Fair Play: A Novel

Miss / Dr. Billy Jack Tate is the doctor at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. When a grumpy Texas Ranger shows up for medical help, she is intrigued.Hunter is an elite Texas Ranger assigned to guard the Women's Building, an assignment which he thinks is a waste of his talent. When he needs medical assistance, he's disturbed by his doctor's gender, even though she expertly helps him.What I liked about this book:- Very detailed descriptions that help the reader feel like we were at the World's Fair and other settings.- Very strong female lead. I do enjoy stories about women in unconventional roles for the time period.- I loved the patterns of speech that Gist used to make Hunter's character truly feel like he was from Texas and completely out of his element in Chicago.- The historical details were excellentThis story had a nice pace and kept my interest. The romance moved along, despite being thrown many obstacles. Each character grew and faced their weaknesses.Time Period: 1893Location: Chicago, World's Fair, SlumsRomance: Heated kissing that made me blush a little. Closing romance scene cranked up the heat, but still kept it PG.

I had an absolute blast reading the novel ‘Fair Play’, which had me both entertained and spellbound! I went the full emotional gamut from laughing out loud at some of the funniest scenes I've ever read, to experiencing sorrow and shock at the depiction of other grimmer parts. Set in and around Chicago’s World Fair of 1893, we’re treated to a photographic excursion by not only the enlightening and descriptive information about the fair, but the charming timeworn snapshots which are displayed in relation to the text.It is at Columbus Hall we first see the forward-thinking woman doctor Billy Jack Tate being introduced to the masculine and rugged traditionalist Texas Ranger Hunter Scott, in a rather mortifying manner! The tables are soon turned however in a hilarious scene when Hunter is embarrassed beyond all measure before her. An unlikely friendship develops out of their encounters which leads Hunter to seek out Billy’s help when coming across an abandoned baby while on guard duty at the Fair. They team up to find him a place to live, but cannot bear it when his only likely home is in Chicago’s West Side and surrounded by debris and filth, no grass in sight, rats for companions, and saloons and the like being the only places of amusement. Just as troubling are the many street kids and gangs. Together they embark upon a mission to develop a type of playground, birthing America’s Playground Movement. But will the street gangs prove a greater threat than Hunter and Billy had credited them to be?Hunter and his ‘Billy girl’ as he endearingly calls her, soon find their feelings developing and passion igniting. But with each of them staunchly dedicated to their work, do they even have a future? Billy’s desire to have a successful practice in Chicago majorly conflicts with Hunter’s plans to leave for Texas and get back working with his fellow rangers as soon as the Fair ends. And this conventional Ranger (who loves to use classic Texan catch-phrases!) isn't about to let his woman be the wage-earner in ‘his’ home anyway!A woman’s place in society isn't the only controversial topic of the era that highlighted in ‘Fair Play’. Other issues were also exposed, such as the rights of children, the underprivileged, housing conditions, immigrants, the drinking age etc. On the lighter side, Hunter and Billy who are both plenty stubborn, deliver an entertaining dialogue peppered with amusing arguments and sassy comebacks that are a real treat to read. The romance is written in true Deeanne Gist style - wonderfully romantic and passionate! And while some may prefer more Christian elements to an inspirational story, ‘Fair Play’ is clean and there are many positive messages to take away, including learning how compromise is an essential part of a relationship. An unrushed and satisfying epilogue finishes off this extremely enjoyable book!

This is the first book I've read by this author. I felt so many different emotions reading it. In the beginning I was laughing out loud at the circumstances that got Hunter and Dr. Billy together. There were parts that broke my heart - living conditions in the poor part of Chicago, little children having to work to help their families, the horrid jail conditions. The was also kindness and unselfish love. I absolutely loved this book!

Deeanne Gist is a gifted writer, no doubt about it. I don't care for bossy heroine's that are feminists, so I really wasn't sure I would like Dr. Billy Jack Tate. However, as the story unfolds, you see this character develop into a passionate and compassionate woman. She is soft, vulnerable, strong, sensitive, and caring. She loves being a doctor and is even a little bit arrogant and bold at first, which I imagine she would have to be in order to become a doctor during this era. However, she is honest enough to see her own faults, which helps her to lose her arrogance and I-can-do-it-myself attitude, and become a woman who will ask for help yet still risk her life for the cause of others. Hunter is a wonderful hero. He is just as set in his ways, dreaming of working his way up in the Texas Rangers, marrying a meek and beautiful Texas belle who will give him babies, take care of his household, and wait for him whenever he leaves for another long-distance assignment. Imagine his chagrin when he finds himself falling in love with the antithesis of his dreams in all ways except her beauty, for he cannot take his eyes off of her.This is not an overtly Christian book, which is a little disappointing for anyone who applies the Word of God and prayer to every part of their lives. It somehow seems unrealistic in this way to the true behavior of a follower of Jesus, since we would have prayed before entering many of these difficult situations and we would have given God the glory for any and all victories. However, this is a fiction, so the author can create her own reality. I did not remove any stars for this criticism because her writing is that good and it is certainly a clean read.

a fantastic read - amazing

Such a good book! I love Deanne Gist.