I enjoyed this tale, which featured two people, once engaged, who had been separated for six years. I did struggle at times to understand the reasoning behind decisions that both of the main characters made, some in the past and some in the present. I still liked Theresa and Broderick, yet found myself shaking my head and wanting them to communicate with each other. Some problems could have been avoided with communication. However, both still had a lot to contend with and communication alone would not have solved the tangled web of intrigue these two found themselves in.
Theresa had a problem understanding the depth of depravity that her grandfather had looped her into with his associations. She was headstrong and charged forward without the full understanding of the situation. One of the characters described her perfectly by saying, “She’s independent with a false sense of invincibility.” Theresa also continued to remain engaged to a man she did not love, simply because she thought he would offer stability. I kept wondering why she thought he would be the person she should spend her life with.
Broderick was a good man and still loved Theresa with his whole heart. I really enjoyed the interactions between the two of them. Their chemistry was definitely strong and I felt badly for all the years they had lost while separated from each other. I thought the author did a good job of showing the ways that both of these characters had pulled back from faith in God and instead turned to faith in themselves to solve their problems.
(4 stars)
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Can this undercover agent save the woman he loves–or is her heart as counterfeit as the money he’s been sent to track down?
After all that Grandfather has sacrificed to raise her, Theresa Plane owes it to him to save the family name–and that means clearing their debt with creditors before she marries Edward Greystone. But when one of the creditors’ threats leads her to stumble across a midnight meeting, she discovers that the money he owes isn’t all Grandfather was hiding. And the secrets he kept have now trapped Theresa in a life-threatening fight for her home–and the truth.
After months of undercover work, Secret Service operative Broderick Cosgrove is finally about to uncover the identity of the leader of a notorious counterfeiting ring. That moment of triumph turns to horror, however, when he finds undeniable proof that his former fiance is connected. Can he really believe the woman he loved is a willing participant? Protecting Theresa and proving her innocence may destroy his career–but that’s better than failing her twice in one lifetime.
They must form a partnership, tentative though it is. But there’s no question they’re both still keeping secrets–and that lack of trust, along with the dangerous criminals out for their blood, threatens their hearts, their faith, and their very survival.
To read an excerpt of Counterfeit Love click here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance,” with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW. Counterfeit Love is her debut published novel.
Caudill says that reading and writing are part of her soul and have been since she first held a crayon. While she considered writing to be an escape from challenges and struggles and a way to keep her sanity, Caudill would come to recognize that God used it as a teaching tool. “The stories came through my fingertips, but they were marked with His fingerprints,” she shares.
As she delved into history and crafted her own stories of hope through danger, Caudill would answer the call to pursue writing as a career after her first writer’s conference. “My stories are still filled with danger, struggle, and history, but they are also permeated with the hope and love of Christ. I hope they are dangerously good. Good for the heart and for the soul.”
She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, and when she isn’t writing, Caudill can be found playing board games with her family, drinking hot tea, or reading other great books at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio.
Learn more at crystalcaudill.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.
GIVEAWAY
Britt Reads Fiction 
Thanks for featuring this book. I’m so proud that Crystal is from my home state of Kentucky!