#Book Review: #The Prince of Spies (Hope and Glory book 3) by #Elizabeth Camden

Rating: 5 stars / 5 - It was amazing

Summary: The Prince of Spies (Hope and Glory book 3) by Elizabeth Camden

Luke Delacroix has the reputation of a charming man-about-town in Gilded Age Washington, DC. In reality, he is secretly carrying out an ambitious agenda in Congress. His current mission is to thwart the reelection of Congressman Clyde Magruder, his only real enemy in the world.

But trouble begins when Luke meets Marianne Magruder, the congressman's only daughter, whose job as a government photographer gives her unprecedented access to sites throughout the city. Luke is captivated by Marianne's quick wit and alluring charm, leading them both into a dangerous gamble to reconcile their feelings for each other with Luke's driving passion for vital reforms in Congress.

Can their newfound love survive a political firestorm, or will three generations of family rivalry drive them apart forever? (from Goodreads).

My review

The Prince of Spies is the third and final book in the Hope and Glory series by Elizabeth Camden, published by Bethany House Publishers. The story is set in 1902 Washington DC, and we follow ex-government spy, now magazine journalist, Luke Delacroix as he works to improve food legislation. He meets governmental photographer Marianne Magruder and instantly falls for her, but when they learn each other’s family names they realize they have landed in the middle of their families’ long lasting feud, and it seems impossible to have a future together. Luke takes part in a test of canned foods, while Marianne’s photography skills prove important in the work for food safety.

Main character Luke Delacroix is a magazine journalist who worked secretly as a government spy. He seems the character who develops the most through the 3 books, from an entitled thrill-seeker in need of his brother’s rescuing in the first book to a more mature adult who still has a lot of self doubt. He spends more time contemplating the value of his work and his future, which makes him very relatable.

Supporting character, governmental photographer Marianne Magruder is very grateful to her powerful father for having given her a privileged life in want for nothing and acts like I would expect for a woman of her time. I love that she goes through a personal development. This makes her my favorite of this story.

The Prince of Spies reads well as a standalone. Hints to previous books are given, but it would make the experience even richer to have read the two previous installments. Apart from following Luke’s journey to find love, this fascinating plot focuses on his use of contacts to improve the food and drug industry.  My favorite part of the story was the little mystery element about Marianne’s estranged aunt.

While in Cuban prison, Luke had plenty of time for Bible reading and he seems to have established a strong faith. Marianne seemed to have a spiritual awakening towards the end of the story.

Elizabeth Camden has been one of my go-to authors for years. I love her writing style and choose to read one of her books every year. Anyone who likes romance plots combined with technical inventions will enjoy this. Fans of Elizabeth Camden will love this story. Similar authors to explore might be Roseanna M. White or Jody Hedlund

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers, Elizabeth Camden and NetGalley for this opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

Conclusion: in this fascinating story ex-government spy, now magazine journalist, Luke Delacroix is working to improve food safety laws while struggling to be with the woman he loves. Her father owns the company which produces unsafe canned foods and is the one Luke is fighting against.

Where to get your copy

Amazon Hardcover

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Hardcover

Barnes & Noble Paperback

Barnes & Noble e-book

Book Details

Publisher : Bethany House Publishers (February 16, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0764238094
ISBN-13 : 978-0764238093

About The Author

Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in gilded age America featuring clever heroines and richly layered storylines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Award, and she lives in Florida with her husband who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books.

#Historical Romance Book Review #A Gilded Lady by #Elizabeth Camden

Summary: A Gilded Lady (Hope and Glory #2) by Elizabeth Camden

Caroline Delacroix is at the pinnacle of Washington high society in her role as secretary to the first lady of the United States. But beneath the facade of her beauty, glamorous wardrobe, and dazzling personality, she's hiding a terrible secret. If she cannot untangle a web of foreign espionage, her brother will face execution for treason.

Nathaniel Trask is the newly appointed head of the president's Secret Service team. He is immediately suspicious of Caroline despite his overwhelming attraction to her quick wit and undeniable charm. Desperate to keep the president protected, Nathaniel must battle to keep his focus fully on his job as the threat to the president rises.

