why was Eugenia conveniently left on her own in New York while the rest of her family went off elsewhere? And why did it matter if Charlotte was the daughter of Daniel's brother? The business with the miners and with Gennie's telegrams seemed overly complicated; a great deal of nonsense could have been edited out, and the book plot could have become much more streamlined. And show more the whole problem in Leadville with the nightmares and the screaming! Forced marriage? Was that really the answer? There were a great deal of random events that I found myself skipping over. From miner strikes to "kidnapping" to the hiring of bodyguards...or the cop in disguise...I honestly had no idea what was going on. Perhaps it was TOO fast-paced.

In short, I would recommend this book, perhaps, as something to read in an airplane. It's light, and occasionally fun, though the dialogue is often stilted and I, quite honestly, skipped over most of the Mae Winslow passages, since none of them seemed to relate to the chapters at hand. Anna Finch felt like a prop, a stand-in girl who "loved" the main man but only popped up to give our heroine expensive clothing...or tell her that Daniel actually loved her. The descriptions of Denver weren't bad, and I probably enjoyed that the most. Charlotte Beck, though...not a believable child. She was, up unto a point, but when her behavior suddenly transformed... Suffice it to say, I probably won't be reading this book again. show less