From This Moment

Elizabeth Camden does a great job writing historical christian fiction romance novels and this one fits the bill. She keeps her characters interesting, quick witted, intelligent, and real. This novel is full of mystery, suspense, and romance. Stella West is a character in and of herself. She is quick witted, not afraid to share her opinion, determined and loyal. She sometimes storms into a situation without thinking about the consequences. While she is trying to solve the mysterious death of her beloved sister she must keep her focus on her task and off the handsome Romulus White. Romulus White is a self proclaimed flirt and bachelor for at least another eight years. When the acclaimed artist Stella West is in his town could this be the answer he has been seeking. Will she finally agree to work for him? Romulus is not prepared for the help she is asking of him nor the consequences which follow. I was given a copy of this book from net galley for my honest opinion.

From This Moment by Elizabeth Camden is set in Boston, Massachusetts in 1897. Stella Westergaard is determined to find out what happened to her sister. She has been told that her sister drowned, but Stella knows that is impossible. Stella wants the truth and has moved from London to Boston to get it. Stella has given up her career as an illustrator while she searches for the truth. Stella is working as a stenographer at city hall (her sister, Gwendolyn did this as well). Stella is using West as her surname to avoid suspicion. Romulus White is the editor of Scientific World (and co-owner). He has been trying to hire Stella West for years. He is surprised when he finds out that she is in Boston (she said she never wanted to leave London). Stella originally tells him no, but then discovers that Romulus’ connections will help her get the answers she seeks. Stella slowly finds out what Gwendolyn was doing and how it led to her death. Will Stella be able to get justice for her sister? From This Moment was a good story, but I had a few problems with Stella. Stella was a little too independent, stubborn, determined in her single-minded crusade (I like independent women in novels, but Stella was a little over-the-top). I found her a little overbearing and single-minded. Romulus seemed overly concerned with appearances. From This Moment is nicely written and easy to read (the novel has a good pace or flow). There are long-winded descriptions of everything (I am glad I learned to speed read). I give From This Moment 4 out of 5 (I liked it). I thought the book was a little too long (it could have easily been shortened a wee bit and it would have enhanced the book) and it really did not need the additional problem of Evelyn and Clyde (Evelyn is Romulus’s cousin and her husband). They were experiencing marriage problems and then an accident brought them back together (predictable). I understood why they were added after I finished the book (to tie in with the prequel). I enjoyed the mystery in the book. I liked the twists and turns as the pair tried to get at the truth. I hope Ms. Camden’s writes more books with a mystery in them (she does a good job with them). From This Moment has a light Christian theme, but I did not feel that either character was a Christian (it just did not come across). I will be reading the next book by Elizabeth Camden. I received a complimentary copy of From This Moment in exchange for an honest evaluation of the book. The opinions and comments expressed are strictly my own.