I’m always on the hunt for new authors to try. Today I wanted to introduce you to one I think you’ll love — especially if you love historical romance or the Gilded Age. Put them together and you have a winner.
When you hear the words “Secret Service,” what do you think? The men in suits strategically spaced around the President of the United States, right? Did you know that the original purpose of the Secret Service was to catch counterfeiters and thwart their schemes to make money at the cost of the nation’s economy? It would be more than three decades before the agency would protect their first president. When author Crystal Caudill first read a story and learned that fact, she became hooked on the fascinating history of the Secret Service. In fact, that fascination became the inspiration for her debut novel, Counterfeit Love, and she hopes her readers are lured in by the history as well.
Review: I love how this love of history appeared in the book. The author’s debut novel will take readers on a journey into the characters’ world in a way that touches your emotions. These characters are real and have challenges that we can relate with more than we would expect based on the fact its set during the Gilded Age. It’s easy to think there was a simpler time without the complexities of today. Setlle into this book and enjoy the journey. You’ll be glad you made it.
About the Book
Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves—or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he’s been sent to track down?
After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name–and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors’ threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn’t all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home–and the truth.
After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiancé is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career–but that’s better than failing her twice in one lifetime.
They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there’s no question they’re both still keeping secrets–and that lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.
Combining rich history, danger, suspense, and romance, Crystal Caudill’s debut novel launches this new historical series with a bang. Fans of Elizabeth Camden, Michelle Griep, and Joanna Davidson Politano will be thrilled to find another author to follow!
To read an excerpt of Counterfeit Love click here.
About the Author
Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance,” with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW. Counterfeit Love is her debut published novel.
Caudill says that reading and writing are part of her soul and have been since she first held a crayon. While she considered writing to be an escape from challenges and struggles and a way to keep her sanity, Caudill would come to recognize that God used it as a teaching tool. “The stories came through my fingertips, but they were marked with His fingerprints,” she shares.
Find out more at crystalcaudill.com or find her on Facebook (@crystalcaudillauthor) and Instagram (@crystalcaudillauthor). You can also join fellow readers in Crystal Caudill’s Reading Friends group on Facebook.