Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden Book Review

// Beyond All Dreams //

By Elizabeth Camden

{Review by Bethany}

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher

Publication Date: December 15th, 2014
Number of Pages: 368
  Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

// Book Synopsis //
 

Taken from Good Reads

 

Sweeping and Romantic Historical Drama from an Award-Winning Author 

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?

 

// Bethany's Book Review //

 

I've been a big fan of Elizabeth Camden's novels for a while now, and was very excited to hear that she had a new novel coming out, titled Beyond All Dreams! I was even more excited to find out that the heroine of the story, Anna worked at the Library of Congress! As a fan of books and libraries, I knew right off the bat that I'd have something in common with this character, and would probably enjoy the book even more because of it. While my favorite Camden novels still remain The Rose of Winslow Street and With Every Breath, I still enjoyed the story and loved the setting!

One of the things that really sets apart Elizabeth Camden's novels from others, is her ability to create such realistic, likable characters and bring them to life on the paper. I love the way she takes a hero or heroine and really develops that character throughout the story. I feel like not all novels do such a good job at character development, but Camden has this aspect of writing down! Some novels seem to focus more on the setting of the story versus on the actual characters, and you can tell that Camden puts a lot of development into her stories by really expanding on the characters. It's always fun first learning about the characters, and then seeing how they mature and grow throughout the book, and Camden's novels don't disappoint in this area!

As I mentioned earlier, I just loved how this novel's heroine works at the Library of Congress! It was so interesting seeing that side of her story, as well as the plot that Camden so masterfully wove into the other characters. The story she tells in the pages of this book are so well thought-out and written, and it makes for a really pleasurable read that I'm sure all fans of libraries, or Camden's work, will be trilled with! 

 

I loved how this story had a mild amount of mystery mixed into the love story between Anna and Luke.  I feel like it definitely helped keep the story rolling, and on top of the wonderful writing ability that Camden obviously has, it makes you keep turning pages long into the night! 

Overall I was very pleased with this novel and really enjoyed the opportunity to read it! I will be adding this book to my shelf, right alongside my other Camden novels; and look forward to her future releases!

D I S C L A I M E R :: I received a complementary copy of Beyond All Dreams from the publisher for the sole purpose of this review. All thoughts expressed are completely honest and my own unbiased views. I was not paid to write this review or promote this book in any way.