Today’s book review features
Counterfeit Hope by Crystal Caudill.
About the Book
Trapped by their pasts, is there hope for a future?
When Secret Service operative Andrew Darlington is brought in to support a US Marshal case involving counterfeiters in rural Indiana, he thinks it’s simply the next rung on his climb to the top of his career. But liars can only climb so high–and Andrew is keeping a dangerous secret he doesn’t ever want to get out. When he clashes with the criminal family that took over the town of Landkreis and killed the Marshal he was sent to assist, his past life is in danger of being exposed.
Widow Lightning Lu Thorne has only one goal: escape the clutches of the Thorne family with her son. Her decision to be an informant and testify against the Thornes looked like the perfect answer. Until the Marshal ended up dead. Now the tether keeping her tied to her felonious family is tightening, and a forced marriage to someone else in the Thornes’ clutches threatens to kill any hope of escape.
Andrew and Lu find themselves on the same team–unwillingly. They each believe the other to be the enemy to their future plans. And even if they could learn to work together, the secrets they hold could shatter all hopes and dreams. Despite the encouragement of the local preacher, they’re not even sure God can be trusted–much less other humans. Can either of them escape their past–and the family that is willing to kill their own when they smell betrayal?
On the heels of her smashing debut, this second entry in Crystal Caudill’s historical series maintains the excitement that readers of Michelle Griep, Liz Tolsma, and Elizabeth Camden will love.
From Goodreads
Author Information
Discover more about Crystal Caudill at: crystalcaudill.com.
Danielle’s Review
I received a complimentary copy of this book.
I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.
Counterfeit Hope by Crystal Caudill is the second book in her historical romantic suspense series Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age from Kregel.
This story! I was completely captivated by it. The characters, the tension, the message … all of it was so good and woven together so well. Lu and Drew are in such impossible situations, but especially Lu. It’s heartbreaking, yet the possibility of hope is never far away.
As the author explains in a letter to readers at the beginning of the book, Lu, and other characters, suffer abuse. Personally, I thought the author handled this with a sensitive and yet truthful hand. It was never dark, especially with that thread of hope displayed so well, even when circumstances appeared most dyer.
If you enjoyed the first book in this series, then you will love this one. I can’t wait for Book Three! If you love historical romance and/or romantic suspense, then this book is for you.
Don’t miss the Counterfeit Hope First Line Friday post!
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