What a fantastic book! I was kept guessing throughout the whole book. The plot of this book never let up. It kept me interested until the end. I loved the author's way with words. She writes and I am captivated by the story and the characters. Another great offering from Joanna Politano! A must read!!

Joanna Davidson Politano truly has a gift and I couldn’t be more excited to read another book of hers!

How’d you define wealth? A fortune?
Tressa Harlowe can be deemed to have both, living in a castle in a big estate where’re income comes from the wits of her father who has grown a vineyard where people claimed to be impossible.
Still, her life seems to be defined by what she doesn’t have: a title, a sensible mother, honest friendships... and the love of a father.

It’s heartbreaking to see this lovely girl hope beyond all hope to redeem her father; a hope that not even death can tear her from. Determined to fight for her family’s legacy, Tressa is willing to all she can to outsmart treasure hunters and find the fortune first, even if it means paring up with the mysterious new vine master who seems to have come out of the midst that started bringing doom into her life.

A Rumored Fortune
by Joanna Davidson Politano
Revell
Christian
Pub Date 31 Jul 2018
I am reviewing a copy of A Rumored Fortune through Revell and Netgalley:


Tressa Harlowe’s Father dies suddenly with a hidden fortune somewhere on his estate in Southern England. He did not trust banks nor did he trust his greedy family members so he kept the fortune hidden.

Tressa and her Mother who is in failing health are left a Mansion and a large vineyard with no funds to run them. Before long a flock of opportunist come to the mansion acting as if they are offering condolenscenceswhen in reality they are after the hidden fortune. Tressa will have to work with the rough and rustic vineyard manager to keep the laborers content even though they have no money to pay them. And shell have to find her Father’s fortune before someone else does.


I give A Rumored Fortune five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Another intriguing Victorian mystery! A heroine whose life circumstances seem bleak, surrounded by people not sure she can trust, Tressa's story draws the perfect picture of a soul in need of rescue. Set in 1866, along the coast of England, this story has all the elements of a Gothic romance: a creepy, mysterious castle on a hill, characters who all had something to hide, and a treasure hunt that takes a dangerous turn.

The author does a good job of creating emotional tension, telling the story through Tressa's viewpoint, and made me feel her growing despair. I wanted to slap a few characters and send them packing, but was convicted at the grace Tressa shows them; it truly was undeserved. I liked how she finally sees that God is the only true source of hope for her life, and stops feeling so alone and abandoned. The theme of greed and its consequences are shown in multiple ways. The 'good guys' and the 'bad guys' take awhile to sort out, adding to the mystery and leading up to a perfect ending, with an 'a-ha!' moment or two wedged in.

Recommend to readers who enjoy a clean read with mystery and romance in a historical setting.

A Rumored Fortune is the first book from author Joanna Davidson Politano I have read. I wanted to read this book because the description intrigued me along with the favorable reviews from her first book. I hope to read that book soon.
Things I liked: This book is well written and has a great mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. This book is filled with valuable life lessons and God’s truth. They are brilliantly presented through the Notebook of a viticulturist, beginning each chapter, then you can mine for them in the text.
Things that bothered me: Tressa Harlowe is portrayed as a woman who see the best in people but for some reason with Donegan Vance she always thinks the worst and lets the opinions of other taint his character. Also the book is written alternately within chapters in the first person –Tressa POV and then in third person. I never got comfortable with it but it didn’t take away from the story.
Some awesome words of wisdom: “The only perfect father is the one in heave. Never forget that.” “Appearances can be deceiving, but in the end, fruit does not lie. They make it abundantly clear the sort of plant from which they have sprung.” “For who a man is when he thinks no one is looking, that’s who he truly is.”
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Publisher on NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read Joanna Davidson Politano's first novel, Lady Jayne Disappears, and it was like nothing I ever read before. Chalked full of mystery and a unique Victorian voice. So of course, when I read the synopsis on her second novel, A Rumored Fortune, I couldn't wait to dive into a treasure hunt in a castle in the Victorian era. Unfortunately the book fell flat for me.

Politano does a fabulous job at creating the setting and allowing me to experience the world of Trevelyan Castle. The house and the surrounding city sparkled on the page. Politano dives into the characters' emotions at the right time and the right place. Sometimes a little too much. She does write the main character of Tressa Harlowe in first point of view, but the hero, Mr. Vance, in third point of view.

I enjoy the ability of Tressa to see past the outward appearance of all the other characters. She looks for the best in others and wants to settle everything up right, either with the employees who work for her families vineyard or the debts her father has accumulated. Meanwhile when Mr. Vance enters the story, he is on the hunt for treasure to right the wrongs done to his small hometown. By the end of the novel, he realizes he
doesn't have to hurt someone else to accomplish these little tasks.

What is better than a hunt for treasure during the Victorian era in a castle? I really couldn't wait to see how the story develop. But for me, it was slow going. The way the story is written, the story focuses more on the emotions of Tressa than the treasure hunt. Every time, it seemed, she came on the scene, she was more focused on Mr. Vance and her budding relationship with him or what she should do with Andrew than worried about hunting for the rumored fortune. She did focus on the treasure hunt at times, but I think she should be doing more to find the treasure than she did.

At the beginning of the novel, Tressa seemed immature in her reasonings for a relationship, but by the end of the novel, she finally realized what makes a man a man. Someone who is willing to help someone without any known reward. Tressa leaned on God more to fulfill her purpose in life.

Overall, A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano is a neat idea with the race for the treasure and the mysteries behind the house, but it fell flat for me. The plot didn't move fast enough, and most of the story focused on the romance of Tressa than the treasure left by her father. If you like historical romances like The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen, then this might be the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

I knew as soon as I read the title, I wanted to read this book. Who doesn't like mystery and buried treasure? A Rumored Fortune centers around Tressa, a young woman who recently lost her father and is left penniless. Or is she? She knows her father had a fortune hidden on the family property, but he only promised to tell her its location right before he died. When he dies while she is away, she must try to put childhood clues together on her own.
Meanwhile, fortune hunting relatives arrive to "help," or more importantly steal the treasure, if they can find it first. An old flame also arrives to "comfort" Tressa, but she suspects he is only interested in money, not her. Tressa's only ally seems to be a mysterious new land manager her father hired right before he died. Donegan Vance is upfront about wanting money as well, but only what he earns through hard work. He falls in love with Tressa's strength, wit, and thirst for life. You must read the book to find out if the fortune is real or a myth.

I liked this book very much. I think the author did a good job at developing likable characters and an exciting plot line. I also thought her descriptions of the family home, Trevelyan Castle were vivid and well done.

What an absolute delight it was to read A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano. Ripe with analogies and a handsome hero, this is a book you will not be able to put down.

Did you notice my use of the word "ripe"? This wonderful book, while a great read that will get you lost in the main mystery, uses John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing," as it's central theme.

​Tressa Harlowe is an heiress without a fortune and is not sure who to trust when old beaus, family and strangers appear on her doorstep after the death of her father. All of them are looking for her father's lost treasure, and Tressa is finding it hard to decide who to trust. But with the help of Donegan Vance her, her vineyard manager, she learns who to believe in the most.

​I loved the mystery, the romance and the lessons learned. I highly recommend this book!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing.