A Rumored Fortune

By: Joanna Davidson Politano

Narrated by: Sarah Nichols

A lonely young heiress becomes the poorest wealthy woman in Victorian England when her father dies without telling anyone where he hid his fortune. Can Tressa and the no-nonsense estate manager find the fortune before the greedy relatives get to it first?

Tressa Harlowe's father did not trust banks, but neither did he trust his greedy extended family. He kept his vast fortune hidden somewhere on his estate in the south of England and died suddenly, without telling anyone where he had concealed it. Tressa and her ailing mother are left with a mansion and an immense vineyard and no money to run it. It doesn't take long for a bevy of opportunists to flock to the estate under the guise of offering condolences. Tressa knows what they're really up to. She'll have to work with the rough and rusticated vineyard manager to keep the laborers content without pay and discover the key to finding her father's fortune before someone else finds it first. Award-winning author Joanna Davidson Politano welcomes readers to Trevelyan Castle, home of the poorest heiress in Victorian England, for a treasure hunt they'll not soon forget.

©2018 Joanna Davidson Politano (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Making me rethink the Christian romance genre

I was halfway through the book before I realized I was listening to a Christian romance. And I'm not mad at it.

The good: The author weaves mystery, history, and spirituality into a compelling romance that pulled me along from chapter to chapter. Along the way, she cIeverly turned gardening tips into parables. The story was unique and entertaining without feeling like I was being preached to.

Politano was very good at creating a subtle sense of trust or mistrust and even tertiary characters had a depth and complexity we don't usually reserved for the protagonist. Few authors encourage us to sympathize with characters whose only purpose on the page is to promote conflict and it was refreshing.

The Neutral: It was a little unusual that the author jumped from first person narrative for the heroine and then to third person omniscient for her romantic interest, but it wasn't terrible.

The Slightly Bad (imho): I'm agnostic so feel free to consider my opinion biased but for a good portion of the story it seemed like any situation could be solved by a quick plea to God for help. It felt trite. Though the feeling is mitigated as it becomes clear that these "miracles" are often the work of a good Christian who pays attention to what is needed and helps where he can without drawing attention to his good works.

Overall, the book is good enough to open the heart of at least this agnostic.. if not quite to Christianity, at least to Christian romance.

Life changing good literally

This is the best writing I have enjoyed in a long time. Literally, so well written in so many ways I put her books on the level of many life changing classics I’ve read.

However, she does it with all the fun of foreboding castles, mystery, suspense, action and clean, breath taking romance …and there is a happy ending, unlike many classics. Trust me it is some of the best storytelling out there. So much fun and never boring!

Her books have touched my heart and taken me on a path to look at my relationship with God in a whole new light. Yet she does it in such a beautiful and gifted way that there is zero preaching or lengthy “lessons” in her stories. It’s so subtle, you hardly notice her gift of teaching you these true principles until you are completely in awe of how much her writing is moving your soul.

Thank you Joanna. You have a rare gift. Thank you for sharing it. Thank you for not being afraid to share your testimony through your stories.

Unique

This story was unique among the writings of this period it was lavish and rich in visibility The characters were vibrant lovely enduring and distasteful It waz a wonderful read

Excellent storyline

I read a number of the reviews prior to downloading this audiobook. It did not list as a “Christian” fiction but it definitely is a wonderful one. The storyline was excellent but even more so, the author weaved a profound reminder of the Vine that gives us all life. If you have ever experienced a personal relationship with God but have allowed it to become distant or places it on one of life’s back-burners, this is a book to be heard.

Enjoyable

I've enjoyed this author, this being the third book I've listened to. Most of the major events were interesting, unique, & not expected, but many of the minor details leading you thru the story were placid & obvious - I figured them out long before they were revealed. I would love for this author to have a reader with a strong talent for multiple voices. The male voices were much too gruff and much too similar. The female voices, with the exception of Tressa, were much too airy, high pitched, & much too similar. I'd also love to see a sequel with these characters.