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Sisters of Bethlehem Springs #3
A Matter of Character
The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series delivers exactly what readers have been waiting for—smart, confident women who are not afraid to defy convention, live their own dreams, and share their lives if the right man comes along. In A Matter of Character, book three in the Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series, it's 1918, and Daphne McKinley, heiress to a small fortune, has found contentment in the town of Bethlehem Springs. But Daphne has a secret. A series of dime novels loosely based on local lore and featuring a nefarious villain known as Rawhide Rick has enjoyed modest popularity among readers. Nobody in Bethlehem Springs knows the man behind the stories … except Daphne. When newspaperman Joshua Crawford comes to town searching for the man who sullied the good name of his grandfather, Daphne finds herself at a crossroads, reassessing the power of her words, re-thinking how best to honor her gifts, and reconsidering what she wants out of life.
260 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2010
18 people are currently reading
468 people want to read
About the author
Robin Lee Hatcher
124 books3,264 followersRobin Lee Hatcher is the author of over 95 novels and novellas with more than five million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA® Award, Christy Award, Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award, and she is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America®. When not writing, she enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. A mother and grandmother, Robin makes her home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
February 20, 2021
This was a great ending to this 3 part series. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Such a good writer.
May 28, 2010
A novel about a novelist. A fun story premise.
Daphne McKinley writes under a pseudonym and her dime novels are getting some upset feedback from a man claiming she is defaming the name of his grandfather.
Being a writer myself, I enjoyed this novel about a woman in the 20th century, trying to make her way in the world of dime novels. Her determination and love for writing makes her unique in the multitude of books I have read this year.
Her relationship with the hero quickly grows from his anger when he finds out she is the author, to a loving relationship, but the trials do not end there. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I won’t continue. Just to say that I enjoyed how it all came together.
The book, though not long in page number, is not a book to quickly breeze through. And once you really enter the world of the characters, it becomes an enjoyable read
This was my first book by this author and I am looking forward to more.
A note to the reader: though this is book three in the series, it easily stands on its own.
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.
Daphne McKinley writes under a pseudonym and her dime novels are getting some upset feedback from a man claiming she is defaming the name of his grandfather.
Being a writer myself, I enjoyed this novel about a woman in the 20th century, trying to make her way in the world of dime novels. Her determination and love for writing makes her unique in the multitude of books I have read this year.
Her relationship with the hero quickly grows from his anger when he finds out she is the author, to a loving relationship, but the trials do not end there. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I won’t continue. Just to say that I enjoyed how it all came together.
The book, though not long in page number, is not a book to quickly breeze through. And once you really enter the world of the characters, it becomes an enjoyable read
This was my first book by this author and I am looking forward to more.
A note to the reader: though this is book three in the series, it easily stands on its own.
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.
May 17, 2010
There are few books that I would actually like to read again and even fewer series I would like to read again, but the Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series is one I would like to pick up again. This series started strong with A Vote of Confidence and ended even stronger with A Matter of Character. The only bad thing is, now this series is over. I loved getting to know Daphne in this book. Her character is the one I was able to relate to the most and I enjoyed her the most.
I was so conflicted while I reading A Matter of Character. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next and I wanted to read it as fast as I could, but at the same time I did not want it to end. It was such a relaxing book and the town of Bethlehem Springs sounds like a wonderful place to live. Sometimes with romance books there can be so much tension between the main characters that the book just feels tense. A Matter of Character was not like that. Sure, there was some tension between Daphne and Joshua, but it was not too much. It was natural and sometimes amusing. I loved this book from the start, actually, I loved this series from the start. I look forward to what’s next from Robin Lee Hatcher.
I was so conflicted while I reading A Matter of Character. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next and I wanted to read it as fast as I could, but at the same time I did not want it to end. It was such a relaxing book and the town of Bethlehem Springs sounds like a wonderful place to live. Sometimes with romance books there can be so much tension between the main characters that the book just feels tense. A Matter of Character was not like that. Sure, there was some tension between Daphne and Joshua, but it was not too much. It was natural and sometimes amusing. I loved this book from the start, actually, I loved this series from the start. I look forward to what’s next from Robin Lee Hatcher.
