Disclosure: I received this book to review; post contains affiliate links. Opinions shared are mine.

It’s a challenge to enjoy a book when one dislikes the main character, I think.  That’s how I felt with Flirtation Walk by Siri Mitchell, anyway.   The main character, Lucinda, spent considerable time finding ways to be manipulative with everyone in her life.  It was a true case of nature vs. nurture, and it was tough to power through.  Still, I had hopes that she might turn around after being exposed to a different kind of life.  On the other hand, Seth turned out to be a good counterpart for her. He was almost too good to be true — concern for his sister, determination to be a top student, and an all-around good guy.  I wanted him to be a little bit of a bad boy. 

The big draw for me, surprisingly, was the description of the cadet’s lives at West Point.  Normally I’m not very interested in military life (even though…or maybe because?…. I’m from a military family!)  I guess I hadn’t realized how difficult it is to go through such a prestigious school, but the story really brought home how strenuous academic life was.  I kept mentioning little factoids to my husband, “Did they really….” and “I didn’t know Robert E. Lee went to West Point!”   The weaker part of the story was the romance element.  I had to remember that things were different in those times; so much depended on rising above one’s class, marrying for financial stability instead of love, and appearing virtuous to everyone else.  Many couples were virtually married to each other before they’d even properly been introduced, depending on the arrangements made by their families.  After thinking upon that, it didn’t seem so strange that Lucinda’s uncle made demands on her regarding her suitors, or that it was a very real concern that Elizabeth might try to marry a soldier in Laramie.  Once I resolved myself to those facts, Lucinda seemed to be a very clever girl!  Flirtation Walk was a different, curious read, and I’m glad I made time for it.