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.

Combining rich history, danger, suspense, and romance, Crystal Caudill's debut novel launches this new historical series with a bang. Fans of Elizabeth Camden, Michelle Griep, and Joanna Davidson Politano will be thrilled to find another author to follow!

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.

Find out more at crystalcaudill.com or find her on Facebook and Instagram. You can also join fellow readers in Crystal Caudill’s Reading Friends group on Facebook

My Review:

WOW. Umm… Occasionally there are reads where I feel at a loss for words because I don’t have the right ones to do it justice. This is precisely one of those occasions. Never would I have believed that Crystal Caudill was a debut author, because this novel was masterfully written! WOW does she have a way with words! The plot was intriguing, the characters well developed, and the captivating intensity kept the pages essentially turning themselves.

One thing about me is that I am VERY picky about romance threads in novels because it drives me nuts when they are rushed, forced, and/or unrealistic. This tends to make me more of a fan of reads where the characters have some type of past together, which was true in this case. Theresa and Broderick’s backstory made them the perfect couple for this story, and how the author fleshed it all out was quite incredible. (Nope, not spoiling, you’ll have to read yourself to find out how).

I LOVED that this novel was able to have such a strong faith element organically from the foundation without being “fluffly”. There’s no question the characters deal with some pretty tough stuff, and yet it’s through that tough stuff that their hearts are most desperate to hear from God and seek His guidance. The heart cry is truly a powerful thing.

There are SO many things I loved about this read. There is absolutely no doubt that this one will be included in my favorites for the year. I honestly cannot recommend it enough!!

*I purchased a copy of this novel. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.