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Love in Disguise

by Carol Cox (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 356 ratings · 93 reviews

Delightfully Engaging Blend of Romance, Suspense, History, and Humor When costume-maker Ellie Moore suddenly finds herself out of a job in the middle of a bleak Chicago winter, she uses her knowledge of theatrical disguise to secure a position as an undercover operative with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Her assignment: find the culprit behind the theft of silver shipped...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published June 1st 2012 by Bethany House (first published January 1st 2012)

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Sep 20, 2012 Gwen rated it 3 of 5 stars

A very entertaining and delightful read, even if it the romance doesn't start cooking until the latter half of the story. Ellie's guilt over her necessary deception, and her tendency to dig herself deeper into a hole gave her a refreshing human element, and made her fun to watch. I really enjoyed her love/talent for acting. The hero was okay, but I didn't connect with him as well as Ellie. I didn't understand his attraction to "Jessie" since he didn't spend much time with her "on screen", and it...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love in Disguise is about a young women named Ellie Moore. She had worked for a theater company in Chicago as a personal wardrobe mistress to a renowned actress. When the actress ends her career in America and sails for London, Ellie is unexpectedly out of a job. Her career takes a turn when she over hears two men talking about a need for a private investigator. Soon she is headed out west to see what she can find out about a situation she is supposed to investigate incognito.

I loved this book!...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Jelly Bean rated it 5 of 5 stars

The moment I saw this cover, I was intrigued. Something about it drew me in. I try my best not to judge a book by its cover, but this one...my thought was that I bet it is going to be good!

I was not disappointed. Ellie is a character you will not forget. With her background and history of always being around theatrics and the stage, she has a natural curiousity. She watches people with a critical eye to see how a character developes as far as voice, expression, demeaner, etc.

She was born into a...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Raine Lampert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ellie Moore wants to be an actress so bad. When an opportunity comes along that she wants so badly, does she have the talent to talk the men into giving her a chance. Can she pull off the biggest act of her life? Can she go to a totally different state and help solve a crime as a Pinkerton agent?

This is a great book set in 1881, crime, mystery,love, danger. Take the adventure with a young woman that has to make the decision of her life that will ultimately change her life forever. Will she make...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Spunky, Feisty, Determined. Three good adjectives to describe main character, Ellie Moore. Insecure, Stubborn, Desperate. Also three good adjectives to describe Ellie.

Author, Carol Cox, did an excellent job in creating the character, Ellie Moore. Ellie is someone who desperately wants to be acknowledged for being good at something. She has always been in the background, but desperately wants to stand out. Some people are comfortable being in the background and never being noticed. Ellie is comfo...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Cornelia rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Gentlemen, that young woman and I are one and the same.” The heroine of Love in Disguise, Ellie Moore, tells two Pinkerton detectives in interview for a job in which she can use her acting and makeup skills . She get’s the position and is soon on a stage to a wild west town in Arizona. There she disguises herself as two people, an elderly aunt and her beautiful, vivacious niece for the purpose of investigating robberies of local silver mines.

As she puts her life on the line to solve the myster...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

December, 1881. Chicago, Illinois. Ellie Moore finds herself jobless when the actress she worked for leaves for Europe without her. With just enough money for rent and no food, she overhears a conversation between two Pinkerton detectives needing an agent to catch silver thieves in Pickford, Arizona Territory.

Applying for the job, Ellie finds they need a middle-aged female agent, as they already hired a younger agent. Leaving the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, she returns home and makes he...more December, 1881. Chicago, Illinois. Ellie Moore finds herself jobless when the actress she worked for leaves for Europe without her. With just enough money for rent and no food, she overhears a conversation between two Pinkerton detectives needing an agent to catch silver thieves in Pickford, Arizona Territory.

Applying for the job, Ellie finds they need a middle-aged female agent, as they already hired a younger agent. Leaving the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, she returns home and makes herself up as a middle-aged woman from the left over costumes and makeup from the theater job and returns to the Agency. Though she wormed her way into a job through her disguise, they are unsure because of her lack of detective work. Since she’s joining Norma Brooks, one of their top-notch agents, they feel they have no choice, as all their agents are similarly engaged and they don’t want to pass up the job.

Carol does a wonderful job in fleshing out the characters in her book, while supplying plenty of mining history in the Arizona Territory. Ellie is Lavinia, the older widowed woman looking for investments, during the morning hours and Jessie, the gorgeous red-headed flirt in the evenings. As both characters, she tries to mine out information from the locals. Steven Pierce is the most friendly and talkative, especially as he starts to fall in love with Jessie.

The dangers start when the thieves try to ‘discourage’ the two women. The shenanigans Ellie has to play out keeps the story flowing. I found them both engaging, but didn’t feel as though the situation was realistic, as someone would surely have figured them out. It was an entertaining story and the possibility of it working out could have been possible due to the time era (1881) and the fact that the town didn’t expect two female Pinkerton agents.

For an entertaining storyline based around the 1880′s and the history of the mining industry, this would make a fun read. It’s just not my style.

