As I started reading this historical romance, I traveled back in time to 1874. In California, The Two Harts Ranch provided an adventure filled setting and characters that I enjoyed.

As a young doctor searched for and found his missing brothers, he also found a place to belong. His skills were needed as babies were born and sutures were sewn.

My favorite storyline involved a treasure hunt, complete with clues, maps, old journals and luck, both good and bad. The bad involved danger and some rather dastardly enemies.

The romance storyline was light and sweet. I enjoyed the family storylines, especially the ones between siblings. I also loved how teamwork and cooperation were a huge part of everyday life on the ranch.

I received complimentary copies of this book from Bethany House Publishers through Austen Prose and NetGalley. All thoughts expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book had several things that drew me to it. Who hasn't dreamed of finding treasure? It's easy to understand why Brody's brothers are drawn to find it. I have read a lot of books about the orphan trains so that was a plus. And I loved seeing how the Harts provided for so many children. Finally, I like when characters from other series make an appearance as well.

This book had a good pace. Ellie is a sweet woman and it was nice seeing her figure out a little more about who she was meant to be. Brody was a honorable, vibrant character. I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book. Thanks to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was such an enjoyable book! It has the perfect blend of mystery, suspense, adventure, and romance. Just so good. I cannot wait for book 2! I will be checking out more from this author in the meantime!

I miss the days of Connealy's trademark cowboy humor, but still mostly enjoyed this first book in her new series. There's a delightful tie into the The Lumber Baron's Daughters series.

Whispers of Fortune was such a delight! It is another frontier romance which Mary Connealy is known for! This book is full of mystery and intrigue, with a sweet and gentle romance. I totally recommend this book!

What's better than a story filled with cowboys, adventure, and a little mystery? How about a swoon-worthy romance laced with wit and humor? That's what I've learned to expect from a Mary Connealy story and this book is no exception! Whispers of Fortune takes place in California, near the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the 1870s. Two young runaway boys arrive there to search for a buried treasure that they've heard about all of their lives. Their grandfather's old journal holds the clues to finding the treasure but breaking the code seems impossible for Lochlan and Thayne McKenzie. Will their older brother Brody force them to go back to Boston, or will his heart be captured by the beauty of California and the woman who lives at Two Harts Ranch? Buried treasure is the prize for Lock and Thayne but Ellie Hart may be the true treasure for Dr. Brody McKenzie!

Whispers of Fortune is the first book in Connealy's new series, Golden State Treasure. Obscure clues and determined villains may hinder the search but faith, family, and forgiveness help lighten the way. I loved that the sisters from The Lumber Baron's Daughters series are apart of the story, and I look forward to learning more about Ellie's brother, Josh Hart! I recommend this book to all who enjoy historical Western romance!

I received a copy from the author and publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review.

Whispers of Fortune is a thrilling adventure filled with danger, a treasure hunt, sweet romance, & family reconciliation. Mary Connealy starts out this new Golden State Treasure series with a bang that doesn’t let up until the end. Her endearing characters navigate a host of challenges & enemies as they search for lost gold.

After finishing medical school, Brody MacKenzie’s on a mission to find his runaway brothers & bring them home. His search takes him across the country to the Two Harts Ranch in California. Worried that the boys are being mistreated, instead he finds them thriving under the care of Ellie Hart & her brother.

The boys have their grandfather’s journal which tells of a hidden treasure in the mountains. While he tries to convince the boys to abandon their hunt, he takes on the desperately needed role of ranch doctor. He also develops a budding friendship with Ellie Hart. But when it looks like the treasure might be real & others are determined to find it, Brody, Ellie, her brother Jake & the boys take on the perilous task of finding it.

This story brilliantly captures the thrill of treasure hunting. Thayne’s & Lock’s ingenuity & persistence are amazing. They’re definitely a handful. Though their relationship with their brother is strained at first, I enjoyed seeing them reconnect & grow closer as they work together to find the treasure.

