Inspirational readers will be a big fan of this historical fiction involving, murder, theft, intrigue, romance, and a dash of adventure. Miss Eleanor Sheffield is practically running her late father's antiquities and appraisal shop. Her uncle is in declining health and it's on her and another young man to keep the business afloat. Many of the aristocracy and wealthy have reservations about a young lady's knowledge in treasures, but she was trained by the best, her father. When a large estate of treasures is placed in Eleanor's care to decide whether the collection should say with the deceased man's son or go to a museum, she finds herself torn. The son in question is her former crush, and she fears she still has feelings for him. What's a girl to do? If that wasn't complicated enough, counterfeits keep cropping up, and she discovers that bills have gone unpaid. How will she ever keep her family's business open? A delicate, inspirational romance with lush atmosphere. ( )

This book is the first in the Victorian Ladies Series and is about Eleanor Sheffield and her family business. Her father has recently passed and she is trying to keep the business afloat. Her uncle, who was a twin to her father, has recently exhibited signs of dementia. Eleanor is an evaluator of antiquities and very talented. The death of a long time client of the business, Baron Lydney, left a provision in his will that Eleanor is supposed to evaluate the collection that he has. After evaluation, she is to determine whether the collection stays in the family in the care of his son Harry, or have it go into a museum.

Eleanor had had a relationship with Harry and when he never returned to her and propose she became disillusioned with him and does not trust him. Harry does come back but she does not think that there is a future for them, he has brought back an Italian beauty and she is not sure what their relationship is. Harry is nothing but persistent and the more time she spends with him the more her trust returns.

The problem is that her uncle has not paid any bills and the debt collectors are at her doorstep. In those days there was debtors prison if bills were not paid. Because she is a woman and her uncle is not well, the remaining clients of Sheffield Brothers have developed a distrust to her. She must do all she can to reclaim their trust. As time goes by and with her investigation, she does turn out to be a lady of a thousand treasures as she makes her determination about the Lydney collection.

As usual, Sandra Byrd has written another enjoyable first book to what I hope will be a great series. A gothic novel set during the mid to late 1800s in Victorian England, a time where women were not allowed to do much except stay in the home, Eleanor turns out to be a strong woman in a time dominated by men. I love reading about strong women and I love anything by Sandra as she does remarkable research. She always tells a great story and the characters are more than memorable! If you love a great historical fiction novel, then give this one a try! ( )

historical-fiction, christian-fiction, suspense, romance

Excellent character depictions, in depth development, a very good mystery, and all in a Christian background.
A bit overlong for my taste in fiction. ( )

If I could give more than 5 stars I would. I did not want to put this book down. I loved this story. It was nice to read about something a little different. I enjoyed reading about a female that had an interesting job. She really knew what she was doing. Eleanor has to decide if Harry is a fraud or if he is really as good as he seems. I so enjoyed reading how this tale unfolded. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will. ( )

Title: Lady of a Thousand Treasures (The Victorian Ladies Series #1)
Author: Sandra Byrd
Pages: 464
Year: 2018
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Eleanor Sheffield has been taught by her father to evaluate, authenticate whether the piece is genuine or fake, and place a value on antiquities. Their usual clients are the nobility. Her father dies, leaving the business in the hands of her ailing uncle and Eleanor running the business. Eleanor is an unmarried woman in the 1860s in England and unable to own and run the business on her own. She is in a quandary as to what to do when an unexpected death of a client presents a golden opportunity for Eleanor. However, she must face the man who broke her heart who also happens to be the deceased client’s only son, standing to inherit his father’s huge collection of antiquities amassed over a lifetime of collecting. She must decide whether Harry is worthy to receive this inheritance or if the collection should be donated to a museum. Her home is broken into and her uncle assaulted. Why? With more interaction with Harry, her heart begins to thaw, but can she trust him again? He claims to still have love for her in his heart, but can she believe him now?
The setting of place and time is one of my favorites, and the author does a great job of making feel like I’m in that time period with the characters. The mystery aspect was appealing and reading about how Eleanor evaluated artifacts was very interesting. The story did drag in some places, slowing down my reading of it and taking away some of my enjoyment of it. However, I like the author’s writing style and the historical information presented in the story. I am interested to see who the subject of the second novel in the series is going to be, but I will have to wait as the second novel isn’t being released until the spring of 2020. While this first book is on the lengthy side, it is still one worth reading.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ( )