January 11, 2011
This book had a catching plot on the back, and when I picked it up, I was in suspense right away. But then, about 70 pages into the story, the plot started to really drag and by the time I was on page 128, I didn't want to finish it. I skimmed to the end and that was it.
Reasons I liked it:
-It was about an author.
-There was a thrilling begining.
-There was a promising romance.
Reasons I didn't like it:
-The romance was to fickle between obsessing about each others looks in their heads and want to kiss each other, to hating each other.
-The plot halted to a drag about 70 pages into the book.
-The diary entries scattered throughout the book by some ancestor didn't mesh well and were to mushy.
-The lives of the characters from the previous books kept interuppting the plot with mushy junk.
Unless I have been strongly recommended to read any other books by this author from someone with similar tastes to me, I shall not read anymore of this author.
Reasons I liked it:
-It was about an author.
-There was a thrilling begining.
-There was a promising romance.
Reasons I didn't like it:
-The romance was to fickle between obsessing about each others looks in their heads and want to kiss each other, to hating each other.
-The plot halted to a drag about 70 pages into the book.
-The diary entries scattered throughout the book by some ancestor didn't mesh well and were to mushy.
-The lives of the characters from the previous books kept interuppting the plot with mushy junk.
Unless I have been strongly recommended to read any other books by this author from someone with similar tastes to me, I shall not read anymore of this author.
March 13, 2017
Really didn't like this one. I gave it the stars since I loved the first 2 and did enjoy catching up with the characters.
October 31, 2017
This is a very sweet read. My Rating 4.25.
Daphne may be an heiress but she is a down to earth young lady you is happy living in the small Iowa community of Bethlehem Springs in 1918. Most people would thing that a wealthy young woman would want to return to the society circles of the east coast, but not Daphne. She is happy living near her brother and her lovely sister in law. But Daphne’s seemingly simple life hides a secret. She has a secret connection to a popular dime store novel series which features an infamous character known as Rawhide Rick.
Joshua Crawford is a newspaper man from St. Louis who has trouble controlling his temper. He has lost his job after lashing out at a co-worker for maligning Joshua’s beloved grandfather, Richard. Joshua determines to travel to Bethlehem Springs to confront the author of the Rawhide Rick dime store novels that portray his grandfather as a villain rather than the God loving, generous man that Joshua was raised by.
Joshua is lucky to get a job at Bethlehem Springs where he meets the surprising Daphne McKinley. He doesn’t understand why the wealthy young lady is staying in this small town, but he enjoys her intelligent and outgoing character. Daphne finds the newsman attractive but is concerned about his inquiries trying to find an author no one knows.
Daphne and Joshua soon have an uneasy but growing friendship as they try to maintain secrets and distance. She doesn’t want to reveal her secrets and he doesn’t want to get involved with a lovely young woman when he plans to return home where he has a young lady waiting who expects a marriage proposal.
Daphne has a strong faith that she is not afraid to share with Joshua. Joshua was raised in a Christian household but has avoided faith issues since losing his grandfather. The faith that Daphne holds will pull at Joshua as they face an unexpected difficulty and isolation.
Ms. Hatcher provides strong, likeable characters and a believable storyline with light humor and sound faith. The romance starts with conflict and grows nicely with respect and sweetness. The story reads easily and provides several lovely faith messages regarding forgiveness, judging others and redemption. I recommend this to readers who enjoy historical and inspirational romance.
Daphne may be an heiress but she is a down to earth young lady you is happy living in the small Iowa community of Bethlehem Springs in 1918. Most people would thing that a wealthy young woman would want to return to the society circles of the east coast, but not Daphne. She is happy living near her brother and her lovely sister in law. But Daphne’s seemingly simple life hides a secret. She has a secret connection to a popular dime store novel series which features an infamous character known as Rawhide Rick.
Joshua Crawford is a newspaper man from St. Louis who has trouble controlling his temper. He has lost his job after lashing out at a co-worker for maligning Joshua’s beloved grandfather, Richard. Joshua determines to travel to Bethlehem Springs to confront the author of the Rawhide Rick dime store novels that portray his grandfather as a villain rather than the God loving, generous man that Joshua was raised by.