I loved the romance between Ellie & Brody. Their slow burn relationship grows as they learn to rely on each other especially with all the medical injuries, baby births, & treasure hunting. There are some nasty villains also hunting for the treasure who provide lots of heart-pounding suspense. Woven throughout is a touch of faith, reconciliation, & overcoming the past.

Highly recommend! Excited for this new series & can’t wait to find out what happens next. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided.

This is my new favorite adventure series! I’ll be waiting anxiously for the next book when it is released. I live close to San Francisco, so it was fun to read a book set in ranch outside of San Francisco following the gold rush.

The book follows Brody, a young doctor from Boston who unexpectedly finds his brothers in an orphan school outside San Francisco. Brody’s brothers convince him to stay with them as the ranch doctor, and they set off in an adventure to find a family treasure. The romance, adventure, and treasure made each part of the book so fun to read!

Overall this is a fantastic book. The romance is clean (kisses only), and the violence that ensues is described in a way that won’t cause nightmares. Thank you to the publisher and author for the advance copy of this book. A review was not required.

Share a book that has a beautiful dedication. I loved the dedication in this book, “To my cowboy husband: You’re retired now, but you’ll always be a cowboy at heart.”

Brody MacKenzie has just become a doctor in 1874 and he has headed west to find his two brothers who have runaway from the orphan train after their parents’ deaths. He finds that they are in a great situation living in an orphanage and school, but that they are obsessed with using their grandfather’s old journal to find a hidden treasure. Will they find it before others that are also hot on the trail?

My thoughts on this novel:
• This was a good clean, western adventure romance. It was a great start to a new series.

• I enjoyed the character of Brodie MacKenzie. I liked that he was a good man who wanted to help his brothers out while also keeping the promise to the doctor that had helped him out.

• Ellie and her brother Josh have been taking care of the two brothers on the ranch. Ellie and Brodie have a romance in the novel that is sweet. The romance is not the focus of the novel and didn’t have much build-up.

• I always love a treasure hunt and I think it made the story more exciting that there was a villain also looking for the treasure.

• There is a sneak peak at the end for Book 2 of this series and it looks great!

Favorite Quote:
“Revenge was the juice that kept his blood flowing.” – What a great description of the villain.

Overall, Whispers of Fortune by Mary Connealy is an entertaining western adventure romance and good start to what looks to be a fascinating new series.

Book Source: Review copy from Bethany House Publishing as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Set in the hills of California in 1874, Mary Connealy’s newest book, Whispers of Fortune, starts a new series, Golden State Treasure. Connealy takes a couple of runaway boys, a worried brother who is looking for them, an orphanage director, and various other intriguing characters and mixes them up together, plops them down in riveting situations, and then proceeds to bring them all out—mostly safe and sound. With the most dastardly of villains and the most heroic of main characters, the reader can boo, hiss, sigh, and swoon to their heart’s content.

Ellie Hart is a compassionate, intelligent heroine who operates the orphanage at Two Harts Ranch. When doctor Brody MacKenzie comes barging to the ranch looking for his two runaway brothers, Ellie talks him into staying for a while to act as the ranch doctor. The two boys have their MacKenzie grandfather’s old journal with clues to where treasure is hidden. They figure it’s somewhere in the vicinity of the Two Harts Ranch and want Brody to help them find it. Of course, some villains are involved in trying to find the treasure, also.

With Connealy’s signature wit and humor, this book was a treat to read. It can be read as a stand alone, but it does have a bit of a hanging thread which continues to the next book. I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from her other series popping up in this one. I’m looking forward to Josh Hart’s story coming up next.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Bethany House. All opinions are my own.

Runaway brothers, a treasure map, fortune hunters, reunited family, and a gentle romance in exciting post-Gold Rush California. Mary Connealy is settled in and writing strong frontier era slow-burn romance with inspirational themes and I’m there for it.

Whispers of Fortune is the series opener of the Golden State Treasure series with a tie-in with a previous series, The Lumber Baron’s Daughters. I hadn’t dipped into that series yet, but had no trouble starting in on this series though I will be getting back to that trilogy.

