![]() Author: Mary Connealy Genre: Historical Romance Series: Golden State Treasure #1 Pages: 304 Release Date: February 4, 2025 Publisher: Bethany House Publishers In a land of gold and grit, can two hearts uncover the true treasure? In 1875 California, Brody MacKenzie arrives at the Two Harts Ranch on a mission to find his runaway brothers, worried they may have fallen into harm. Instead, he discovers them thriving at the ranch's school and orphanage under the care of Ellie Hart, a woman with a heart as resilient as the land she calls home. His options limited, Brody reluctantly takes on the role of ranch doctor, and he forms an unexpected bond with Ellie, who's kept a steady eye on Brody's two rapscallion brothers. When the boys show him a mysterious journal that has been guiding their travels and may hold the key to a lost treasure, Brody and Ellie are captivated by the possibility of a thrilling adventure. With winter approaching and his brothers threatening to bolt again, Brody and Ellie race against time to decipher cryptic clues and unearth the hidden fortune. But along the way, old adversaries resurface, threatening their newfound affection and the safety of those at the ranch. ![]() Reviewer: Paula Shreckhise Woo hoo! We get to catch up with some characters from another series! The Harts from The Lumber Baron’s Daughters own a ranch in California to benefit orphans. Teens Thayne and Lochlan MacKenzie ran away from New York on a quest to find a treasure that their grandfather had never found. They end up on the Two Harts Ranch. Big brother Brody, a doctor, tracks them to the ranch and demands their release, but they do not want to give up the search. This book had a lot of parts to keep up with, but with the story spanning three books, I see the need for the plot to carry over with several subplots and hints of more than one romance to take center stage in their own book. The premise of a treasure map that was given to more than one family has all sorts of possibilities. Who is trustworthy? What exactly was the original agreement? The story certainly kept me guessing, and it’s not over yet! With her signature humor, solid faith thread, complex plot and sweet romance, Ms. Connealy has written another absorbing cowboy western to entertain us. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews via NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone. ![]() Reviewer: Jeanette Durkin I really enjoyed this book! I was immediately hooked from the very beginning. There are runaways, intrigue, a mysterious treasure, and more. The Hart family is amazing! They run Two Harts ranch with kindness and compassion. Ellie is one of my favorites. She’s a little bit sassy, but she’s compassionate, loving, and wise. Brody didn’t impress me at first. However, after his past was revealed, his true heart was too. He genuinely loved and cared about his family. Lock is my favorite. Yes, he gets in trouble a lot. Yes, he worries people a lot. But he’s just so passionate about his grandfather’s treasure. I also share his love of maps and geography. The love story is sweet. It’s Ellie’s idea to have Brody help out at the ranch with his doctor skills. The more time they spend together, the more their affection for each other grows. I love that he calls her his treasure! I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers via Net Galley through Interviews & Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ![]() Reviewer: Juanita Varela Whispers of Fortune is a western adventure you do not want to miss out on. It is the first book in the series for Golden State Treasure. Mary Connealy provides a strong female lead, which is how she writes her novels. I like the suspense with the twist and turns and humor she has in her novels. I am always sad to see a series end, but Mary Connealy always has some cameos for them to appear. In this story, there are some cameos. Exciting news! So, if you miss old characters, I recommend this one. If you haven’t read The Lumber Baron’s Daughter, I recommend reading that series before this one so there won’t be any confusion. This book ends off without a conclusion, and that is okay. It just leaves the reader ready for the next one, which I am. This is a clean read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers through Interviews & Reviews. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own. ![]() Reviewer: Lori Parrish Another fantastic read by this wonderful author and a great start to a new series! I love her stories because they have her trademark humor in them. It was a can’t put down book for sure! Lots going on here and a few twists I didn’t see coming. I really loved in getting to know these new characters, and I also rooted for them. A solid 4 stars for a solid read and for keeping my attention all the way through. I recommend this. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley and Interviews & Reviews. All opinions expressed are mine. ![]() Reviewer: Adriann Harris In Whispers of Fortune, Mary Connealy returns her readers to the historic western frontier of California, and the Hart family ranch in her new Golden State Treasure series. In The Lumber Baron's Daughters series which focused on the older Hart family members, who have cameos in Whispers of Fortune, this one focuses on the younger members of the Hart family and the newly arrived Mackenzie brothers. Connealy does give just enough background story of the older siblings that one can follow them without having read The Lumber Baron's Daughters series. However, it is the opinion of this reader that to get the most out of this new series, one needs to read The Lumber Baron's Daughters series first! Connealy, introduces us to the two youngest members of the Hart family, Josh who is running the ranch while his older siblings are away on other duties and Ellie who is trying to find out what her unique strength is through trial and error in this story. She also introduces us to Brody MacKenzie, a newly graduated doctor, who is searching for his younger brothers, Lock and Thayne, who ran away from home in search of treasure. He tracks them to the Hart Ranch where he is met at gunpoint by Ellie, and the adventure begins. One thing I always love about reading stories by Mary Connealy is the bits of humor throughout. Lock and Thayne MacKenzie posing as two runaway orphans on a treasure hunt, stole the spotlight with their antics. Since this story centers around treasure Connealy reminds her readers that the true treasure is in heaven. As a new series goes, the first book, Whispers of Fortune was a fairly good read. However, I personally felt a little lost in the beginning, like I had missed something, or maybe Whispers of Fortune wasn’t actually a new series but a continuation of an earlier series, which in a way it is. That is why I highly recommend reading The Lumber Baron's Daughters series first. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Bethany House Publishers via NetGalley through Interviews & Reviews. I was not obligated to write a favorable review, and all opinions are my own. ![]() Reviewer: Laura J. Davis Whispers of Fortune by Mary Connealy is a historical novel set in 1875 in California. While the book had a thrilling beginning and a great premise, it failed to capture my attention. Through the lens of Brody MacKenzie, a doctor who has been searching for his brothers, the author takes the reader on a search for treasure and a search for Brody’s brothers, who keep running away from the orphanage where he eventually finds them. He meets Ellie Hart and her brother Josh, who have taken the boys in at Two Harts Ranch. When she finds out Brody is a doctor, she tries to convince him to stay, when he tells her repeatedly that he can’t. But his brothers are determined to follow a map in an old journal left by their grandfather to what they are convinced is a treasure and refuse to leave without searching for it. When Brody puts his foot down, insisting they have to leave, they run away again. Much of the book is then spent on finding this treasure and describing how the journal was found. In fact, the information about the map and the treasure and Brody’s family is repeated so much, I lost interest. Meanwhile, other side characters were in play. Tilda was looking for the runaway brothers, Thayne and Lock, that she was in charge of on the orphan train. I feel this character could have been left out of the book entirely as her story disrupted the flow of the book. Amid this, without a hint of attraction between them, Brody suddenly kisses Ellie. This moment in the book was so awkward and unnatural that I thought I’d missed something. After that, any romance between Brody and Ellie seemed forced. The villain in the story (Loyal) added some much needed excitement toward the end of the book and I appreciated how the author talked about storing up treasure in heaven instead of on earth. I was disappointed at the abrupt ending because there were so many loose ends not addressed in the book, so it was nice to have the first chapter of the next book follow the epilogue. And even though it didn't resolve anything, I suspect these loose ends will be addressed in the next book. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley for my honest review. Leave a Reply. |
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