Joshua is lucky to get a job at Bethlehem Springs where he meets the surprising Daphne McKinley. He doesn’t understand why the wealthy young lady is staying in this small town, but he enjoys her intelligent and outgoing character. Daphne finds the newsman attractive but is concerned about his inquiries trying to find an author no one knows.
Daphne and Joshua soon have an uneasy but growing friendship as they try to maintain secrets and distance. She doesn’t want to reveal her secrets and he doesn’t want to get involved with a lovely young woman when he plans to return home where he has a young lady waiting who expects a marriage proposal.
Daphne has a strong faith that she is not afraid to share with Joshua. Joshua was raised in a Christian household but has avoided faith issues since losing his grandfather. The faith that Daphne holds will pull at Joshua as they face an unexpected difficulty and isolation.
Ms. Hatcher provides strong, likeable characters and a believable storyline with light humor and sound faith. The romance starts with conflict and grows nicely with respect and sweetness. The story reads easily and provides several lovely faith messages regarding forgiveness, judging others and redemption. I recommend this to readers who enjoy historical and inspirational romance.
December 12, 2019
The story was well told and definitely held my interest. The characters were likeable and well fleshed-out. I was happy to see Daphne Pursuing her calling as a writer, also doing some serious thinking about the use of a real person's name.
For the most part the story was believable, but some things weren't very credible, like a man inviting a single woman up to his apartment. Wouldn't have happened. Not if he valued his good name and hers. Even going into her house when she was alone would have been iffy. Two unmarried people going off on a several-day's road trip would have caused a major scandal. Even if she was foolish enough to suggest it, a decent man of that era would have had more sense than to compromise both of them like that and have people spreading stories. It wouldn't have just been a few gossips; everyone would have disapproved when the affair came to light. He'd have had to marry her or they'd have both been snubbed. Also, their arrival together at the boarding house, unrelated and unmarried, would not have been well received by the proprietress.
It's hard for writers in our liberated age to really get a handle on the strict moral rules that "decent folks" once lived by, especially in Christian circles where the command to "avoid all appearance of evil" was taken quite seriously.
For the most part the story was believable, but some things weren't very credible, like a man inviting a single woman up to his apartment. Wouldn't have happened. Not if he valued his good name and hers. Even going into her house when she was alone would have been iffy. Two unmarried people going off on a several-day's road trip would have caused a major scandal. Even if she was foolish enough to suggest it, a decent man of that era would have had more sense than to compromise both of them like that and have people spreading stories. It wouldn't have just been a few gossips; everyone would have disapproved when the affair came to light. He'd have had to marry her or they'd have both been snubbed. Also, their arrival together at the boarding house, unrelated and unmarried, would not have been well received by the proprietress.
It's hard for writers in our liberated age to really get a handle on the strict moral rules that "decent folks" once lived by, especially in Christian circles where the command to "avoid all appearance of evil" was taken quite seriously.
May 14, 2024
This entire series kept me from being a responsible adult. It’s a good thing the books were on the shorter side.
I enjoyed that this book involved publishing and a story within a story. Daphne and her journey to true love was just as original as Gwen’s and Cleo’s. And while this book was mainly a romance story I liked how there was quite a bit of character development in there, too. A reminder that a Christian soul must be consistently chiseled and polished.
The fact that we got to see Cleo and Gwen with some more of their happy endings was much appreciated.
I definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for a quick romantic read.
I enjoyed that this book involved publishing and a story within a story. Daphne and her journey to true love was just as original as Gwen’s and Cleo’s. And while this book was mainly a romance story I liked how there was quite a bit of character development in there, too. A reminder that a Christian soul must be consistently chiseled and polished.
The fact that we got to see Cleo and Gwen with some more of their happy endings was much appreciated.
I definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for a quick romantic read.
January 17, 2022
The third and last part of this series was just as good as the others. The author has me under her spell and I truly an inspired by her references and thoughts of the bible and God. She has made me think about my life with her words.
Daphne is a great heroine with her writing of dime novels and when Nicholas comes to town to open a paper and find
the mysterious writer of those novels, the fun begins. Although there is also a lot of strife, a mystery and a lot going on
in this story.
The narration was good and the storyline excellent!
Daphne is a great heroine with her writing of dime novels and when Nicholas comes to town to open a paper and find
the mysterious writer of those novels, the fun begins. Although there is also a lot of strife, a mystery and a lot going on
in this story.
