A Sparkle of Silver ~ Review

A Sparkle of Silver
Georgia Coast Romance #1
By Liz Johnson

Millie Sullivan is desperate and she'll do just about anything to keep her grandmother safe but as Grandma Joy slips further into the grasp of dementia Millie is running out of time and resources. When her grandmother, during a lucid moment, mentions a family secret, a treasure, and a journal that could solve all her problems. There's just one problem the Chateau is a tourist location operated by the historical preservation society. Short of paying for a tour that only allowed access to limited locations her only other option is to take a job there as a guest from the late 1920s. As an actor she can be in the Chateau but her access to the estate and home is still limited. But she'll do anything even sneak into the places she is expressly forbidden to be.

Ben Thornton is working as a security guard for the Chateau. And he takes his job very seriously - he needs the money. When he comes across a woman in the estate library he knows he needs to take her in but she has a story to tell one that could very help him get the funds he needs. But to find the treasure that Millie convinces him exists will require some off hours searching - searching that if discovered could get them both fired.

A Sparkle of Silver is a blend of contemporary and historical as Millie and Ben work through the few clues that they have which include the journal entries of Ruth Holiday from the summer of 1929. Ruth, the daughter of a farmer, has a position at a bank and is not of the social class that would normally frequent the Chateau. But her friendship with one of the residents brings her into a world she dreams of calling her own - a world of wealth and ease. As Ruth goes through this summer she finds herself with a choice - one that will determine the course of her future - one that will test her heart.

As Ruth's story is revealed Millie and Ben are faced with their own choices. Will they let the past determine their futures? Or will they allow their today chart the course for tomorrow?

This is the first book in a new series by Liz Johnson and this one is set on St Simons Island,  Georgia rather than Prince Edward Island. Having been there I can imagine the setting - warm breezes, the beauty of the Spanish moss draping from the trees (what I most miss now living in Wisconsin), the scent of the ocean. This book deals with issues that confront many in their day-to-day living in a thought provoking manner for those have not faced them. This book would be an excellent book club selection. This would also be an excellent way to spend a day off (which I did with a pile of 13 dachshunds surrounding me). I like the back-and-forth between the present and the past, which was easy to follow as the journal entries were dated and in italics.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell with no expectations except that I offer my honest opinion ~ all opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:

Uncovering the past can lead to an unexpected future . . . 

Millie Sullivan plays a 1920s-era guest during tours of a palatial estate on the shore of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where her great-grandmother was a real guest ninety years ago. When Millie learns of a lost diary that may contain the location of a hidden treasure on the estate and reveal the identity of her great-grandfather, she sets out to find the truth of her heritage--and the fortune she desperately needs. But it won't be easy.

When security guard Ben Thornton discovers her snooping in the estate's private library, he threatens to have her fired. Still, her story seems too ludicrous to be fiction, and her offer to split the treasure is too tempting to pass up.

Get ready for a romantic escapade through dark halls and dusty corners that will have you holding your breath and sighing with delight.