A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden

As a biochemist in early 1900s New York, Doctor Rosalind Werner has dedicated her life to the crusade against waterborne diseases. She is at the forefront of a groundbreaking technology that will change the way water is delivered to every household in the city--but only if she can get people to believe in her work.

Newly appointed Commissioner of Water for New York, Nicholas Drake is highly skeptical of Rosalind and her team's techniques. When a brewing court case throws him into direct confrontation with her, he is surprised by his reaction to the lovely scientist.

While Rosalind and Nick wage a private war against their own attraction, they stand firmly on opposite sides of a battle that will impact far more than just their own lives. As the controversy grows more public and inflammatory and Rosalind becomes the target of an unknown enemy, the odds stacked against these two rivals swiftly grow more insurmountable with every passing day.

A Daring Venture is an interesting and enjoyable novel that is the second in Elizabeth Camden's Empire State series (after A Dangerous Legacy) but can technically read as a standalone book as well, just with a little less depth of story. This novel follows a few years after A Dangerous Legacy and focuses on Nick Drake, the brother of Lucy. The plot line is well written and shows the quandary that scientists faced in New York/New Jersey with wanting to purify the city's water supply to reduce disease risk while facing opposition from the government. The plot follows a true lawsuit that occurred and the scientists that still worked to save hundreds and thousands of lives. The fictional characters of Dr. Werner and Nick Drake were both well developed and entertaining as they learned from their mistakes and learned to trust one another. The one thing I did think was rushed was the initial spark of romance between the two; aside from that their story played out slower with moments of romance, danger, suspense, and also a culmination of a storyline that started in Lucy's novel. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the next book in the series. 

I received this novel from Netgalley and Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.