The narration was good and the storyline excellent!
October 15, 2024
This is a great story. Daphne was meant to be an author, she loved building characters and the whole process. She just had to use an pseudonym because she loved writing about the wild west.
Joshua is a reporter. He's looking for the scoundrel who's been writing horrible things about his grandfather. The trail lead him to Bethlehem Springs. He was going to find this guy and have him set the record straight about his beloved grandfather.
Daphne was asked to write a column for the local newspaper, once a week. Now, Daphne and Joshua are working together.
Let the fun begin.
Joshua is a reporter. He's looking for the scoundrel who's been writing horrible things about his grandfather. The trail lead him to Bethlehem Springs. He was going to find this guy and have him set the record straight about his beloved grandfather.
Daphne was asked to write a column for the local newspaper, once a week. Now, Daphne and Joshua are working together.
Let the fun begin.
November 29, 2017
1918 she loved writing dime novels, and made a fortune doing so. Then comes one good looking guy set out to find the person who damaged the image of his grandfather,. Did she know when she used the name Rawhide Crawford was this person.or was it just local lore. Tempers fly and makes a good read for the readers.
March 22, 2018
Better than most Christian romances I have read. Daphne is a wealthy woman who writes dime novels, written under a pseudonym. Joshua realizes the anti-hero of the books is his grandfather and goes looking for the author. The female characters had some backbone and I enjoyed that. Had faith elements used appropriately but wasn't overkill
June 2, 2019
I didn’t like this one as much as the first two in the series. For a Christian book it was not as clean as it could have been. I didn’t like a lot of the journal entries from Joshua’s grandfather (knowing he was a bad man in his past I didn’t really want to hear all he had done in detail) and the constant mention of the characters looks and attraction was too much. 3 stars.
April 29, 2020
Love conquers all
This is a real story of the power of true love. The strong character
of each person demonstrates how any personality can find love. The story is tied together by family, friends and of course character. This book would be appropriate for those seeking
success in all aspects of life.
This is a real story of the power of true love. The strong character
of each person demonstrates how any personality can find love. The story is tied together by family, friends and of course character. This book would be appropriate for those seeking
success in all aspects of life.
May 23, 2020
This engaging and charming Christian historical fiction novel has amusing and delightful characters. When a newspaperman named Joshua finds out that author DB Morgan has, in his opinion, defamed the grandfather he adores in her dime novels, he sets out to right the wrong! Many surprises are in store for him, and both he and the author grow as people through the experience.
October 25, 2024
The final book in the series and just as good as the others. This one is about Daphne who is an author of a series of dime novels about Rawhide Rick. So that no one will know it is her writing them she writes under an assumed name. Then Joshua Crawford comes to town to work at the newspaper but also to find out who is writing the lies about his grandfather, Rawhide Rick.
January 18, 2018
Another good book by Robin Lee Hatcher. It wrapped up the three-book series well and told a great story of how a life can change after meeting Christ. I enjoyed the look into the life of Josh's grandpa through the journal entries, as well as how all of the characters were developed.
September 13, 2024
Another great book! This is the third and final book in the Bethlehem Springs series, and I loved it as much as the first two.
We got to see little updates of all the characters we've grown to love in this series.
I look forward to reading more books by Ms Hatcher.
We got to see little updates of all the characters we've grown to love in this series.
I look forward to reading more books by Ms Hatcher.
July 25, 2017
Fun and entertaining.
February 14, 2020
Another great book.
July 4, 2020
Nice clean read
August 19, 2020
a wonderful book of women settling the frontier. and Daphney has a secret
October 7, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this story of Joseph and Daphne. It was great seeing how things progressed between the two of them. And I liked how their story ended up going.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2021
4.5 stars
January 11, 2021
This was my favorite of the series! I loved diving into the mind and thoughts of a writer/author!
January 20, 2021
Absolutely loved this story. I couldn't put it down.
September 20, 2024
This was the third book in the Sisters of Bethlehem Spring's series'
I read all three, enjoyed all three.
I read all three, enjoyed all three.
January 21, 2025
I liked this one way more than the other two. Much more believable.
November 10, 2019
Enjoyed
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews