Overview
Reluctant socialite Coraline Baxter longs to live a life of significance and leave her mark on the world. When her local suffragette group asks her to climb Mount Rainier to raise awareness of their cause, she jumps at the chance, even though she has absolutely no climbing experience. If she can do it, any woman can do it. And after her mother issues an ultimatum–that Cora marry the man of her mother’s choosing if she fails–Cora must do it. But she can’t do it alone.
Noted mountain guide Nathan Hardee initially refuses to help Cora but has a change of heart when he sees what is at stake. He knows enough about the man Cora’s mother has chosen to know that the headstrong young woman should have nothing to do with him, much less marry him.
These unlikely partners may just discover that only together is the view most glorious.
Review
Disclaimer: Although I received a copy of this book from the publisher, the opinions below are my own.
Sometimes, the best is worth waiting for. A View Most Glorious is the final title in Regina Scott’s American Wonders Collection and gives the series an excellent ending. Readers might think the most exhilarating part of the book is the actual mountain climb, and they’d be right. But who would’ve thought shopping for equipment could be equally as fascinating? Or the training aspect? Yet Regina Scott pulls it off.
The question I had before the first page was why anyone would suggest climbing Mount Rainier/Tacoma as a publicity stunt? And it is a publicity stunt. Cora receives a huge sendoff from across Tacoma’s social classes, including a ball devised by her fellow socialites. Her mother is torn between wanting Cora to stay home and seeing her daughter achieve fame, and she takes unusual steps to get her way.
A View Most Glorious isn’t only a book about a socialite climbing a mountain. It’s set during the financial panic of 1893, and Cora and her father are in the banking industry. They’re often seen at fault for the panic, especially by those struggling to find work and support their families. There are characters high in status who are full of greed, and others who aren’t. Characters debate over the name of the mountain Cora intends to climb. Should it be Rainier or Tacoma? And, of course, the issue of women’s suffrage is front and center, especially as it pertains to the state of Washington. Despite these heavy topics, however, the book is still entertaining.
Rating
4/5
Product Information
Publisher: Revell (A division of Baker Publishing)
Publication Date: 05 October 2021
Author Information
Regina Scott is the author of more than fifty works of warm, witty historical romance, including A Distance Too Grand–named one of the top ten romances of 2020 by Booklist–and Nothing Short of Wondrous. She was twice awarded the prestigious RT Book Reviews best book of the year in her category. A devotee of history, she has learned to fence, driven four-in-hand, and sailed on a tall ship, all in the name of research. She and her husband of thirty years live south of Tacoma, Washington, on the way to Mt. Rainier.
Regina Scott’s Website http://www.reginascott.com
McCombs on Main 