A Rumored Fortune

GIVEAWAY

POLITANO, JOANNA DAVIDSON
A RUMORED FORTUNE

Welcome to Trevelyan Castle, home of the poorest heiress in Victorian England.

Tressa Harlow's father kept his vast fortune hidden somewhere on his estate in the south of England and died suddenly, without telling anyone where he had concealed it. No Tressa and her ailing mother are left with a mansion and an immense vineyard and no money to runi ti.

It doesn't take long for a bevy of opportunites to flock to the estate under the guise of offering condolences. Tressa knows what they're really up to. She'll have to work with the rough and rusticated vineyard manager to keep the laborers content without pay and discover the key to finding her father's fortune -- before someone else finds it first.

My Review:

SQQQQEEEEPPPPP!!!!! Sorry for the shattered eardrums but this book is worthy of the combined squealing and eeeping hullaboo I reserve for a sacred few exceptional novels. I'm still all shivery delight as I think back on this story.

Mainly because of the distinctive Gothic style. It creeps in on the very first page and continues on right to the end. A heroine in peril. A hero with secrets. A sinister pall casting dark shadows over Trevelyan Castle. And so many characters with nefarious purposes. An absolute page-turner!

And exquisitely told! So beautifully written that it begs to be read aloud. The kind of words you want to savor -- so much so that sometimes I'd read a passage over again just to let it sink into my bookish soul! .

And then there's Donegan Vance. Just typing his name sends me into a swooning tailspin! Wooooeeeeee! So mysterious and austere. But unexpectedly kind. Stalwart. Tortured. This is one complex man. Drawn to Tressa Harlowe even though he finds his fascination 'utterly absurd'. They come from different worlds. She's the princess of the castle. He's a lowly servant.

"No matter if she was intelligent and interesting, passionate and spirited, beautiful and bewitching to the extreme. She could be everything he'd ever hoped to find, but it mattered little if he was nothing of what she sought for herself." (p 164)

Tressa is the classical Gothic heroine. Reduced circumstances. A mystery to solve. Encroaching danger. Surrounded by people more intent on harming her than helping her. And who can she trust? My tummy jumbled up in knots over some of the decisions she made. I became an anxiety-addled reader! The only thing that soothed my taut nerves was the knowledge that Donegan was just a page or two away. :-)

And, oh goodness, their banter! Barbed words followed by tender ones. Passion vying with wry amusement. Completely, utterly delicious. Every. Single. Word.

And the piece de resistance is the inspirational thread expertly woven throughout as the author uses the vineyard as a metaphor for God's love....blew me away!

"Finally she spoke. "I can only take so much pruning," she whispered. "Why is God doing this to me? He's...he's pruning the very life out of me."

"No, he's bringing you to life. It takes a harsh summer to yield abundance in the vineyards. Perhaps this is your summer." (p 281)

Enchanting and captivating and just plain old really, really good!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Rumored Fortune, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday November 18 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!