What Matters Most by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Just when she can't take it anymore, Leta finally catches a break.

But when things seem too good to be true, they often are.

Leta Breckenridge is forced to drop out of college to care for her dementia-ridden mother. After learning a severely delinquent account may force her mother into a less desirable facility, Leta steps out of her comfort zone and lands a high-paying job at an Austin public relations firm. But her dream job turns into a nightmare when she learns the firm is a front for a political opposition machine--and that the research she's been collecting will be used against her new love interest, Nathan Emerson. 

Nathan is a rising political star being pressured to run a bid to unseat the current governor of Texas. He's already in a relationship with a woman much better suited to be a politician's wife, but he's never met anyone like Leta. Could this feisty, challenging woman hold the key to his heart?

Publisher: Revell, 2016

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Review

Leta Breckenridge is struggling to make ends meet between an underpaying job and delinquent payments to the facility that cares for her dementia-ridden mother. Then grace finds her in the most unexpected place in the form of a caring--and handsome--senator. When she receives an opportunity at her dream job, the wages and perks are her answer to prayer. But when her path continues to cross with the senator's, her attraction to him is tested, as well as her integrity. Leta must make a choice between the easy road to success and God's will. 

I gave this book 4 stars!

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

Anna O'Brien leads a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the illustrious Library of Congress until she stumbles across a baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at sea. She is thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, but her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help. 

Luke Callahan was one of the nation's most powerful congressmen until his promising career became shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause and intrigued by the winsome librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship. 

Opposites in every way, Anna and Luke are unexpectedly drawn to each other despite the strict rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglement with a member of Congress. From the gilded halls of the Capitol, where powerful men shape the future of the nation, to the scholarly archives of the nation's finest library, Anna and Luke are soon embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is bringing the truth to light worth risking all they've ever dreamed for themselves?


Author: Elizabeth Camden (Dorothy Mays) 
Publisher: Bethany House, 2015
Cover Design: Jennifer Parker
Cover Photography: Mike Habermann Photography, LLC


My Review
This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Camden, and I've found a new favorite author! Her captivating storyline and attention to detail had me struggling to put the book down at night to sleep. I can't wait to read more books by this author.

The story opens in Washington, D.C, 1897, with a humorous scene in the Library of Congress where Anna O'Brien works as a librarian in the map room. An ordinary day quickly turns into a strange encounter with a handsome congressman Luke Callahan from Maine. His goal is to demote the Speaker of the House, who blocks Luke's advances at every turn. He suspects foul play and enlists the research abilities of the spunky librarian, Anna, to help him with his plan. Her goal is to find the real reason her father's ship went down fifteen years ago, and why the Navy is covering it up. It's a tough time for a single, female librarian, and her prying into the military--and her time spent with the congressman--could cost her her job. Will she risk it all, or choose to live a quiet life in the map room forever? 

I loved the setting and the rich history of Washington, D.C. the author uses in this book. I gave Beyond All Dreams 5 stars! 

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Elizabeth Camden is the award-winning author of six books, including Against the Tide, a winner of a RITA Award, Christy Award, and Daphne du Maurier Award. She lives with her husband in Florida and is a research librarian by day while scribbling away on her next novel by night. Visit her website at www.elizabethcamden.com.