This book was provided free by Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. No monetary compensation was exchanged.(less)

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Sep 17, 2012 Jodie Wolfe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Love in Disguise by Carol Cox depicts a fascinating time period in history - the era of the Pinkerton detectives. I liked the twist in the story in that the heroine was the lead detective through a chance of circumstances. When Ellie Moore found herself jobless, she never contemplated a career in sleuthing until, an overheard conversation and a trunk of costumes and wigs inspire her to start on the track as a detective.

Steven Pierce is on the brink of ruin unless he can find out who has been ste...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Dolores Ayotte rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Love in Disguise" is the first book I have read by Author Carol Cox, and if I have anything to say about it, it won't be my last! This fictional novel is wonderfully refreshing and captured my attention right at the onset. This talented author manages to weave an incredible mystery story with such finesse and expertise, that it is sure to grab the interest of discerning readers who enjoy this genre.

Ms. Cox demonstrates her writing talent by developing her main character, Ellie/Lavinia/Jessie in...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Kathleen E. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Saturday, August 4, 2012
New Historical by Carol Cox: Love In Disguise, c2012

Pickford, Arizona Territory, December, 1881. Silver mine owners meet secretly at night to determine what steps they will take to disclose who is giving out information from within causing thievery to deplete them of their profits and possibly their livelihood. No matter what transport they use, their shipments are intercepted. Uncertain of local trustworthiness, they decide to contact an investigation agency.

Chicago, Ill...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Ibjoy1953 rated it 5 of 5 stars

My Thoughts on Love In Disguise

Ellie Moore never thought she would be looking for employment, but after being told she was no long needed at her former job, she need a job and will take anything she can get. It just so happens she overhears a conversation about someone needing a woman for an undercover operation, and Ellie knew this job was for her. And after much convincing, she gets the job, a job that she will need to prove herself.

So all is well with Ellie now that she has a job, right? Well...more

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Jul 29, 2012 E rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ellie Moore, the protagonist in Carol Cox's novel, Love In Disguise, finds herself unemployed and on the verge of being homeless in the winter of 1882 in Chicago. Her possessions are few-consisting of a trunk filled with the wardrobe that once belonged to her former employer who was a vain and selfish actress. Ellie's only work experience was that of theater wardrobe mistress. A chance encounter and an overheard conversation leads to her applying for a position within the Pinkerton Detective Age...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, historical-fiction

Ellie Moore finds herself down to her last pennies and out of a job. In desperation, she seeks a job with the Pinkerton Agency. The only reason they hire her is because of her acting ability. When things quickly go wrong on her first assignment, Ellie's only course of action is to rely on her acting skills and play the roles of both elderly widow and her beautiful, vivacious niece. Steven Pierce is one of the mine owners who have asked the Pinkertons to come and investigate into the silver robbe...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Kay Defreese rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ellie Moore is a costume designer for the stage actress Magdalena. When Magdalena decides to perform in Europe she leaves Ellie behind and without a job. She does decide to leave Ellie her costumes, wigs and makeup which comes in handy when Ellie is hired by the Pinkerton detective agency to find out the mystery of why gold is being stolen from some mining companies in Arizona. Ellie is hired by the Pinkertons to play a middle aged widow. Ellie is supposed to have a partner to play the younger n...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Chelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ellie Moore is a girl who always seems to be a part of the back drop and never a star in the limelight. Her career has always been to prep and prepare the major stars for the stage, while never reaching it herself. All of that comes to a drastic end when she is told, unexpectedly, that she needs to seek employment elsewhere. From that point on her life begins to spiral into a thundering whirlwind and she cannot even begin to fathom how she will pay her rent or afford food to eat. These are not f...more Ellie Moore is a girl who always seems to be a part of the back drop and never a star in the limelight. Her career has always been to prep and prepare the major stars for the stage, while never reaching it herself. All of that comes to a drastic end when she is told, unexpectedly, that she needs to seek employment elsewhere. From that point on her life begins to spiral into a thundering whirlwind and she cannot even begin to fathom how she will pay her rent or afford food to eat. These are not fun thoughts for any character to harbor. She begins to run out of time and options until what seems like the last straw, isn’t it funny how that always works?

Ellie overhears a few men talking about what seems to be an undercover operation in which they need to hire one more woman for in order for the mission to be a success. Ellie, having no experience investigating but plenty of experience acting if only behind the curtains, decides that this would be the perfect option for her. She eventually convinces them that she is the woman that they are looking for, in a rather comical way if I do say so myself, and is whisked off to Arizona in order to uncover who or whom is stealing all the silver from the local mines in Pickford.

Ellie’s character is strong and has many different sides, this is funny but you have to read the book to understand what I am insinuating here!! She is quite fearless and takes on an operation that puts her in harm’s way more than one time. In the 1880’s it was not the woman’s place really to involve herself in the affairs of men, but Ellie surely does. I was just so shocked with how nosy and forceful she could be with grown men. She had a mission and she had agreed with herself to not stop until it was completed to the best of her ability. She carried so much faith in herself and was never one to doubt herself even when others may have.

