The Red Ribbon by Pepper Basham

I stayed up all night reading The Red Ribbon, and I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.

Book Blurb

In Carroll County, a corn shucking is the social event of the season, until a mischievous kiss leads to one of the biggest tragedies in Virginia history. Ava Burcham isn’t your typical Blue Ridge Mountain girl. She has a bad habit of courtin’ trouble, and her curiosity has opened a rift in the middle of a feud between politicians and would-be outlaws, the Allen family. Ava’s tenacious desire to find a story worth reporting may land her and her best friend, Jeremiah Sutphin, into more trouble than either of them planned.

​The end result? The Hillsville Courthouse Massacre of 1912.

My Review

The romance alone made this book hard to put down.

I fell in love with Jeremiah Sutphin in one paragraph. He has become one of my favorite Basham heroes, second only to Henry Wright from When You Look at Me.

(You can read my review for When You Look at Me here.)

Not only is Jeremiah sweet and loyal, he’s also thoughtful and protective. His gentle pursuit of Ava made me sigh on more than one occasion.

Ava’s concerns about a relationship are understandable, unlike some heroines who leave me wanting to bash my head against the wall. When their romance took a turn for the better, I practically had to hold back a squeal. Pepper Basham knows how to write a romance, y’all.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the suspense. Basham does a great job showing real events through the eyes of her fictional characters. Her historical note at the end helps the reader come to their own conclusions about the actions of the Allen family as well as the result of the shooting.

I also loved the spiritual thread and Ava’s lesson about who she is in God. It was well done and thought provoking, for new and old Christians alike.

Overall, The Red Ribbon is a great romance perfect for true crime and suspense lovers.

More Information

For more Pepper Basham, check out her website and sign up for her newsletter. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

For your own copy of The Red Ribbon, click on the book cover to order a copy from Bookshop or visit your favorite bookstore.

(Note: I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)