The Love Note - Joanna Davidson Politano

From christianbook.com:
"In this Victorian romantic mystery, finding an unopened love letter in her writing desk sends Willa Duvall on a compulsive hunt to track down its author and the intended recipient. Her new position at Crestwicke Manor offers enticing clues but no real information. Will she be able to locate the pair and reunite them?"

The backcover summary of this book does it little justice; this story is so much bigger than a simple mystery of reuniting a letter with its intended recipient.  Instead, this letter weaves its way through an entire household, igniting hope, sparking new loves, and fanning the flames of old relationships.  The note not only creates new confidence and the possibility of being loved with such passion as the note infers, it opens the eyes of the men perceived as the potential senders to a new way of loving.  While not every character whose heart is touched by the letter is expounded upon, the reader is left with the lovely feeling that Crestwicke Manor has taken on new life and new loves that will leave it forever changed.

"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance;

to seek him the greatest adventure,

to find him, the greatest human achievement."

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Perhaps even better than the romantic possibilities brought on by the wayward letter, is the discovery of love and healing that goes beyond romance.  The entirety of the book points to the right kind of love, God's love, even as modeled by imperfect humans, but mostly in knowing that true love doesn't hinder or seek to change, but rather seeks to set one free in the knowledge that he or she is loved exactly for who they are.

I give this book 5 stars.  This may be my favorite read of 2020 so far.  I have loved every book by this author I've read so far, and this one was even better than anticipated.

You can find The Love Note HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Finding Lady Enderly - Joanna Davidson Politano

Raina Bretton, more commonly called "Ragna" in her position as a rag lady, is swept off the streets with a mysterious promise of high wages and a beautiful manor, and told she's under no obligation to stay.  That promise, however, is a lie, and Raina finds herself impersonating Lady Enderly in a ruse she doesn't understand and isn't allowed to compromise.  Complicating the trap is her best friend, and hopefully more, Sully, who has kept her safe and sane in her rough life thus far; Sully's life is in danger if Raina chooses to be less than compliant in this charade she willingly, yet naively, became a part of.

There were so many layers to this book, I hardly know where to begin!  There was the mystery - who is the real Countess, and what happened to her?  There's the dangerous element - what will Victor do if Raina slips?  There's the moral dilemma - Raina knows it's wrong to deceive the people around her, but how else is she to protect Sully, and what if she can use this position for good?  There are the characters whom Raina befriends, whether by choice - Lady Remington and Bradford the butler, or by necessity - Cousin Phillip and the Earl.  There's also the softer side - the literary romantic communication between Sully and Raina through carefully collected book quotations coded in secret to slowly reveal their feelings towards each other.

The people and the mysteries in this story were woven so well together that this was a truly enjoyable read.  Victor was despicable, yet time and again Raina managed to rise above the circumstances and bring joy and change to the people around her that would be longer lasting than the temporary control that Victor was attempting to wrangle.  I loved that even wile trying to be the Countess, Raina couldn't help but see the best in those around her and to try to use her strange situation to help where she could.  The power and position could have gotten a hold on her, and she could have fallen into the same traps as Victor, but she didn't.  And no matter how conflicted she felt in her relationship to God due to the role she was playing, only He could have been working through her to bring such kindness and change.

In the end, I really liked how the book resolved not without consequence for bad choices, but by showing that God can even use those choices and consequences for good.  I give this book 5 stars; this is the second Joanna Davidson Politano book I've read, and as long as she keeps writing, it won't be my last!

You can find Lady Enderly HERE.
You can find the author's site HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

A Rumored Fortune - Joanna Davidson Politano

Tressa Harlowe has returned to her home, Trevalyan Castle, upon her father's summons.  Only, it wasn't her father who summoned her; he is believed to be dead, and his wife and daughter must take over the castle and vineyards.  However, the only money to run their lands and pay their workers with is that of the mysterious fortune that Tressa's father was believed to have hidden to keep it safe from greedy family members and fortune hunters - many of whom have now turned up at her door to seek.  Tressa's relationship with her father was mostly one-sided, with her following him around and taking in the vineyard's beauty and his teaching, yet with him keeping his emotional distance and refusing to give her any hints as to where he might have hidden the family fortune.  With time running out to pay those who are demanding their wages, can Tressa trust anyone to help her piece together the scant clues her memories and the house might hold?  What of Donegan Vance, the mysterious field manager who showed up claiming he'd been hired by her father?  Does he have ulterior motives? Is he as honest as he seems to be?

John 15:5 (NIV)

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

What a delightful surprise this book was!  How could you not love Tressa, with her wounded little-girl heart, and her penchant for running barefoot across the vineyards?  My heart ached for her as those around her not only literally betrayed her, but also wanted her to betray the very essence that God gave her - her loyalty, her colorfulness, and her desire to be loved.  Yet in those betrayals, she was pruned back to the only Vine which could sustain her, and in Him she found abundance.

This was probably the best Christian fiction mystery I have read in a long time; it was well done with enough twists to keep you guessing, yet everything lined up logically in the end.  You could see how the actions of those around her would leave Tressa not knowing whom she could trust.  With all of the pointing fingers and greedy grasping hands, it's no wonder she misplaced her trust now and then.  Once she realized there was only One whom she could trust, her true path became much clearer.

I give this book 5 stars.  This was my first book by this author, but it most certainly won't be my last!  I am already looking forward to the book that was teased at the end of this one.  I only wish that I could hear more of how Tressa's life turns out from here!

You can find A Rumored Fortune HERE and HERE (This e-book version is currently only 79 cents! Check price before buying, as Amazon prices fluctuate frequently).
You can find the author's site HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.