Hearts of Steel - Elizabeth Camden

 


In this continuation of the Blackstone Legacy, we meet Maggie Moriano, a woman driven by her fear of falling back into poverty, and who pinches every penny to turn her ice cream business into a success.  She is on her way, until she makes a personal enemy of Charles Morse, both by calling him out on his underhanded dealings and by forging a relationship with Liam Blackstone.  Maggie and her fellow Garsden Street business owners become collateral damage in the war between the greedy, immoral capitalist Morse and the undereducated but people-focused Liam.

Elizabeth Camden once again delivers a story of an interesting and undertold slice of history.  In fictionalizing the plight of good people working hard, only to be felled by unregulated monopolies and loose laws and corrupt systems, she forces the reader to consider lines and boundaries of profits versus charity and justice versus revenge.  The characters demonstrate repeatedly that the quick solution isn't always the best solution, and that sometimes self sacrifice is required to make the world better for everyone.

4 stars.
I do wish we'd seen more of previous books' characters.  Although they make appearances, it would be nice to feel that we were still following the larger story of those we'd previously met in this fictional journey.

You can find Hearts of Steel HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

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

The Prince of Spies - Elizabeth Camden

 

In this conclusion to the Hope and Glory series, Luke Delacroix has returned from Cuba and while trying to regain his health and strength, he is determined to take down the congressman who has been his family's nemesis for years - Clyde Magruder.  However, when he meets Marianne Magruder, the congressman's daughter, his agenda becomes cloudy.  Can he find a way to pursue his goals of food safety, without harming the woman he is falling in love with?

The Prince of Spies was a very satisfying conclusion to this series.  I loved how different each sibling's story was, yet how they fit together as a family.  Besides the intriguing background of the regulations regarding food safety, it was super interesting to read about the planning and development of the National Mall.  I don't think I've read anything else set in DC during this time period, and I really enjoyed it.

I give this book 4 stars.  Elizabeth Camden has a knack for unusual storylines, and this was another one done well.

You can find A Prince of Spies HERE.
You can find the author HERE.

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

A Gilded Lady - Elizabeth Camden

In this second installment of the Hope and Glory series, we get to revisit the Delacroix family, this time with the focus on Caroline Delacroix, as she serves as secretary to the First Lady, Ida McKinley.  While she is hoping to solidify her political connections in order to request a presidential pardon for her twin brother Luke, Nathaniel Trask is working to solidify security surrounding the president. 

I really enjoyed this view of William McKinley's presidency, and I appreciated the historical notes included by the author to clarify which parts of the story were historically accurate.  I did find myself tempted to Google the event that I knew was coming, to see when/where it was going to happen, but I resisted in order to let the novel's suspense build at its own pace. 

Caroline was a complicated character, and it was interesting to watch her internal processes as she tried to balance a difficult First Lady, a potential relationship with a guarded man, and the drama of her twin brother in a Cuban prison.  The peek into White House life, and the picture of political life and the delicate dance it requires was fascinating. 

I give this book 4 stars.  I am looking forward to continuing this family's story, and learning more about Luke in the third installment to come!

You can find A Guilded Lady HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

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

The Spice King - Elizabeth Camden

Annabelle Larkin has traveled to Washington D.C. to give her sister, Elaine, a chance to find purpose in her life as a blind woman.  She's been given a temporary job with the Smithsonian, with the understanding that if she can convince Gray Delacroix to give up some of his botanical secrets, there may be a more permanent position in store for her.  Gray Delacroix, while reluctant to give anything away for free, and especially reluctant to give anything to the government, finds himself drawn to Annabelle.  When Annabelle is required to search out more than botanical secrets, will she choose Gray or her country? 

I have always enjoyed Elizabeth Camden's penchant for uniquely employed heroines that give an unusual look into her particular periods of history.  Annabelle is no exception; as a botanist working within the Smithsonian and then the Department of Agriculture, the reader is given a peek into the period of time where food additives were not monitored by the government.  I found this setting to be very intriguing and the interplay between Gray's world of food production and the government's growing interest in food safety was an engaging setting for a novel.  The side stories were woven into the larger picture fairly seamlessly, and I am looking forward to finding out how those play out as this series continues!

I give this book 4 stars.  I enjoyed the characters, and I enjoyed the perspective from this view of history.