Whispers of Fortune opens on a funny, awkward meet-cute when a woman answers the pounding on the ranch house door nearly getting punched by the hand pounding and then letting her big, gruff brother assume the young Dr. Mackenzie looking for his runaway brothers had attacked her. From there, they sort out the misunderstanding on both sides to help the Mackenzie brothers sort out their family situation and whether to go for the treasure.

I loved that Brody Mackenzie is a new doctor and there were scenes with him and Ellie Hart working together to help his patients from Ellie’s family’s ranch and the orphanage school and training center they run there.

Whispers of Fortune focused on Brody’s family history and situation, and Ellie’s backstory and current situation as she gets over a bad romance experience. Also, there was also a few other narratives happening even with the villains. A couple of these other threads didn’t entirely tie up at the end, but no surprise since this is only the first book in the series. However, with extra plot threads and narrators establishing the series world, there was a disjointed feeling to this story and the romance got a little short-shifted as a result.

I loved this historical setting of the California ranch post-Gold Rush and the beautiful mountains where the hunt for treasure happened. The treasure was tied in with early Spanish California exploration and history which was really neat. I’m eager to see where the series goes and enjoyed the hint that maybe big Josh Hart, the sailor turned rancher and the one-time orphaned orphan helper are going to get their story next. Something tells me there is more to come about the Cabrillo treasure and I’m looking forward to it.

In the end, it was a satisfying start to a series with favorite buzz elements of ‘treasure hunt’ and ‘California history’ for me. The inspirational theme of true treasure vs. greed was the driving piece to a plot featuring family healing, finding yourself, and sweet romance. Recommend to Historical Romance and Inspirational Romance fans.

What a fun start to a new Mary Connealy series! An old journal, runaway boys, a treasure hunt, a pair of outlaws, a ranch that could easily become its own town… Whispers of Fortune is truly the epitome of a western adventure, and I adored it! There’s also lots of kissing (which I loved, of course) and some complicated family dynamics (which made for some really intriguing layers to explore). Fans of Connealy’s The Lumber Baron’s Daughters, particularly Inventions of the Heart, will recognize the setting of Two Harts Ranch and the Hart siblings who factor prominently in this new series, but if you haven’t read those books yet you’ll be fine starting with Whispers of Fortune.

It might sound a bit ‘on the nose’ to say that heroine Ellie Hart has a big heart, but she absolutely does. Along with an intelligent mind, a resilient spirit, an intrinsic generosity, and an engaging personality that makes her easy to befriend. In short, Brody MacKenzie can’t help but be immediately drawn to her (even if he does at first think she kidnapped his brothers) and neither can readers. Brody’s education as a doctor comes in handy at the sprawling ranch, and I really enjoyed his calm bedside manner as he tended to a variety of patients (more than you’d expect on one ranch, but this isn’t a typical ranch). This New York/Boston guy has a lot to learn about life in the California West though, making for some amusing fish-out-of-water adjustments. And his brothers! Oh they’re a lovable handful with their treasure-hunting dreams and their determination to redeem (and discover) their family legacy. Of course, where there’s a treasure to hunt, complications inevitably surface, and the several that crop up in this first leg of the hunt add some very intriguing layers that I’m eager to watch play out in the books to come.

