Review: A Dazzle of Diamonds by Liz Johnson

 

About:

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.

My Thoughts:

Tucker and Penelope are meant to be together, they just don't know it yet and neither one are brave enough to broach the subject. You see, they are the very best of friends and have been since childhood and want nothing to mess that up. Even themselves. But when Penelope's ex-fiancé walks back into her life with his new bride-to-be, she just can't handle that kind of news. So she asks Tucker to be her fake boyfriend. The plan is solid and good for both of them. Even Tucker's political run.

What could go wrong? Maybe realizing you are already in love with each other. Throw in a treasure hunt, the gossip mill running rampant, family secrets, and an old journal from the Civil War times and we are certainly in for a treat of a time-slip novel.

This is a well done story on the whole fake relationship trope. Both Tucker and Penelope were great characters, from the South, and with a lot of backbone. They made a great team no matter what they did. I enjoyed watching them fall in love and Tucker, when he wasn't thinking, could be very swoony. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author:

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.