Lady Of A Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

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:

Lady Of A Thousand Treasures is the first book in a new series by Sandra Byrd called, The Victorian Ladies and let me just say - Wow!! What a fantastic book!!! I absolutely LOVED Lady Of A Thousand Treasures!!  Byrd has written a terrific faith-filled story chock full of romance, mystery, and suspense.  This is Christian fiction at its very best!!

Eleanor is a strong and smart woman who knows her antiquities.  Her father and uncle have a business that sources antiquities for the noble class - Sheffield Brothers.  However, after her father passes away and she learns of her uncle's early onset dementia, Eleanor is tasked with taking over the reigns of the family business.  Except, its the Victorian era and that means women can't run a business on their own (specifically, unmarried women).  Yikes! What's Eleanor to do? Especially, when she learns that she is at risk of losing her family home - bills haven't been paid and time is up! Talk about major problems to deal with, eh? Well, throw in a new client who has requested that Eleanor handle the remains of his estate - meaning, donate the items to a museum or pass them to the man who broke her heart?! Whoa, Nelly!?  Eleanor is is major need of some breathing room.  So many huge decisions to make and so little time to handle it all.  What's a gal to do?

Byrd has created a wonderful tale about a woman on the verge of discovering what she is truly made of, all the while dealing with a society that doesn't want her to be anything but subservient.  The writing is top notch and filled with amazingly vivid and authentic details about the Victorian era - the people, the culture, the customs, etc..  The characters are fascinating to read about and finding out how their stories will unfold is icing on the cake - you can't help but root for Eleanor.  And the story itself is unputdownable.  You won't want to miss one word of it!

I would happily recommend Lady Of A Thousand Treasures to fans of Sandra Byrd and anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Lady of a Thousand Treasures

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!