Amid the glamorous pageantry of Gilded Age Washington, DC, Caroline and Nathaniel will face adventure, danger, and heartbreak in a race against time that will span the continent and the depth of human emotion  (from Goodreads).

Book Review: A Gilded Lady

US First Lady’s secretary Caroline Delacroix is struggling with her twin brother Luke’s serious problems while working night and day. Secret Service agent Nathaniel Trask is suspicious of her, but has a hard time focusing because he is intensely attracted to her. As danger intensifies for the First Couple, Caroline and Nathaniel co-operates to deal with challenging and threatening situations.  

A Gilded Lady is Book #2 in the Hope and Glory Series by Elizabeth Camden set in 1900s White House life. The series focuses on siblings Grey, Caroline and Luke Delacroix. While book #1 The Spice King focused on Grey, book #2 is about Caroline who serves as secretary to the US First Lady. Caroline and Nathaniel get to know each other better while on the adventure of a lifetime as well as a security nightmare.

The plots with elements of technical inventions mixed in very enjoyably stand out and have made Elizabeth Camden one of my go-to authors for years. Reading A Gilded Lady as a standalone would work perfectly, but picking up book #1 The Spice King would give you a great background and details of the story running through the series.

Main character Caroline Delacroix comes across as a stubborn, entitled and manipulating character. She irritated me all through book #1 The Spice King, but I was pleased to see she goes through an impressive personal development throughout A Gilded Lady. She becomes stronger both in faith and character as she develops from a girl into a woman. She is my favorite of this story.

 
Secondary character Nathaniel Trask, US Secret Service agent is honorable and rule-conscious but maybe slightly boring. He carries his very own secret that constantly weighs on his mind, and I kept wishing he could ease up a bit in between all the stress of his work. He has a good influence on Caroline as he encourages her to make good decisions.

There is a distinct faith element to the A Gilded Lady.  The characters pray for support throughout. Caroline particularly expresses her faith in her dialogue with Nathaniel. Theirs is a slow burn romance totally in keeping with the intensity of the plot. I really enjoyed the balance of it all, where drama was allowed to take center stage while the romance part was made room for in the more quiet parts.

A Gilded Lady is the exiting and entertaining new work from Elizabeth Camden set in the 1900s life in and around the White House. The writing of A Gilded Lady I found vivid and captivating as it expertly drew me into the plot. My favorite part was the exiting separate storyline carried through from book #1 The Spice King, and I can’t wait to see what happens next for Luke.

The ending of A Gilded Lady I felt was well crafted in a way that solved a bit of the most immediate problems of the plot with a surprising twist, while still leaving enough loose ends to be dealt with in the next installment. Fans of Elizabeth Camden’s other work will love A Gilded Lady, as will readers of historical romance fiction. Similar authors to explore might be Rachel Hauck or Michelle Griep.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5

Main reasons: Exciting plot, excellent research and vivid writing.

Book Details (from Amazon)

Print Length: 368 pages

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (June 2, 2020)
Publication Date: June 2, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B0821P2XQ7

About The Author

If you want to learn more about the author of A Gilded Lady, Elizabeth Camden, visit: http://elizabethcamden.com/

Book Review: A Dangerous Legacy (Empire State book 1) by Elizabeth Camden

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Summary: A Dangerous Legacy (Empire State #1) by Elizabeth Camden

Page-Turning Romance and Intrigue in Award-Winning Author's Next Historical Novel

Lucy Drake's mastery of Morse code has made her a valuable asset to the American news agencies as a telegrapher. But the sudden arrival of Sir Colin Beckwith at rival British news agency Reuters puts her hard-earned livelihood at risk. Newly arrived from London, Colin is talented, handsome, and insufferably charming.

Despite their rivalry, Lucy realizes Colin's connections could be just what her family needs to turn the tide of their long legal battle over the fortune they were swindled out of forty years ago. When she negotiates an unlikely alliance with him, neither of them realizes how far the web of treachery they're wading into will take them.

Book Review: A Dangerous Legacy (Empire State #1) by Elizabeth Camden

Lucy Drake works for Associated Press in New York, helping to distribute updates to newspapers all over America by Morse code.

