Tyndale House Publishers
Hardcover, Paperback, & eBook; 480 Pages
Series: The Victorian Ladies Series, #1
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
Synopsis
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 Thoughts
With Lady of a Thousand Treasures, Sandra Byrd has successfully launched her new series, The Victorian Ladies. This first book delves into the male-dominated world of Victorian antiquities and one woman’s determination to succeed in it.
Named as trustee of the late Baron Lydney’s collection, Eleanor Sheffield is undecided whether he is acknowledging her expertise as an appraiser or playing a cruel joke from beyond the grave, as it brings the man who broke her heart back into her life. Despite her past relationship with Harry, Eleanor has vowed to deal fairly with the task she has accepted, even when she is pressured by her employee and various collectors to donate the entire collection to a museum.
With a business in danger of failing, a sick uncle in need of care, missing pieces and creditors knocking on her door, Eleanor has many obstacles to overcome, but the one she struggles with the most is the rekindling of her feelings for Harry and whether the rumours about him are true. When a death occurs and she also crosses paths with antiquity thieves, her life takes a sinister turn and she finds herself relying on the one who let her down in the past.
With Eleanor being a no nonsense heroine and Harry equally sensible, it was easy to like them both. Theirs is a sweet and engaging romance that slowly rekindles amid the trials and tribulations Eleanor encounters in her efforts to save the family business. Numerous plot twists keep the drama alive and reveal how Eleanor finally gains the respect and admiration of her peers.
The sacrifice that Harry makes on Eleanor's behalf reveals the depth of his feelings for her and leads, in turn, to a bargain Eleanor strikes with a collector. The outcome is a very emotional ending to the story, but a most satisfactory one.
I enjoyed this foray into the world of Victorian antiquities through my first ever Sandra Byrd novel and look forward to the next in the series.
Lady of a Thousand Treasures is available from Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound
About the Author
Sandra’s series of historically sound Gothic romances launched with the best-selling 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, published in 2017 and was named by the American Library Association’s Booklist as one of the Top Ten Inspirational Fiction books of the year.
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.
Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype. You can also connect with Sandra on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
Blog Tour Schedule
Tuesday, October 9: Review at Pursuing Stacie /Review and interview at Clarissa Reads it All
Wednesday, October 10: Review at Faery Tales Are Real
Thursday, October 11: Review at A Bookish Affair /Feature at Naomi Finley's Blog
Friday, October 12: Review at Donna's Book Blog
Monday, October 15: Feature at The Lit Bitch /Review at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Tuesday, October 16: Feature at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots
Wednesday, October 17: Reviews at Among the Reads and Ageless Pages Reviews
Thursday, October 18: Review at A Darn Good Read
Friday, October 19: Review at Jorie Loves a Story
Monday, October 22: Review at History From a Woman's Perspective
Tuesday, October 23: Review at Locks, Hooks and Books
Wednesday, October 24: Review at Library of Clean Reads
Thursday, October 25: Feature at Let Them Read Books
Friday, October 26: Interview at Among the Reads
Monday, October 29: Review at Maiden of the Pages
Tuesday, October 30: Review at A Chick Who Reads
Thursday, November 1: Reviews at Bibliophile Reviews and CelticLady's Reviews
Friday, November 2: Feature at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, November 6: Feature at Hisdoryan
Wednesday, November 7: Reviews at The Book Mind and LadyJ's Bookish Nook
Friday, November 9: Interview at Jorie Loves a Story
Giveaway (US and Canada Only)
During the Blog Tour 5 copies of Lady of a Thousand Treasures will be given away. To enter, please use the Gleam form.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on November 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US & Canada residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Thank you so much for featuring the book, and for your lovely review!!
ReplyDeleteVery happy to have had the opportunity to read one of your books. Thank you.
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