Page-Turning Romance and Intrigue in Award-Winning Author’s Next Historical Novel Lucy Drake’s mastery of Morse code has made her a valuable asset to the American news agencies as a telegrapher. But the sudden arrival of Sir Colin Beckwith at rival British news agency Reuters puts her hard-earned livelihood at risk. Newly arrived from London, Colin is talented, handsome, and insufferably charming. insufferably charming.
Despite their rivalry, Lucy realizes Colin’s connections could be just what her family needs to turn the tide of their long legal battle over the fortune they were swindled out of forty years ago. When she negotiates an unlikely alliance with him, neither of them realizes how far the web of treachery they’re wading into will take them.
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A very good read that includes details about the young AP competing with well-established Reuters, the first transpacific telegraph cable, and plumbing valves that allow water to travel up into multi-story buildings. Overall I enjoyed this book very much. The interactions between the two main characters included some great moments, but I wish Nick had been a bigger part of the story throughout. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but I think a couple of times when Lucy was necessarily sidelined, the story would have been stronger if Nick had been put into action.
That aside, history is fit well into the story, giving readers insight into life a hundred and twenty years ago. Twists and turns kept me guessing for a bit, and then a final twist surprised me but was plausible. If you like mystery or suspense that includes a light romance, this is a good choice.
At the 50% mark, I’m stopping listening to this book. I think the author’s writing is good, and at this point I think I’ve a couple of her books that I’ve purchased that I’ll attempt to read, but I will not finish this one. I am a PTSD sufferer, and just listened to a gruesome treatment plan described for some suffering the equivalent of PTSD. I’m not sure what it was called in the Progressive era (setting of this book), but I do not want to pursue listening to this book due to certain triggers I have.
I’m very disappointed in the half of the book I’ve read. Since it is published as a Christian romance, there were certain expectations I had when I purchased it. I am disappointed that the main female character engaged in illegal wire tapping and bribery. She is supposedly the Christian character in this story—makes it hard to believe she’s devoted to her faith in God. The male lead was a Lothario. While no mention was made he had any faith in God, he was clearly searching for a wealthy woman to marry so he could use her fortune to repair his crumbing English manor. Not exactly a quality I look for in a romantic male lead character. The entire plot centers on a 40 year old lawsuit between family members over a plumbing valve. Obviously, St. Paul’s admonition in 1 Cor. 6:1 was not heeded. How will the world ever view Christianity in a positive light if Christian authors and Christian publishing houses don’t uphold Christian values in literature?
It’s only because of the author’s ability to write well that I listened to as much of this book as I did. She did a good amount of historical research. The story had an element of intrigue which had me hooked. If it had been marketed in the secular market, maybe I would overlook the illegal wire tapping, bribery, murderous threats, 40 year old lawsuit (greed), and roguish behavior. Maybe. (I doubt it). I draw the line at torturous psychiatry practices. I don’t need images in my head that don’t help me. So I’m done.
This was my first book by this author, but it will not be my last! I loved the characters, except for maybe one or two! It focused on a time in the early 1900’s when the communication by morse code was so crucial. Interesting and kept me guessing on how it could possibly turn out.
One can’t go wrong with a Camden story. Elizabeth has a way with words and stories which places the reader right into the story. Elizabeth also does her research and gives a wonderful introduction to the history of inventions we take for granted. Whoever thought pipe valves could make a good story? Elizabeth did.
Elizabeth Camden’s books are so quirky that they fill your heart with fuzzy feelings and make a silly smile impossible to be hidden.
Plus, she has the talent to pick “simple” historical facts/inventions (many things we might actually take for granted today) and spin a fascinating story that grows very strongly in your heart. And the way she ties all these little details to support the main plot is truly astonishing. Maybe you’ve heard that her novels are veeery detailed, but no fear, there’s nothing randomly put just to fill the story.
I love layered stories in which you deeply get to know the characters as the story progresses, and in which history is richly enlaced into the plot. I know Elizabeth Camden is one of these writers, though I haven’t read many of her books. Nevertheless, something I am quickly finding out to be true is that she can write heroes annoyingly infuriating who make you want to wipe away their roguish grin during the first pages, but, also, who can gain your heart quite quickly.