You can find The Spice King HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

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

A Desperate Hope - Elizabeth Camden

In this third installment of the Empire State Series, Eloise Drake is tasked with assigning worth to all of the buildings and properties in the town of Duval Springs.  The town that she used to watch from afar, from the home of her guardian; the town whose current mayor, Alex Duval, was the recipient of more than her heart when she was only 16.  Alex, as mayor and descendant of the town's founding family, is desperately trying to keep his town, his family, and his family's legacy from being wiped off the map to make room to provide water for the people of New York.  Can Eloise follow her mathematical brain and keep her heart out of this job? What choices does Alex have to help provide for those who depend on him and look to him for leadership?

I was excited to read this continuation of the series; I enjoyed the character of Rosalind Werner in A Daring Venture, and I felt myself grow angry on behalf of the town that was going to be wiped out for the needs of the big city.  The solution that the town came up with was creative and risky, and I loved watching the town and the state workers come together to put it in action.  Eloise's character held so much promise.  As one of only six female CPAs in the state of New  York, her drive and love of math and logic appealed to me, and I was interested to see how that played out when she came back into the life of her childhood love. However, I found her changes of heart to be fickle, as she was courting one man while intending to return to a life that didn't include him. While I can understand her being unsure of what she really wanted, versus what appeared best for her, it seemed out of character to be misleading someone who cared for her. 

I also struggled to fit the pieces of the saboteur mystery into the story; when the culprit was named and the reason discovered, I felt like I'd missed something along the way.  It left that plot line feeling disjointed, and was a strange way to wrap up a story that was compelling enough to stand on its own - that of the town coming together to find a way to hope in the face of impending disaster.

I give this book 3 stars; I love Elizabeth Camden's intelligent, ground-breaking, female characters, but I didn't enjoy that, in this case, Eloise's brain became a bit secondary to her love interests.  I was fascinated by the idea of the reservoir displacing a town, though, and I wish a bit more of the true story would have woven its way into the novel.

You can find A Desperate Hope HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

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

A Daring Venture - Elizabeth Camden

Trying to escape the rumors of her past that caused her to return to America from Germany, Dr. Rosalind Werner is working alongside Dr. Leal strinving to eradicate cholera and other waterborn diseases by proving that water clorination is effective and safe.  Encountering opposition, but given a 90-day window to persuade the judge, Rosalind meets with Nick Drake, an outspoken former plumber turned millionaire who is trying to convince the city that another expensive water filtration plant is the right way to go and that he should be one of three commissioners in charge of New York's water systerm.  With 90 days to come to a resolution, can Rosalind and Nick come to an agreement on what's best? For water systems and their futures?

Water quality is something we take very much for granted in this day and age in our country.  We don't think twice about running a glass of water out of the tap, or having functioning bathrooms, unless there's a problem.  Even then, there's usually a relatively quick and easy solution.  So the premise of this book, the battle over chemical aids to eliminate raging disease through large cities, was intriguing.  According to the author's note, Dr. Leal (and George Fuller) were "real life heroes who implemented the first chlorine feed system in the world."  Even though Rosalind was not a historical figure, I loved the inclusion of a female biochemist, who earned a legitimate degree through back channels in Germany.  Additionally, the novel included a female CPA who looks to be the main character in the 3rd installment of this series. 

I do wish I had read the first book, as it seems that would have given more insight into the feud between Nick and his sister against his Aunt Margaret upon their Uncle Thomas's death.  It might also have helped to round out Nick's character, as I found him a contradiction - a humble plumber who's inherited millions - he's happy to throw his money whever his passions and heart lead him, but he's desperate to fit into the rich people's world, forcing himself to try caviar, making his 3-year-old daughter wear silks and fancy shoes for every occasion.  Also, why does he hate the outdoors?  Without more background for him, I found him a difficult character to like, and the relationship between Nick and Rosalind ran so hot and cold, with no real development, that while I wanted Rosalind to successfully rise above the rumors and destruction of her reputation, I would have been just as happy for another character to come along for her to end up with.  Poor Rosalind was surrounded by unsettling characters; why does her sister-in-law hate her so much?  What else was going on with her Doctor Clean situation that they pushed her out so easily?  How did Rosalind manage to keep plugging along in life when it seemed she had no real support from anyone?

I give this book 3 stars; the purification of water and the creation of large reservoirs was not something I'd read about previously, and I found it interesting; however, the characters left too many questions for me to really care about them.

You can find A Daring Adventure HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

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