The Reluctant Debutante

"Ginger Fitzpatrick was in a pickle, that much was certain."  So begins Becky Lower's debut historical romance.
An impassioned follower of  Amelia Bloomer and the temperance movement, much to the chagrin of her society mother, Ginger is stifled by the confines of 1855 society.  Her father owns a bank and is much more sympathetic to his oldest daughter.  He has given her a position with his bank, where she is happily giving investment advice to clients.  Ginger's only problem is her mother's latest plan to introduce her to society - the Cotillion Ball.  One introduction at the ball is all it takes to change her life forever.
Joseph Lafontaine is everything Ginger never even knew she wanted - a tall, dark and handsome French-Canadian, breeding horses in St. Louis.  He also has a secret - and it will tear their love apart.
Ms. Lower's novel has everything one would need for an epic historical romance - love, secrets, society and tragedy, all set against a well-researched backdrop of the Gasconade Bridge Train Disaster.  The narrative is well-paced and the story intriguing, but at times the execution fails to deliver.  Wooden dialogue, flat prose and two-dimensional characters make this novel difficult to get through.   There are glimmers of great writing here - if Ms. Lower could show the reader more than she tells it would be more apparent.  
Tammy Grant