From This Moment

A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

I really enjoyed From This Moment—Having read the prequel novella Summer of Dreams beforehand made jumping into this story even more meaningful.
Spoiler: I already felt a connection to Clyde and Evelyn, so I was completely shook when I found out they were separated at the beginning of this book. I literally screamed, “No, no, no!” out loud. After their sweet love story in the novella, it was such a surprising and heartbreaking twist. 💔

While I do wish there had been a deeper exploration into what caused their split—especially having grown attached to them in the prequel—I appreciated how Camden didn’t just gloss over the complexities of relationships; it’s never a neat show more happily-ever-after. Instead, she dives into the messiness of human emotion, pride, and past pain. I found the way things came together in the end satisfying♥️.

So the main characters in this book are Stella and Romulus (a secondary character in the novella).

Stella is independent, driven, and wonderfully flawed. I loved the dynamic between Stella and Romulus, they are both strong-willed, proud, and just conceited enough to make their chemistry extra entertaining.🤣

Romulus is such a fun character. On the surface, he’s bold, confident, and driven—not afraid to challenge or speak his mind. But beneath all that, he’s wounded by his past heartbreak. His reluctance to love again made his emotional growth throughout the story all the more sweet.

The historical elements of 1897 Boston were interesting—from the political corruption and media manipulation to the development of the Boston subway system (cool!). And then there’s the mystery thread involving Stella’s sister, Gwendolyn’s, death. What was thought to be a simple drowning slowly unfolds into a larger conspiracy that touches the highest levels of Boston’s political circles. I loved Stella’s devotion to solving her sister’s murder. The suspense and turn of events was well done and entertaining.

Overall, 🤩🤩🤩🤩 It had heart, tension, mystery, and a deep sense of hope despite the heaviness of past regrets.

Favorite Quotes :
“…courage was not the absence of fear, but the willingness to confront it.”

“At times like these, I feel like Gwendolyn is right here with us,” she said. Her mother’s eyes had a sheen of tears, but her smile was genuine. “She is, dearest.” And Stella knew it was true. Gwendolyn had not vanished into nothingness. She had merely gone to a different place.” 🥹 show less

I found myself unable to put this one down, just one more chapter and I’ll turn off the lights, and then one more.
Living in England and living a dream life Stella West is called home to Boston for the unthinkable, her sister has died. Now Stella does not believer her sister Gwendolyn drowned, she knows she was a strong swimmer, and her sister had been corresponding with her about helping A G to bring down the corruption rampant in the City.
Romulus White runs a successful scientific magazine and for years has been trying to coach Stella Westergarrd, a brilliant illustrator, to come and work for him. When he finds out she is in town, he pursues her and ends up becoming involved in the evil that is being perpetrated in Boston.
I didn’t show more see who or whom the perpetrators were, and was really surprised how the story unfolded, and who will survive the evil that abounds here, and in the form of greed and murder.
There are historical elements here with the building of the subway under the streets of Boston, and I learned something that I had never heard before. This is one really great read, and one you won’t want to put down.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review. show less

OK. My faith in Camden is restored. The last work I read of hers disappointed me as it seemed to be like every other Christian fiction work I’ve encountered: faith heavy and story light. I couldn’t even bring myself to write a review, just starred it. This work? Big improvement!

Another great story comes from Camden’s pen. The subway race and the trials of building such in a limited technological era kept me riveted. Funding such a venture, the mountain of bureaucratic paperwork involved, and the physical dangers all made for fascinating reading. She made the vibrant world of Gilded Age Boston also breathe with all its corruption, energy, and industry.

I loved both our leads. Their personalities are rooted in reality, making them show more seem more human to me rather than words on a page. Eccentric Romulus (and who doesn’t love a name like that?!) and proud Stella played off each other for stellar results. I loved how each approached life’s challenges differently, one with diplomacy and the other with brash argument. Yet, both cared for their friends and family so strongly that not even murder or legal issues could ultimately shop them in their tracks.

