Friday, March 18, 2022

Book Review and Giveaway - Counterfeit Love by Crystal Caudill


My Review

Counterfeit Love is set during the Gilded Age, 1883, in Cincinnati. Theresa Plane has been raised by her grandfather, but they are both in danger now because he is accused of being a counterfeiter.  She is engaged to marry a wealthy man, Edward Greystone, and yet she finds her old beau, Broderick Cosgrove, a Secret Service operative, is the one person who can keep her safe.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction and I'm interested in the Gilded Age.

Counterfeit Love is the first book in a new series - Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age. It starts off with a chase at a cemetery. It took me a couple of chapters to catch up with the action because so much was happening so quickly. After Theresa met Broderick, her old love, again, things became very interesting ... and I wanted to see how she would get out of the danger she found herself in.

This is such a densely packed, exciting book with a counterfeiting storyline, well realized characters, and a swoony romance. I loved Theresa and Broderick's story.

The period details in this book are fascinating and I found myself looking up details several times because I wanted to know more -- for example the Mount Auburn Incline, an Incline system that was in Cincinnati during this time period.

Theresa is a wonderful, brave protagonist, an artist, an animal rescuer (some sweet stories there!), and someone to really pull for.

Counterfeit Love was an engrossing read, and I wholeheartedly recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone interested in the Gilded Age. I look forward to reading future books in this series!

Book Synopsis

Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves--or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he's been sent to track down?

After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name--and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors' threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn't all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home--and the truth.

After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiance is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career--but that's better than failing her twice in one lifetime.

They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there's no question they're both still keeping secrets--and that lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.


Author Bio

Crystal Caudill is the author of "dangerously good historical romance," with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW.

She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, and when she isn’t writing, Caudill can be found playing board games with her family, drinking hot tea, or reading other great books at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

Learn more at crystalcaudill.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Giveaway

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