Bottom Line: Nobody writes witty frontier romances like Mary Connealy, and Whispers of Fortune made me smile with its sweet-and-swoony romance, layered characters, and exciting search for a mysterious treasure. I also loved the intriguing foundation it set for the rest of the series, ensuring I’ll be counting down the days until book two releases (especially because it features Josh whom I found particularly swoony even though he wasn’t the focus of this novel). Not to mention that Two Harts Ranch and the California Wild West came alive under Connealy’s talent for setting a scene and made me want to book a trip there post haste, were such a thing possible. (Albeit a quick visit though…in winter… I need my air conditioning haha!) Another fun and madcap adventure from one of the masters!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Such an exciting start to the newest series by Mary Connealy, the Golden State Treasure series. This takes place in 1875 in California on the Two Harts Ranch.
I see this has a great mix of characters with a variety of personalities. They mix together to form an interesting and exciting book.
A nice blend of faith, brotherly love, a bit of a mystery and romance kept my attention. I've enjoyed every book I've read by the author. There's a bit of western ruggedness with a bit of hardship that you have to keep reading to see if things will improve. I loved the concept of the treasure hunt which occupied a good bit of the book. I loved the reunion of the brothers, and the teen brothers are rascals for sure, but I can see them settling down in future books. This book is the perfect set up for the upcoming books in the series and I can't wait to read them.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this story of family and hunting for hidden treasure in 1875 California. Brody MacKenzie is on a mission to find his two younger brothers, get them to stop their foolish treasure hunt, and return them to Boston so he can begin his work as a doctor. What he doesn’t expect is to find a large ranch that houses and educates orphans, his brothers happy, a community that needs his doctoring skills, and Ellie Hart. As he spends time with his brothers and the Hart family working and hunting for the treasure he realizes that his future may not be in Boston after all. This is a story of family, loyalty, helping others, and love. I liked the Two Harts Ranch and the way everyone was encouraged to discover their strengths and let it guide their future. Plus the women of the ranch were given the same encouragement and were an integral part of it. There was just the right amount of danger as they hunted for the treasure. The romance between Brody and Ellie was lovely to watch develop. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy their sweet romances to have a touch of adventure.

What would you do if someone showed up at your door, pounding? In the old west, you’d put up your best defense. This is precisely what Ellie did when a frantic Brody showed up looking for his missing brothers.

What starts as a tense moment becomes the adventure of a lifetime. Brody’s brothers came to California on an orphan train to find the treasure that their grandfather had sent clues about. Their grandpa that had never come home.

This was a well-written story. There are themes of charity, family, and honor. The characters are well written, realistic, and interesting. The chemistry between Ellie and Brody is clear and well developed. The bad guys are appropriately sinister.

I loved reading this story as it unfolded. There were some.aspects that wrapped but there were others that tie this story to the next in the series which I look forward to.


I received an early copy from the publisher and this is my honest review.

“My brothers are searching for buried treasure.”

I really enjoyed how this book begins. The story starts with the banging of a door, with Brody MacKenzie looking for his missing brothers at Two Harts Ranch. Lock and Thayne are there to look for treasure, but they aren’t the only ones. The brothers underestimate the danger they’re in.

I really liked the different POV changes. The author does a great job showing the motives of the many characters who were involved with, or want to be, with the lost treasure. It also makes for an exciting, fast paced plot as they try to figure out the secrets of the journal. The characters are well done and I really liked Brody, Ellie, Jack, and many more!

There’s twists and turns, peril, treasure, secrets, with some romance. This is the first book I’ve read by Connealy and I really liked it.

Huge thank you to the publisher for the NetGalley link and the paperback. All views are my own.

When I first started this book I was a little overwhelmed at the number of characters to keep track of. But once I had that figured out, I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the next one!

Whispers of Fortune Is a fun start to a new western adventure series! Set in post-Gold Rush California, this Christian Historical Romance has a captivating storyline and inspiring themes of faith, forgiveness, and friendship.

A slow burn romance, strong heroine, family treasure hunt, a bit of humor, lovely reflective moments, and some suspense and intrigue, made this an enjoyable and engaging read.

I received a copy from Bethany House and Austenprose PR via NetGalley, but a positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

What a fun start to a series!

Runaway brothers. New doctor. Treasure hunting!

Fun characters and an adventurous story!!

Ooh boy is this new series off to a great start! First off, this series connects back to one of Mary’s previous series: “The Lumber Baron’s Daughters,” which is one of my favorite Mary Connealy series ever. So that immediately elevates this series for me. Secondly the opening of this book pulled me in immediately and made me giggle and I was hooked from then on. The premise of hunting for a lost treasure is completely intriguing and the cast of characters is another great group that will be fun to read about as the series progresses. I am here for the Golden State Treasure series! It’s Mary Connealy at her best!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to post a positive review. I also purchased my own audiobook copy. All thoughts are my own.