Her brother Nick is a plumber working to supply tenants of New York multi story apartment buildings with running water. He does this in secret as Lucy and Nick have a longstanding lawsuit against their uncle concerning the plumbing invention their father did right before he went off to war. Their father’s invention makes Nick’s work in the apartment buildings technically possible but is considered illegal by the siblings’ uncle. He is fighting to squeeze as much money out of the invention as possible and keep it all to himself not leaving any of it to Lucy and Nick.

Colin Beckwith of British agency Reuters is Lucy’s friend. She confides in him about her legal struggles and he agrees to help her. That is the start of a dangerous drama to keep Lucy and Nick safe from their uncle.

I felt this story was well researched as it deals with technical inventions of the 1900’s, specifically the supply of running water in New York apartment buildings. As I have never been to New York myself, I have not really considered what kind of plumbing goes into supplying tenants of high rise buildings with hot and cold running water several floors up. The story doesn’t go into specifics of how the Drake invention made this possible, I enjoyed the part of the story that described some of the struggles between the money aspects of the invention versus the view that running water should be something supplied to all people of New York. Lucy and Nic’s uncle is willing to go to extremes to ensure that the invention makes him as rich as possible setting the price extremely high and making running water available to only the richest people of the city. Lucy and Nic have to protect themselves against dangerous threats and actions all through the plot. The constant danger from the uncle, I felt added to a sense of thrill while I was reading. I wondered all along if the siblings would be all right or their uncle would make good on one, or all, of his numerous threats. The siblings had lived with this lawsuit and these threats for years because they would not back down and give their uncle control of the invention. I felt relieved when Lucy’s colleague, British newspaper executive, Colin Beckwith stepped onto the scene and agreed to help them.

Another important part of the plot was descriptions of how mental health care might have worked out for some patients at the time. -And maybe for people with no ailments at all. I found it interesting in a creepy way, like I was reading a thriller. Quite horrifying to read about what was called “treatments”. This was expertly incorporated into the plot. I felt it really added to the drama of the story and the development of the plot.

Another interesting part of this story was the descriptions of how the news business operated and developed at the time. Lucy worked as telegrapher at Associated Press where she helped receive news updates and make sure they were passed on to various newspapers around the country. She had a somewhat strained relationship with Colin Beckwith from main competitor, British Reuters. As the plot developed, I was pleased their relationship changed for the better, on the personal level. Also they no longer worked for the two fierce competing news distributing companies because the news Cable under Pacific Ocean was completed which made Associated Press sole news provider to the whole American continent.

On the whole, I enjoyed this story a lot. The different research elements appeals to me as I wish to both learn something and be entertained. A Dangerous Legacy is I highly recommend for fans of Elizabeth Camden’s other work and for readers of historical fiction in general.

My rating 4,5/5 stars
(All opinions in this review are my own)

About The Author

Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in gilded age America featuring clever heroines and richly layered storylines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Award, and she lives in Florida with her husband who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books.
To learn more about the author, visit http://elizabethcamden.com/

Book Review: The Spice King (Hope and Glory book 1) by Elizabeth Camden

Summary: The Spice King (Hope and Glory #1) by Elizabeth Camden

Gray Delacroix has dedicated his life to building his very successful global spice empire, but it has come at a cost. Resolved to salvage his family before it spirals out of control, he returns to his ancestral home to save his brother and sister before it's too late.

As a junior botanist for the Smithsonian, Annabelle Larkin has been charged with the impossible task of gaining access to the notoriously private Delacroix plant collection. If she fails, she will be out of a job and the family farm in Kansas will go under. She has no idea that in gaining entrance to the Delacroix world, she will unwittingly step into a web of dangerous political intrigue far beyond her experience.

Unable to deny her attraction to the reclusive business tycoon, Annabelle will be forced to choose between her heart and loyalty to her country. Can Gray and Annabelle find a way through the storm of scandal without destroying the family Gray is fighting to save?

Book Review: The Spice King (Hope and Glory #1) by Elizabeth Camden

This new series, set in Washington 1900, brings a brand new perspective to the genre as it focuses on spices and food production. The story is about young Smithsonian botanist Annabelle who tries to get access to the Delacroix private plant collection and to the owner himself, the reclusive Gray Delacroix.

The plot

I must say this plot developed in an unexpected way. The spice trade which I thought would be the main theme ended up being more of a backdrop, while the mystery part became the main plot. I really enjoyed this unexpected turn.

