Carved in Stone by Elizabeth Camden

Carved in Stone
by Elizabeth Camden

ISBN-13: 9780764238437
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: August 31st 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Gwen Kellerman is one of the infamous Blackstone family, villified for their business practices and gaining little sympathy when her young brother was kidnapped and never returned. She now lives a quiet life at the idyllic college founded with her family's fortune and hopes to keep the tragedies of her past safely behind her.

Patrick O'Neill survived a hardscrabble youth to become a lawyer for the downtrodden Irish immigrants in his community. He's proud of his work, even though he struggles to afford his ramshackle law office. All that changes when he accepts a case to challenge the Blackstones' legacy of greed and corruption by resurrecting a thirty-year-old mystery.

Little does Patrick suspect that the Blackstones will launch their most sympathetic family member to derail him. Gwen is tasked with getting Patrick to drop the case, but the old mystery takes a shocking twist neither of them saw coming. Now, as they navigate a burgeoning attraction, Patrick struggles with how people are criticizing their relationship.


My Review:
Carved in Stone is a romance set in 1900 in New York. I liked how Gwen forgave and helped others even when wronged. I admired Liam's willingness to do hard and uncomfortable things to gain his end goal (which was also to help others). But I had a hard time liking Patrick. He was a good lawyer, but he chose to serve those who were too poor to pay (at least in cash) out of guilt though he also called it his mission. His mother worked hard to earn the money for their rent and food. So he's living off a woman's money. But when it came to marrying Gwen, he didn't want any of her money. He wanted to be the provider and her savior because he didn't like that others thought he was marrying her for her money. He wasn't going to change to working for the rich and wouldn't let Gwen live in poverty with him. He refused to compromise one bit to get what he wanted even if it meant giving up a strong, compassionate woman who built him up. He's exasperating, though the point of the story was how he had to deal with his pride (while helping solve the mystery of Gwen's kidnapped brother).

The characters reacted realistically, were complex, and I cared about what happened to them. Gwen and Patrick admired each other's character and became better people from having known each other. Historical details about mega-corporations, powerful banks, worker unions, etc., were woven into the story. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.