It’s that strong foundation with great differences that made their relationship so intriguing. They’ve got the spark of instant attraction; however, they also have enough similarities and outlooks on the world to make a relationship last for the long term. I couldn’t help but root for them as they faced life’s challenges and the special ones entailed with investigating a murder.

I was actually surprised at the murder/mystery plotline. I was kept in the dark by the guilty party’s identity until almost the very end. That doesn’t happen all the time for me, even in regular mysteries, long less Christian fiction with mystery subplots. The author does a fantastic job in dropping red herrings and clues in equal measures throughout the entire story, keeping her audience guessing.

Camden went back to her previous handling of religious themes and Christian touches that I enjoyed in the past. There’s enough there to know that this is a Christian novel; yet readers aren’t inundated with verbose preaching nor obvious moralizing. The themes explored are interwoven into the narrative and can apply to Christians and non-Christian alike. Taking life as it comes at you, attracting support with honey vs vinegar, being too proud, and jumping to conclusions are all lessons that everyone should learn, no matter their religion or background.

Its books like this that keep me coming back to Camden and make her a favorite of mine. She balances great life lessons, human characters, suspenseful plotline, and attractive romance into one great package. I’d recommend this book to anyone, really. It’s that good.

Note: Book received for free from the publisher via GR giveaway in exchange for an honest review. show less

From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden is set in Boston, Massachusetts in 1897. Stella Westergaard is determined to find out what happened to her sister. She has been told that her sister drowned, but Stella knows that is impossible. Stella wants the truth and has moved from London to Boston to get it. Stella has given up her career as an illustrator while she searches for the truth. Stella is working as a stenographer at city hall (her sister, Gwendolyn did this as well). Stella is using West as her surname to avoid suspicion. Romulus White is the editor of Scientific World (and co-owner). He has been trying to hire Stella West for years. He is surprised when he finds out that she is in Boston (she said she never wanted to leave London). show more Stella originally tells him no, but then discovers that Romulus’ connections will help her get the answers she seeks. Stella slowly finds out what Gwendolyn was doing and how it led to her death. Will Stella be able to get justice for her sister?

From This Moment was a good story, but I had a few problems with Stella. Stella was a little too independent, stubborn, determined in her single-minded crusade (I like independent women in novels, but Stella was a little over-the-top). I found her a little overbearing and single-minded. Romulus seemed overly concerned with appearances. From This Moment is nicely written and easy to read (the novel has a good pace or flow). There are long-winded descriptions of everything (I am glad I learned to speed read). I give From This Moment 4 out of 5 (I liked it). I thought the book was a little too long (it could have easily been shortened a wee bit and it would have enhanced the book) and it really did not need the additional problem of Evelyn and Clyde (Evelyn is Romulus’s cousin and her husband). They were experiencing marriage problems and then an accident brought them back together (predictable). I understood why they were added after I finished the book (to tie in with the prequel). I enjoyed the mystery in the book. I liked the twists and turns as the pair tried to get at the truth. I hope Ms. Camden’s writes more books with a mystery in them (she does a good job with them). From This Moment has a light Christian theme, but I did not feel that either character was a Christian (it just did not come across). I will be reading the next book by Elizabeth Camden.

I received a complimentary copy of From This Moment in exchange for an honest evaluation of the book. The opinions and comments expressed are strictly my own. show less

From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden is full of witty conversation, charm, romance as well as mystery, suspense and characters who are lovable yet flawed. I was pleasantly surprised at how much depth the characters had and how well written the plot and sub-plots were. The story flowed and engaged me for the whole book. Christian romance novels have definitely come a long way!

I found From This Moment to be a delightful way to spend a relaxing afternoon/evening and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. My summer beach reads just got a bit larger as I'm already adding more books by this author to read!

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for the gift of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not want to put this book down. I loved it. Stella and Romulus were wonderful characters. They were so much fun together. Learning about the subway systems was nice. I did not know that Boston had the first subway in the States. Loved the romance and the mystery in this book. I received this book from Bethany House for a fair and honest opinion.

Another Elizabeth Camden book that I can’t put down. Boston is building America’s first subway system while our main character is searching for the answers to her sister’s death. I highly recommend this intriguing historical fiction book.