Colin Beckwith is one of these said heroes. At the same time, especially in the beginning, he can be snobbish and maddening, as you get deeper into the story, you’ll find out he’s a man who’s been given a burden he’s not sure he’s fit to carry it out and who, when chasing after his dream, got himself trapped into a conflict he now spends his present time trying to forget. Honestly, Colin can be described with the same words he used to describe his home back in England: from the outside, it looked like a castle, inside it was a wreck. He’s been forced to keep a mask in order to preserve his family’s legacy – or at least he sees this as the only way – and the only thing keeping him sane is the opportunity to still work with what he loves, even if not in the front lines.
Once again, though, he’s mistaken. His supposed sanity and his heart will be tested when he meets Lucy Drake. They come from different social classes, have been raised with a different perspective of life, work for competing companies, what can they possibly have in common? Apparently, nothing, until they stumble into each others’ secrets and are forced to form an association. Even so, soon they will find in each other a kindred spirit because of more than just shared passion for telegraphy but due to decades-old inherited burdens, which they fight with all their might for.
As they get to know each other, how long can they continue to put their families’ legacy in front of their own personal desires? How far becomes too far once you’ve known true sense of camaraderie alongside peace and happiness?
I’m so excited there will be one more installment to this story. Nick’s book couldn’t come soon enough 🙂
surely one of the best reads of the year!
If this is the beginning of the Empire State series by Elizabeth Camden, I can’t wait to read the next book. This one is full of intrigue, romance and history. Lucy Drake, a telegrapher for the AP news Affiliate is fighting a battle with her Uncle Thomas for the rights to a water valve invented by her grandfather, Thomas’s brother, and being stolen by Thomas himself. With Lucy’s brother’s help, they fight for what is right and decent.
Colin Beckwith, that’s Sir Colin Beckwith, comes into Lucy’s life when she goes to speak to the head of another news Affiliate, Reuters, about the delay in stories from her companies reporters that were coming through Reuters’ telegraph lines from other countries, at a great cost. She remembers meeting Colin on New Years Eve and being attracted to him.
Colin has to marry a rich heiress to be able to afford repairs on his home in England, but he can’t get Lucy out of his mind. They strike up a friendship and things seem to progress from there. Meanwhile, Lucy and her brother are having trouble in the courts with the lawsuit against their Uncle Thomas. Their uncle has done everything he can to discredit them and even scaring Lucy’s suitors away. Then a strange man is seen lurking around their apartment building and Lucy smells cigarette smoke in the apartment when her and her brother have been gone all day and neither of them smokes.
Who is this mystery man and what does he want? Was he sent by Uncle Thomas to harm them? What about Lucy’s friendship with Colin and Colin’s search for a rich heiress? If you like clean, historical romance with some intrigue, you should read A Dangerous Legacy. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
I borrowed this from my local library and choose to leave this review voluntarily.
I was not expecting the character of Lucy to be what she was in this book- I think the pearls on the cover threw me off. (While there are pearls in the story, I don’t believe she ever wears them). Lucy is one determined woman, holding tightly to her values but willing to get a little down and dirty when battling unscrupulous people. Her strength is admirable, and I loved how the author also portrayed her flaws, exhaustion, and yearnings for a different life. She is complex in that way since she loves her work for the Associated Press and the glimpse it gives her of the world that she will never explore, as long as she is fighting the lawsuit with her uncle.
Colin is quite charming and also has a realistic balance of traits which made him come to life. He brings joy and love into Lucy’s life, however temporary, and supports her in the war she is waging even when they struggle through their own rough patches. The insights into the events and politics of the time was fascinating, especially the workings of the telegraph office and the underground plumbing of Manhattan. I would have enjoyed more emotion in the romance between Colin and Lucy, but the plot and historical details made this a standout book.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
The neat thing about this series is that it doesn’t need to be read in any order. Each book is a stand alone. Lacy is fighting a 40-year old court battle to gain the rights back to an invention that her grandfather had made. It was a valve that would deliver water to floors of buildings over two floors high. Lacy works as a telegraph operator for the Associated Press. She has knowledge of news before it makes the paper. In this job, she can find out what her uncle, who was made ridiculously rich from her father’s invention, is planning next in the lawsuit that she is fighting.
