Thank you to Bethany House Fiction for this ARC of A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell. All opinions are my own. 

What an excellent debut! This book is an absolute delight with a menagerie of animals, an adventurous European scavenger hunt, and a delightful cast of characters. It’s also a faith-filled story that is heartwarming and full of character growth. 

There were so many fun elements to this story. The number of different animals and all the sticky situations they found themselves in was hilarious. Mrs. Stanton, the protagonist’s mother, was so endearing, and I loved her care for all animals and for everyone she encountered. She was also super protective and full of wisdom. I really enjoyed all her interactions with Clara (the protagonist) and Arthur (the apprentice/love interest). 

Both Clara and Arthur were interesting characters. I loved their interactions and how much each of them grew throughout the story. While I do think Clara was pretty mean to Arthur to start with, I did understand why she acted that way. Arthur was so patient towards her, and I found him to be so charming. 

Grand (Clara’s grandfather) was so sweet and quirky. I loved how he cared for everyone and didn’t pass unfair judgments on people. The scavenger hunt he set up was so fun and interesting. He was such a brilliant inventor, and I looked forward to learning about each of his creations. 

One thing I really appreciated about this story was how the author included faith naturally throughout the book. Some of the characters had such strong faith and were amazing mentors to the younger characters. I loved seeing how the characters grew in their faith throughout the story. 

Overall, this book was such a great read. I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy historical fiction stories set in 1860s Europe. It’s full of adventure, family, and a slow burn romance.