The characters

I really liked Annabelle and found her character to be well developed. I was impressed by her positive, light outlook on life whichever problem she faced. I enjoyed the glimpse into her thinking as she tried to deal with a very serious situation at the same time as Gray seemed to her to be in the center of the whole mess.

Gray I found to be a more business-driven person from the start of the story. Difficult to get to know. He seemed to like to keep to himself. However, I was pleased to see that he developed in a positive way throughout.

I felt really engaged in Annabelle’s sister Elaine’s situation. I felt for her as she tried to be independent in a new city.

The twins, Caroline and Luke irritated me as I felt they were spoilt, irresponsible and clueless around money.

My overall thoughts about  this book

At some point during this read I got so invested in the plot that I started suspecting every character of foul play. For me, that’s a sign I’m reading a good book.  I found the plot ever so slightly predictable, but it moved along quite nicely.

Fans of Camden’s work or readers of historical fiction in general will enjoy this story. I will be sure to read book #2 in this series and highly recommend you readers do the same.

Rating: 4,5 stars /5

(All opinions are my own)

About The Author

Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in gilded age America featuring clever heroines and richly layered storylines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Award, and she lives in Florida with her husband who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books
To learn more about the author, visit http://elizabethcamden.com/.

Book Review: Christmas at Whitefriars (Empire State book 3.5) by Elizabeth Camden

Summary: Christmas at Whitefriars (Empire State #3.5) by Elizabeth Camden

Mary Beckwith lives in a magnificent English castle during the twilight years of the gilded age. With the help of an American millionaire, she has succeeded in renovating her beloved Whitefriars castle into a splendid estate just in time for Christmas.

From across the ocean, millionaire Everett Wooten has spent a fortune propping up Whitefriars to add modern conveniences and rebuild crumbling old walls. Even though he’s never met Mary, they have enjoyed a lively business correspondence over the nine years they have been working toward a renovation. Now he has finally come to see Mary and the castle in person, but nothing is as he was led to believe.

Mary and Everett try to find a way forward, but red-blooded American entrepreneurship doesn’t always mingle with blue-blooded English tradition. Can a Manhattan business tycoon and an English lady come to an accord, or will their joint venture in Whitefriars result in heartbreak for them both?

Book Review: Christmas at Whitefriars (Empire State #3.5) by Elizabeth Camden

Mary Beckwith is trying to renovate Whitefriars castle, her childhood home. It’s a huge undertaking and she is trying to do it on her own with occasional advice and yearly allowance from American businessman Everett Wooten. The funding never seems to be enough and Mary plans to rent out rooms to earn extra money. She is working hard to get the rooms ready for the paying guests. Going through mail, she discovers that Mr Wooten is in York, an hour’s carriage ride from the castle, waiting to speak to her about a possible breach of contract with his luxury food supply company. He considers the taking in of paying guests to be destroying his company’s exclusive food label named Whitefriars.

In the running up to Christmas, Mary and her brother Colin Beckwith, goes to York to meet with Mr. Wooten. She finds it very challenging to go anywhere outside the castle grounds because of her anxiety disorder. Surprisingly she finds Mr. Wooten to be very understanding and supportive as she has an anxiety attack in the York hotel lobby. After the meeting, she invites him to Whitefriars to look at his investment and the state of the castle after nine years of renovation. He is unimpressed with his first impression of the castle and totally opposed to taking in paying guests.

Christmas is Mary’s favorite time of year because this is when her family comes from America for their once-a-year holiday. I am thrilled to be back in the Beckwith and Drake family universe which I got to know in The Empire State Series. I get to learn more about what has happened to them all since my last read. I enjoy the Christmas theme and the development of relationships, especially between Mary and Everett Wooten, but also between secondary characters.

Christmas at Whitefriars is highly recommended for fans of Elizabeth Camden’s works, especially for readers of The Empire State series. This story is also highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction.

My rating: 4 stars /5 
(All opinions in this review are my own)

About The Author

Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in gilded age America featuring clever heroines and richly layered storylines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Award, and she lives in Florida with her husband who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books. (Copied From Amazon)
To learn more about the author, visit http://elizabethcamden.com/