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 fiancé 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.

Combining rich history, danger, suspense, and romance, Crystal Caudill’s debut novel launches this new historical series with a bang. Fans of Elizabeth Camden, Michelle Griep, and Joanna Davidson Politano will be thrilled to find another author to follow!

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To read an excerpt of Counterfeit Love click here.

Review

This novel encompasses several genres that I enjoy reading: mystery, historical, romance, and Christian. All of these facets are wound together to create this enticing tale of a strong woman that isn’t afraid to go after what she wants no matter who stands in her way.

Theresa is a plucky young woman and I admire her courage and strength to continue with her life despite those that hold her back. She senses that her fiance, Edward, isn’t the right man for her and she is right for so many reasons. I won’t share those because it would give away too much of the plot. She also still loves Broderick despite his pigheadedness but he just might be the right man for her.

I loved the time period and the mystery of who is counterfeiting currency. There are so many possibilities and one of my suspicions held true. I love how the Secret Service is investigating this crime and has several people undercover to infiltrate the ring. However, there is one agent, Darlington, that is sent in to help speed things along that nearly blows it for everyone. It doesn’t help that he is abrupt, rude, and suspects Theresa of being the engraver.

Theresa and Broderick struggle with many things throughout this book from faith, trust, respect, and finding the truth. They are both given nudges along the way to find their way back to each other and to God.

This book is gritty and gets right into the trenches with the criminals, brothels, saloons, and so much more. But it adds to the richness of the background, characters, and storyline. I wouldn’t expect anything less and was glad to see that the author wasn’t afraid to show the seedy side of the times.

There were times when I read this book when I wondered if this was the 2nd book in a series because of the discussions about Theresa and Broderick’s past. It felt like this should have been a second book but it is not. However, it did not detract from the story and the author does a good job of explaining their past with each other.

Overall, we give this 4 paws up and look forward to reading more from this debut author.

About the Author

Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance,” with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW. Counterfeit Love is her debut published novel.

Caudill says that reading and writing are part of her soul and have been since she first held a crayon. While she considered writing to be an escape from challenges and struggles and a way to keep her sanity, Caudill would come to recognize that God used it as a teaching tool. “The stories came through my fingertips, but they were marked with His fingerprints,” she shares.

As she delved into history and crafted her own stories of hope through danger, Caudill would answer the call to pursue writing as a career after her first writer’s conference. “My stories are still filled with danger, struggle, and history, but they are also permeated with the hope and love of Christ. I hope they are dangerously good. Good for the heart and for the soul.”

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.

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