The Keys to Gramercy Park by Candice Sue Patterson

The Keys to Gramercy Park
by Candice Sue Patterson

ISBN-13: 9781636095332
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Released: May 1, 2023

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Investigative historical journalist Andrea Andrews is tired of waiting tables to make ends meet. If she could find and write the next breakout story, she could secure a promotion with Smithsonian Magazine as their writer-at-large. But not much happens in lower Manhattan out of the ordinary until she discovers post-Civil War counterfeit bills hidden in the wall of her historic district apartment.

Politics have always been Beau Davidson-Quincy’s passion, despite his family’s real estate empire. His clean image and single status make him a target in the media as he prepares to build his campaign for NYC governor. He has nothing to hide until a cute waitress unravels a mystery that could destroy his family’s reputation.

Two centuries earlier, wounded Civil War veteran Franklin Davidson joins the newly formed Secret Service to combat the spread of counterfeit U.S. currency. His life and new home in Gramercy Park are the envy of his peers, but nothing is as it seems.


My Review:
The Keys to Gramercy Park is both a contemporary romance and a historical that began during the Civil War. The past story was a rather horrifying tale of Edward, a counterfeiter who cared for no one except himself and who wanted the life of his twin brother, Franklin. This was not a happy tale.

The current day romance started out well: Andrea wanted an interesting story to earn a better writing position with Smithsonian Magazine. She found some interesting counterfeit money, and Beau helped her get information she otherwise wouldn't get. When she linked it to Beau's ancestors, she promised she'd never use it to harm his reputation. She liked him and felt he'd be a good governor, but she didn't want to be a politician's wife. And so, perhaps subconsciously, she started sabotaging the relationship by threatening his reputation. I did not like her. In the end, she let him think he'd misjudged her intentions when he really hadn't. This is a case of: she didn't support him. She intended to destroy his dreams while justifying it to herself. Horrible match.

The stories weren't realistic, either. It's unfathomable that Edward managed to pretend to be Frank for even an hour. Strangers could identify that Frank was not Edward, so how come the people who knew him well and should have seen the very obvious differences did not do so?

Also, Andrea's research into the past provided clues as to what happened in the other timeline. However, she couldn't even prove Edward was born (among other things). A respectable magazine would not have printed the guesswork story that she came up with, especially when it would make a powerful family sue them. Beau asked her not to write it, and she intended to anyway. If she was a good enough writer to earn the position she wanted, she'd easily be able to write another good story rather than pin all her hopes on this one. Andrea's desire to write the story was unrealistic as it would never earn her the desired position in reality.

There were no sex scenes or bad language.


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.