Taking the Plunge

Love's Sporting Chance

By: Angela Breidenbach

Narrated by: Tristan Leder

Could she believe in herself when no one else did?

A progressive thinker in 1892 Montana, Delphina O'Connor believed God-given dreams for women didn't stop at marriage and children. Hers might not include a husband or family at all. So when Hugh Thomas rescues the new swimming instructor at the elegant Broadwater Natatorium from near drowning in the plunge, how can anyone believe the freedom to enjoy swimming, competition, and a healthy body is an appropriate activity for a proper lady? Hugh is about to find out status quo is the starting line for a courageous woman with a dream!

Taking the Plunge explores the real-world question: What do you do when you think differently than the world around you?

©2016 Angela Breidenbach (P)2016 Angela Breidenbach

Dreams can come true

Taking the Plunge by Angela Breidenbach is a charming story of time past in Helena, Montana. Delphina, a woman who knows her own mind and supports the suffragette movement has come to the Hotel Broadwater and Natatorium to be the ornamental swim teacher for females. Her first encounter with Hugh, the manager, and teacher for the boys comes with a splash and some scolding remarks. Hotel owner, Mr. Broadwater, expects them to work together but Delphina's not so sure about that. How can they ever work as a team when their philosophies of life clash? Can they make a way to become partners long enough to help the new natatorium successful? In this 3rd installment of the Montana Beginnings series, the author gives a glimpse of history, a sweet romance with delightful characters, and a story of faith in a God who works in our lives to make dreams come true.
The narration of the audiobook by Tristan Leder was well done and made the book enjoyable to listen to. I was given an audio copy of the book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Plunge Into a Good Book

Would you listen to Taking the Plunge again? Why?

Yes I would. It was a fantastic story. This was my first book by Ms. Breidenbach. It was set in a period in time that I enjoy visiting as often as I can. The characters were well thought out, the story moved at a really great pace, and the banter (and accidents) that happened between Delphina and Hugh were enjoyable and fun to listen to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

By far my favorite character was Delphina. She had different dreams. She didn't want to rush into marriage and a family. I loved how spirited she was from right out of the gate. We meet her as she dives into a pool to save a drowning child. Her spirited energy and fire kept me cheering her on. Also coming from a long line of suffragettes it was great to see this time period captured so well in the book.

What does Tristan Leder bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She kept me safe while I drove my car. That's a plus! She did pretty well with the reading of the book. I only have one small tiny issue that did not take away from the integrity of the story. There was a part where a child had an Irish accent. The child went from having no accent to a major accent in the span of several pages. But as I said, it did not affect the story line and the rest was done really well.

Any additional comments?

I plan on reading more by this author. I'm excited to have found her.

My Favorite so far

The author manages to pack so much romance, history, and community interaction into this novella, I felt like I had read a longer novel.

This is the story of growth: The growth of a relationship, The growth of independence for women, The growth of a community in the formerly wild West.

Highly recommended.