Welcome to Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd Scavenger Blog Hunt with an awesome giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! On each stop, there will be:
- special content by the blogger, plus
- a clue
- then head back to the launch post on JustRead or straight to the main crossword puzzle to fill in the words and get the special phrase to enter the giveaway!
Before we begin, there’s a bit about Lady of a Thousand Treasures.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Lady of a Thousand Treasures
Series: Victorian Ladies, Book 1
Author: Sandra Byrd
Publisher: Tyndale House
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Historical/Gothic Romance
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.
PURCHASE: Goodreads | Amazon | iTunes | Christian Book | Book Depository | Books-A-Million
MY IMPRESSIONS:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21) — this verse kept running through my mind as I read the newest historical romance/mystery by Sandra Byrd. As I have come to expect from this talented author, Lady of A Thousand Treasures, is outstanding! Set in the Victorian-era, this novel uses as its premise the collecting-fever of the monied men and women of the time. The historic details whisk you back to the resplendent drawing rooms displaying the artifacts of ancient civilizations and priceless art, while also exposing the downtrodden poor that the rich sought to ignore. I loved this complexly crafted work and highly recommend it.
Eleanor Sheffield struggles to keep her late father’s valuating business afloat despite the dwindling commissions of patrons and the infirmity of her uncle. Her entire life has been dedicated to examining and valuing treasures — Roman coins, glassware, pottery, etc. — but a woman of her time is expected to take second place to father or husband. Given a challenging task by her childhood friend’s deceased father, she endeavors to act in a just manner, but there are many foes known and unknown that are acting against her.
Lady of A Thousand Treasures has an air of mystery from the outset. Indeed, there are a number of puzzling circumstances that Eleanor encounters. She is doggedly determined to meet every challenge, a trait that is both admirable and foolish. Her pride in her strength and self-sufficiency leads her to trouble time and time again. The novel is told in the first person, and the reader gets a genuine look into Eleanor’s motives and thoughts. She holds nothing back. Her take on those around her is not always accurate, but enough is shared for the reader to come to his/her own conclusions. I found myself questioning all who Eleanor encounters. Even her lifelong friend (and true love) is open to doubt. Attention to historic detail gives this book a great deal of authenticity. The scenes involving life in prison are particularly eye-opening. Eleanor’s faith is tested throughout the novel, and she sometimes wavers in her trust in God’s goodness and provision. I found that made Eleanor even more real and relatable. Her feeling of being un-treasured touched my heart. Her assertion that “I am no one’s treasure” truly struck a chord.
Lady of A Thousand Treasures is a treasure of its own. A beautifully written book, it will keep you enthralled until the very last page is turned. I was sorry to have to leave Eleanor’s world. I know this story will stay with me for quite a long time.
Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to Just Read Tours and Tyndale for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published fifty books.
Sandra’s delighted to kick off her new historical romance series with Tyndale House Publishers, Victorian Ladies, with Lady of a Thousand Treasures. The three-book Victorian Ladies series follows her historically sound Gothic romances, Daughters of Hampshire, launched with the bestselling 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, was published in 2017. Check out 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.
Sandra has published dozens of books for kids, tweens, and teens, including the bestselling The One Year Be-Tween You and God Devotions for Girls. She continued her work as a devotionalist, with The One Year Home and Garden Devotions, and The One Year Experiencing God’s Love Devotional.
Please visit www.sandrabyrd.com to learn more or to invite Sandra to your book club via Skype.
CONTACT: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
SCAVENGER HUNT CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Instructions: Head to every stop on the tour to collect a word to finish the crossword puzzle. Hint: You might want to print out the crossword puzzle (link below) and enter it everyday to make it easier.
Crossword Board: https://crosswordlabs.com/view/lady-of-a-thousand-treasures-scavenger-hunt
Not a crossword puzzle fan? Just compile the clue words from each stop and enter it on the Rafflecopter entry.
This stop’s CLUE is: Your
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive:
- a copy of Lady of a Thousand Treasures (print to US addresses OR ebook to international)
- Cork coaster set of the British Isles (US Only)
- “To The Lighthouse” diffuser made by Seawitch Candles in Cornwall, England. (US Only)
- $10 Amazon gift card (open international)
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Entry form will be live on the 19th once all clues are revealed. Clues for giveaway will begin at midnight October 15, 2018. Entries are opened at midnight on October 19, 2018 and lasts through 11:59pm October 22, 2018. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.Void where prohibited by law.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
ENTER HERE
Be sure to stop on every stop on the Tour Schedule for all the clues to enter!
TOUR SCHEDULE
(All stops expected to post by 12:00 NOON EST)
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Love your review! And, I really loved this book.