The characters are well defined and the story moves along and doesn’t drag. The tension that builds will have you turning the pages quickly. One reader told me she had to walk away for a while to calm herself down. Yep, it’s that good. You also learn some history about the water works of New York in the very early 1900s. The book is interesting with just the right amount of romance. If you enjoy reading a book where the villain gets what’s coming to him (or her), this book if for you.
This book was full of suspense and was hard to put down. I especially liked the way the characters evolved as they started seeing how their circumstances had guided their lives. Several christian messages came through towards the end of the book and were cause for personal introspection when they did. What would I do? Could I leave vengeance to God and not have to “carry through” when I and my loved ones had suffered? And, many more thoughts…. All in all, well written and leaves you wanting to know how the future works out for all involved.
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed the setting of the very early 1900’s in New York. Lucy works as a telegraph operator at the Associated Press news agency and her brother as an underground city plumber. They are both working hard to keep their heads above water while also dealing with a forty year family law-suit.
Sir Colin Beckwith works for the rival news agency Rueters. She thinks he has connections that she could use to help her with her legal matters, but doesn’t fully trust him. He is only looking for an heiress to marry to help save his British estate, not a poor telegrapher. Neither can deny their attraction for each other, but it’s not enough.
The ending was different then what I thought would happen. Im looking forward to reading the next book about her brother, Luke.
A Dangerous Legacy tells the story of Colin, an English baronet who heads up Reuters news agency in New York. His Legacy is his home, Whitefriars, which is desperate need of repair and renewal. He needs to marry money for its survival along with the livelihood of its 90 tenants. He meets Lucy, a telegrapher for the AP news agency, who also has a Legacy. Her legacy is a 40 year lawsuit and feud between her family and her uncle’s family. Supplying water to the lower classes hinges on a favorable outcome of this lawsuit. The collaboration and competition between the two news agencies along with the route of the Central American canal during the early days of the 1900’s provides the author with interesting historical details to weave her story around. The interaction between Colin and Lucy was lively although they both knew nothing could come of their relationship. Lucy’s brother, Nick, was a solid contribution as a supporting character. I’m looking forward to reading his story in the next book of the series. I’ll be keeping Elizabeth Camden on my list of authors to follow.
I loved the smart, spunky heroine, even though she was heading on a path of bitterness. Both main characters experienced much growth along the way of their adventure. And a crazy, complicated, multi-faceted adventure it was. I learned about many interesting and obscure aspects of the time period. Excellent reading.
Another well written historical fiction by Elizabeth Camden. Rich characters, good plot line, details, and interesting.
I loved the history in the story as it gave me desire to research more into it.
A Dangerous Legacy by Elizabeth Camden is the first book in An Empire State Novel series. It is 1903 in New York City where Lucy Drake works as a telegraph operator for the Associated Press and she lives with her brother, Nick. The AP’s rival news agency Reuters (located in the same building) has a new man at the helm, Sir Colin Beckwith. Colin is attracted to Lucy, but he needs an heiress for a bride. Colin has a Whitefriars, a family estate, to maintain and it takes money (especially since it is falling down with disrepair). Lucy and Colin slowly develop a friendship. Lucy’s family has been in a heated forty-year legal battle with relatives, and Colin has the means to assist her family gain some valuable information. But, someone does not like Colin nosing around and will do what it takes to put an end to it. What have Colin and Lucy stumbled into?
A Dangerous Legacy is well-written and has great characters. The author always creates such delightful, well-developed characters. The mystery captured my attention. I wish it had been slightly more challenging to solve. The book has a fast pace and an interesting premise. I had not read about news agencies prior to this novel and I found it fascinating. There is just the right amount of humor in the story. There are some definite laugh out loud moments. The book has romance, intrigue, suspense, humor, homing pigeons, Morse code, bad guys, and so much more. Ms. Camden did a wonderful job at capturing the era in A Dangerous Legacy. My favorite line in the book was “broken free of a dangerous legacy”. I give A Dangerous Legacy 5 out of 5 stars. This is one of those books that I started around 9 p.m. and I stayed up late to finish it. I could not put it down. I am eager to read the next book in An Empire State Novel series.