"Letter Perfect" by Cathy Marie Hake

Ruth Caldwell is a puzzle. She has been kicked out of one finishing school after another, her natural clumsiness making her a hapless conundrum. When Ruth is sent home again, she is devastated to learn her mother's health is failing. Even more surprising, she learns that her mother has contacted her father, whom Ruth has never met, and asked him to take Ruth in after she passes. When the time comes, Ruth boards the stage and heads off to California for a very unknown future.

Her situation is even more complicated when she arrives to find out that her father has passed away as well. His property is now home to his partner's family. They graciously take Ruth into their home while they try to figure out the inheritance.

A new location hasn't made Ruth any less prone to blunders, but the West does provide fewer expectations and more room to shine just as she is. She befriends a young woman who struggles with reading and is able to help her with tailored lessons, and she catches the eye of two different young men.

Yet not everything is as it seems, and when it becomes apparent that sinister things are happening, Ruth must trust her new friends to help her figure out where the danger lies and how they can keep everyone safe.

This is an older novel, but I enjoyed it tremendously. There were elements of the plot that really took me by surprise, and the main characters had a real emphasis on building one another up through Scripture and prayer. I'll be reading more books by this author in the future!