Love in Disguise was such an entertaining read! (CFBA)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Love in Disguise Bethany House Publishers (June 1, 2012) by Carol Cox

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Native Arizonan Carol Cox has an abiding love for history, mystery, and romance. The author of more than 25 books, she believes in the power of story to convey spiritual truths. Carol lives with her husband and daughter in northern Arizona, where deer and antelope really do play--within view of the family's front porch.

A word from Carol:

As a native of Arizona, I have a longtime interest in the Southwest and its history. My family shares my love of the Old West, as evidenced by this photo taken back in the halcyon days before my son turned to a life of crime and started robbing trains for a living...


ABOUT THE BOOK:

When costume-maker Ellie Moore suddenly finds herself out of a job in the middle of a bleak Chicago winter, she uses her knowledge of theatrical disguise to secure a position as an undercover operative with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Her assignment: find the culprit behind the theft of silver shipped from the mines near Pickford, Arizona.

Disguised as Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, Ellie begins her investigation. Soon she finds she must also pose as the dazzling young Jessie Monroe, whose vivacious personality encourages people to talk.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love in Disguise, go HERE.

MY REVIEW:

I am surprised I haven't read anything by Carol Cox before—seeing as she’s written somewhere around 30 books—but I'm glad I have finally had the opportunity. Love in Disguise was such an entertaining read! Not only was it an intriguing mystery, but the romance was sweet and how Ellie handles being two different people at once…well, it certainly kept my attention!

All her life Ellie Moore has grown up around the theater and when she suddenly finds that means of life gone, she manages to get hired as a detective! This was a bit of a stretch for me—Pinkerton Detective Agency hiring a complete newbie off the street—but Cox did do a very good job of making it believable. Ellie’s ability to morph into two different people had me cheering for her—what a hard game of charades to play for such a long time!

The romance between Steven and Ellie was really unique, in that he didn’t fall in love with Ellie to begin with. (Those who’ve read Love in Disguise know what I mean! ;-) The romance seemed a bit superficial. Steven seemed more taken with a pretty face then Ellie, but that might just be me.

The mystery was very well done. I kept trying to guess who the ring leader was but in the end, while I had a general idea, I couldn’t put a finger on it until the name was revealed. A nice surprise there—which is always a good thing when reading a mystery, in my opinion. All in all, I really enjoyed Love in Disguise and will be keeping an eye out for Cox’s books in the future.

I reviewed this book for the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. Thanks to the publishers, Bethany House, for sending me a review copy. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.