A Rumored Fortune

4.5 stars

This one was much stronger than her debut, which I enjoyed but which did have a few plot gaps. “Rumored Fortune,” however, seemed to flow from one scene to the other much better and I felt I had more clues to the mystery. I was glued to the pages and couldn't put the book down. The suspense of finding the treasure or not, and the question of who was after Tressa's family, and all of the suspects–loved how there were so many suspects!–kept my mind on its toes while I was speeding through. Tressa was a fun character to follow as she gets thrown fully out of her comfort zone and has to figure out who she is as a woman and how she'll keep her life together in the wake of tragedy.

I really enjoyed the vineyard allegory but I felt it could have been drawn to a conclusion with a bit more specific Christian message; if someone's not versed in Christianity, it wouldn't have made a lot of sense. I got the message and enjoyed it because I've studied the “vine and branches” allegory, but I don't know how well it would translate to someone who hasn't read a lot of the Bible or who isn't familiar with Christianese at all.

The ending was a bit abrupt and I'd have preferred another chapter or so to spell out a little of what happens after the big denouement.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.