"I sometimes find that Americans treat apologies too carelessly, which gives them permission to drag out old offenses when convenient. That should never happen once a apology is accepted. The offense is in the past. The rift is mended. It will not be brought up again." - Ryan Gallagher
Description:
It has been six years since army nurse Jenny Bennett's heart was broken by a dashing naval officer. Now Lieutenant Ryan Gallagher has abruptly reappeared in her life at the Presidio army base but refuses to discuss the inexplicable behavior that destroyed their happiness.
Ryan is in an impossible situation. One of the few men in the world qualified to carry out a daring assignment, he accepted a government mission overseas that caused his reputation to be destroyed and broke the heart of the only woman he ever loved. Honor bound never to reveal where he had been during those six years, he can't tell Jenny the truth or it will endanger an ongoing mission and put thousands of lives at risk.
Although Ryan thinks he may have finally found a solution, he can't pull it off on his own. Loyalty to her country compels Jenny to help, but she never could have imagined the intrigue she and Ryan will have to face or the lengths to which they will have to go to succeed.
Ryan is in an impossible situation. One of the few men in the world qualified to carry out a daring assignment, he accepted a government mission overseas that caused his reputation to be destroyed and broke the heart of the only woman he ever loved. Honor bound never to reveal where he had been during those six years, he can't tell Jenny the truth or it will endanger an ongoing mission and put thousands of lives at risk.
Although Ryan thinks he may have finally found a solution, he can't pull it off on his own. Loyalty to her country compels Jenny to help, but she never could have imagined the intrigue she and Ryan will have to face or the lengths to which they will have to go to succeed.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Camden is a research librarian at a small college in central Florida. Her novels have won the coveted RITA and Christy Awards. She has published several articles for academic publications and is the author of four nonfiction history books. Her ongoing fascination with history and love of literature have led her to write inspirational fiction. Elizabeth lives with her husband near Orlando, Florida.She regularly posts about the joys of the book world at http://elizabethcamden.com/blog
My Review: 4 stars
I always look forward to reading Ms. Camden’s books and this one is no exception! Her characters are always so unique and I love how her stories manage to both entertain and teach me. Prior to stumbling across her books, I doubt I would’ve read about opium addiction, or watchmakers in Chicago, or magazine illustrators, or librarians for the Library of Congress, or tuberculosis studies, or pearl farming, or the other curious things she writes about. And I love that! I love the adventures I find between the covers. It’s almost always something unexpected, but that completely works. This story drew me in from chapter one and rarely slowed! I just had to know how everything would work out!
As always, Ms. Camden’s writing was excellent! Her details and descriptions, and the amount of research I’m sure went into this story make it so authentic. I loved the bit of mystique surround Ryan and his past, and fell in love with sweet Lily. There aren’t many heroes whose main trait is kindness, but that seemed to be Ryan’s. He is so kind, but there’s an inner strength and moral compass that guides everything he does. I confess that I struggled a bit with Jenny’s character at first. She isn’t exactly the most lovable lady, especially in her interactions with Ryan, though I couldn’t really blame her, either. One of my favorite things was seeing the relationship between them change and slowly grow, as Jenny learned how to truly forgive.
My only negative comment is that I felt the suspense moments were thrown in rather haphazardly and the story would’ve been fine without them. They didn’t really drive the story much and seemed more afterthoughts. And I do love a good suspense novel, but this one was great as just a romance. So ignoring those, I really enjoyed this book and getting to spend time with some unique characters and their equally quirky friends.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for my complimentary copy of this book! I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Once again, thank you for stopping by! I hope you feel your time has been well spent!
Now, I have a question for you: do you agree with the quote at the top of the page? Because it really hit my heart and I'm curious as to whether anyone else feels the same.
As always, links are below!
Have a great (hopefully) spring day!
Agreed! She always has interesting topics in her books. I was especially intrigued by the pearl farm!
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