The final book in Liz Johnson's Georgia Coast Romance series is a delight!
Penelope Hunter loves her job as the event manager at one of Savannah's premier historic venues--until her ex-fiancé walks into her office with his new bride-to-be. Surely she cannot be expected to plan their wedding. To make matters worse, a scheming social matriarch is threatening to take her big-ticket event elsewhere, especially if Penelope insists on being seen with her best friend, Tucker Westbrook.
Since returning from serving two tours in the Middle East, Tucker has built a thriving security company. His work is nearly as stabilizing as his lifelong friendship with Penelope. But when the lone candidate for county sheriff goads him, Tucker loses his cool and ends up on the ballot--and on the receiving end of a smear campaign claiming the Westbrooks were traitors to the South.
To clear his name, Tucker and Penelope must join forces to find the truth behind a lost Civil War treasure. But the more time they spend together, the closer she comes to losing her job--and falling helplessly in love.
A treasure hunt. A fake relationship/friends-to-more romance. An unlikely friendship. Those things combine to make A Dazzle of Diamonds a really engaging read!
Penelope and Tucker are both such likeable characters, and they're obviously perfect for one another, even if they can't see it right away 😉. I'm a sucker for the fake relationship trope, and I especially love it when it's friends faking the relationship, only to find out they have romantic feelings for each other ... so this set-up, of Penelope and Tucker fake dating while he's running for office and she's helping plan her ex's wedding, was perfect!
I'll admit that I couldn't quite wrap my brain around why Tucker's ancestors being "traitors" to the Confederate cause would be such a big deal now ... but then I'm not remotely Southern. I did appreciate how that particular story line played out, though, and I loved getting to know Tucker's ancestors through the journal and letters they found. And then there's Aunt Shirley, who serves as a confidant for both Tucker and Penelope—she's such a fun character, and I really loved seeing an older, never married woman who was happy and thriving! Johnson really has a knack for writing older female characters (see Aunt Tessie in A Glitter of Gold).
Liz Johnson's entire Georgia Coast Romance series has been so enjoyable that I'm sad to see it end—but I'm also super excited to learn that she's returning to Prince Edward Island for her new series coming next year! 4-1/2 stars.
Buy the book (affiliate link).
Read my reviews of Johnson's A Sparkle of Silver (4 stars) and A Glitter of Gold (5 stars) and her Red Door Inn series The Red Door Inn (4 stars), Where Two Hearts Meet (5 stars), On Love's Gentle Shore (5 stars) and Christmas at the Red Door Inn (4-1/2 stars).
Liz Johnson is the author of more than a dozen novels, including A Sparkle of Silver, A Glitter of Gold, The Red Door Inn, Where Two Hearts Meet, and On Love's Gentle Shore, as well as a New York Times bestselling novella and a handful of short stories. She works in marketing and makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 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."
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