by Sandra Byrd
Publisher: Tyndale
ISBN: 978-1496426833
I feel like life has been so busy lately that I've had very little time to do one of my favorite hobbies...read! I think we can all agree that's a travesty. Thankfully, I was chosen to be part of Sandra Byrd's Influencer Team to help kick off the release of her newest book, "Lady of a Thousand Treasures." I was bummed that I was out of the country when her book officially released! On the other hand it was fantastic to see all of the great reviews she's been receiving. I was finally able to finish Lady of a Thousand Treasures after stealing bits of free time here and there!
Summary:
Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.
The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry—the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.
Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.
With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust—who in her life is false or true, brass or gold—and what is meant to be treasured.
My Review:
I love a good historical novel. When I read one with as much detail as Lady of a Thousand Treasures, I fall in love and get lost in the story! Not sure about you, but I adore antiques. They're such a tangible connection to the past. Author, Sandra Byrd, paid so much attention to the details, I figured she must've earned a degree in antiques! Is there such a thing? lol
The story starts off with Eleanor Sheffield learning that she has a huge decision to make. One that will make a difference in the life of the man she once hoped to be betrothed to. Have you ever thought you knew what was right and true, but then everything around you was pointing you in a different direction? That's what Ellie had to deal with throughout her decision making! That's a lot of pressure for a woman who's trying to keep her family's antique business running!
Unfortunately for Ellie, making the decision about the collection isn't the only pressure she has. A man who was brought in to help with the business seems to have an interest in Eleanor and seems to want to help keep the company afloat. Poor Eleanor has so much going on, how she's able to keep on top of everything seems impossible.
Sadly things start to come apart as we dive deeper into the story. No one seems to be who they claim to be. Thankfully Ellie has a couple of people in her life who are on her side who, without question, are for her! That doesn't help her world from crashing down around her as she tries her best to keep it all together!
Lady of a Thousand Treasures will have you hoping for the best in people, but finding out they're not always who they claim to be. God is always who He claims to be and unlike the people in the story, we see how faithful he is to Eleanor. Why does life have to be so difficult? Eleanor seems to wonder the same thing. For all of her trying and doing things on her own, nothing appears to go right. When God isn't in control and we're not letting others into our lives to help, things tend to take a turn for the worse. Seeking God and sharing burdens with others typically gives a better outcome. Read this book and see for yourself!
About the Author:
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published fifty books.
Sandra's delighted to kick off her new historical romance series with Tyndale House Publishers, Victorian Ladies, with Lady of a Thousand Treasures. The three-book Victorian Ladies series follows her historically sound Gothic romances, Daughters of Hampshire, launched with the bestselling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor's Choice award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, was published in 2017. Check out her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, which was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2011, and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012.
Sandra has published dozens of books for kids, tweens, and teens, including the bestselling The One Year Be-Tween You and God Devotions for Girls. She continued her work as a devotionalist, with The One Year Home and Garden Devotions, and The One Year Experiencing God's Love Devotional.
Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype.
