The Swindler's Daughter by Stephenia H. McGee

The Swindler's Daughter
by Stephenia H. McGee

ISBN-13: 9780800740245
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: May 1, 2023

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Lillian Doyle has lived her entire high-society life with her widowed mother, believing her father died long ago. But when news arrives that her estranged father only recently passed away--in jail--Lillian is startled to find that the man has left a business and all of his possessions to her, making her a rather unusual heiress.

When she goes to take possession of her father's house in a backwoods Georgia town, the dilapidated structure is already occupied by another woman who claims it was promised to her son, Jonah, the dusty and unrefined cowboy who has secret aspirations of his own. In her attempts to untangle the mess, Lillian will discover not only a family she never knew she had but a family business that is more than meets the eye.


My Review:
The Swindler's Daughter is a Christian historical set in 1912 Georgia. Except, there was no swindler (someone who cheats others) or questions about what to do with inherited illegally-earned money. The title was just the beginning. None of the characters acted logically or realistically, either. This was primarily a home renovation story. Lillian inherited a house only to discover that a woman already lived in it who's convinced God told her to start a commercial bakery on the bottom floor. Lillian's new-found family was incredibly welcoming, but they're the ones who promised to sell the house cheaply to the woman since her family just lost everything in a fire. Then the will was read, and the unknown Lillian inherited.

Even though she's told by the lawyer to come back to transfer everything into her name, she put that off for two weeks and started the reconstruction before legally owning the house. (sigh) Everyone (except the bad guy) pushed Lillian to keep possession of the house while allowing the current family to stay there and use lots of her inherited money to convert the house into a business. And they acted like this made perfect sense despite the fact Lillian never intended to stay, let alone start a bakery.

Jonah was a bitter, rude jerk. He viewed everything negatively, assumed the worst of Lillian for no good reason, and blamed God and others for all of his misfortunes. His plans never seemed to work out the way he wanted, and he resented that. He never really trusted Lillian and wouldn't even defend her near the end against false accusations. But they shared One Amazing Kiss (which quickly turned into many), so he decided he wanted to marry her. Even though Lillian would let him think she was going to take his advice, then she'd sneak off to do that unwise action behind his back. But Lillian liked his kisses and loved his mother, so she ended up agreeing to marry him because no one's perfect. True, and yet...you'd be better off as friends.

While Lillian also came to see how God can use bad events to bring about good results, the main focus was on Jonah's conviction that God was actively thwarting his every good plan. His mother, a strong believer, gave him a talking to about it. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.