Title: A Sparkle of Silver
Author: Liz Johnson
Series: Georgia Coast Romance #1
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publishing Date: October 16, 2018

About the Book:

Ninety years ago, Millie Sullivan’s great-grandmother was a guest at oil tycoon Howard Dawkins’ palatial estate on the shore of St. Simons Island, Georgia. Now, Millie plays a 1920s-era guest during tours of the same manor. But when her grandmother suggests that there is a lost diary containing the location of a hidden treasure on the estate, along with the true identity of Millie’s great-grandfather, Millie sets out to find the truth of her heritage–and the fortune that might be hers. When security guard Ben Thornton discovers her snooping in the estate’s private library, he threatens to have her fired. But her story seems almost too ludicrous to be fiction, and her offer to split the treasure is too tempting to pass up . . .

Get ready for a romantic escapade through dark halls and dusty corners that will have you holding your breath and sighing with delight as two charming characters get caught up in the adventure of uncovering the past and finding their way to an unexpected future.

My Review:

A Sparkle of Silver is an amazing story of mystery and intrigue. Millie is seeking to uncover the secrets of her family’s past in a desperate attempt to come up with the needed funds to support her Grandma Joy as her health is declining from dementia. Abandoned by her parents as a toddler to be cared for by her grandmother, Grandma Joy is Millie’s only family. Grateful for all her grandmother has done for her, Millie has been working multiple jobs just trying to make ends meet so that her grandma could get the care she needed in an assisted living home, but Millie is informed that she is going to be kicked out due to her increased need for care that extends above their abilities. So it’s no surprise that in a moment of lucidity  when Joy reveals the location of a diary that belonged to her mother that could solve all their money problems, that Millie jumps at the opportunity.

If you’re an avid reader, then chances are you understand the struggle of viewing people around you through the lens of characters in a book. Phrases like “men are better in books,” “I have non-fictional feelings for fictional characters,” “don’t talk to me my favorite character just died,” “romance is better in books,” are certainly comical but we also have to admit to thinking about at least a few of them whether consciously or not. You’re probably also guilty of seeing characters in the people around you. Throughout the story Millie confesses to this type of thinking. She can’t help but find herself comparing her life to the books she reads, and she’s repeatedly found trying to “self-talk” her way out of it. Comical and relatable, it made me connect with her character more and added another level of enjoyment to reading the story.

While the story primarily takes place in the present, it also contains the journal entries of Millie’s great-grandmother Ruth. I don’t want to spoil anything from this piece of the story so I won’t give too much detail other than sharing the fact that while I’m generally not a fan of love triangles, Ruth’s story was written amazingly with just the right amount of intrigue. Being shared along with Millie’s story, it added to the overall suspense in a tangible way. What tugged at Millie’s emotions was certain to tug at the reader’s. The author also used the names of real wealthy families so that the reader would automatically connect the wealth and prestige to the characters.

One thing that I really liked about the story is that Ben was not painted as “the perfect guy.” While he had morals, he also had baggage. Millie and Ben both had their struggles but they had made them better people whether they realized it or not. While others may be in search of treasure for their own selfish gain, it wasn’t the case for either character. Their primary desire for the wealth was for the betterment of others. I also appreciated that the romance in the story wasn’t instant. The characters worked together to try and solve the mystery and over time they gained more affection for each other the more time they spent together. It made their relationship more believable and realistic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I’m very glad to be a part of the launch team to get the word out. Liz is a new-to-me author but I will certainly be reading more from her in the future. I highly recommend this book!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to give a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Rating: 

Age Appropriateness/Content Warnings:

The main piece of this story is Millie looking into the secrets of her great-grandmother’s past to see if she can uncover who her real great-grandfather was. With this comes the discussion of sex out of wedlock. Although content is mostly implied, it’s an underlying question throughout. The romance is generally left to kissing with the unexplained statement of “more.” My personal recommendation would be for ages 15 and up.

---

Giveaway!

Check out my twitter page for a link to enter a special giveaway as part of a social media blitz tour through JustRead Publicity Tours!