I love mystery stories like this one because I was actually able to follow along with Ellie as she kept track of everything that she witnessed or learned each day. Many characters with different viewpoints were introduced, but it was not confusing at all. I was able to keep up with each character and was able to relate his or her importance with the overall story. Ellie was a smart thinker and was often forced to think on the spot when she was placed in a tough situation. I can really admire all of her brilliant detective work. If I were her I would have felt so alone in the small town of Pickford, Arizona where she hardly knew anyone. But being a detective she was forced to jump right in and meeting all of the various people that Ellie meets is a huge part of the book!

This was a quick read with a heroine that was not your average every day, at least in some historical fiction novels. She was bright and diligent instead of vulnerable and scared. She knew that as a woman it was, more times than not, not her place to speak up in a meeting of men but that is what makes her so brilliant. She knew what she wanted and she went for it. I feel like when she faced an obstacle or she realized that someone was trying to shut up that that only made her talk louder. I constantly found myself relating to her!

**A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Bethany House in return for my honest review and I am so thankful!**
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Jul 06, 2012 Jordan Mierek rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received a copy of LOVE IN DISGUISE by Carol Cox from Bethany House. Not only is the front cover intriguing, but the back cover hooked me from the first sentence: “Can she solve the crime before they uncover her true identity?” I started reading at lunch and couldn’t wait to get home to finish the novel. It really is one you can’t put down, and fast-paced enough to read in one day.

The novel begins in Chicago in 1881, where Ellie works as an actress’s assistant. The actress, however, moves to...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Christian Fiction Addiction rated it 5 of 5 stars

An absolutely delightful read, Love in Disguise is sure to provide some well-spent hours of entertainment to the reader fortunate enough to spend time in its pages. I found myself thrilled by the unique plot, smiling and laughing at the antics of the heroine, and completely swept up into the adventure that was created by Ellie's crazy scheme to go undercover as not one but two spunky women! The plot has plenty of action to keep the story unfolding at a quick pace, and I guarantee that you are no...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

With 30 books in print, Carol Cox is certainly not a new author, but somehow this is the first time I've read one of her works; however, it won't be the last! This novel charmed me from the first pages and kept me holding my breath as Ellie works undercover in Arizona for the Pinkerton Agency. Managing one disguise would be difficult enough, but when she starts changing between two different people, things get really interesting! Of course, they can never be in the same place at the same time, a...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Nora St Laurent rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shakespeare said, “All the world is a stage, and all the men and women are merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…”

These words explain the premise of this book perfectly. In enters main character Ellie Moore a starlet wannabee, who is a wardrobe, make-up and hair stylist person in the theatre for a well known actress. Ellie takes her job seriously and watches the leading ladies so she can learn to be the best when it was her turn to b...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Charity rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have read a couple of Carol Cox's others books and enjoyed them. But this one took me by surprise! I LOVED this one! The whole Pinkerton detective plot pulled me in as I love spy or detective books. The book opens with setting up the later plot and giving a background of Ellie. But then it plunges you into the middle of a mystery, romance and lots of disguises! I thought the first meeting of the Pinkerton detectives and Ellie was quite hysterical and when I laughed, my sister wanted to know wh...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Kathleen (Kat) Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-literature, christian-action-adventure, christian-historical-fiction, christian-fiction, christian-teen-fiction, christian-western-romance, historical-fiction, murder-mystery, romance-fiction, young-adult-fiction

Just who has Ellie Moore become? Even now, looking back she can't remember, but God can. Now that she has given up the life of an actress in Chicago and trying to find a way to make a living, she overhears a conversation between two men looking for a woman for hire. They are Pinkerton's and were hoping to locate a woman to send along with a younger one to find out who's been stealing silver from the mines in Arizona.

When Ellie applies for the job with little more than being aware of other's conv...more Just who has Ellie Moore become? Even now, looking back she can't remember, but God can. Now that she has given up the life of an actress in Chicago and trying to find a way to make a living, she overhears a conversation between two men looking for a woman for hire. They are Pinkerton's and were hoping to locate a woman to send along with a younger one to find out who's been stealing silver from the mines in Arizona.

When Ellie applies for the job with little more than being aware of other's conversations as her only experience for the job, they look at her plain, young looks and politely decline to hire her. What they were looking for, was an older woman to accompany the young Norma Moore as an elderly escort to Arizona. Thinking back to her theater experience in Chicago, she quickly changes into a disguise as an elderly woman called Lavina Stewart, wearing a grey wig and elderly clothing. When she returns to the agency, neither man can recognize her and are ready to hire her, when she reveals who she is, begging them to give her a chance. Seeing no other options, they offer to send her along with Norma, an experienced field agent to Arizona.

However, when she meets up with Norma and learns she has no intention on going to Arizona now that she has fallen in love and gotten married, Ellie, heads off on her own, hoping to come up with a plan before she arrives in Arizona. Her only hope lies in the costume trunk she was left with from her previous work with the Chicago theater.

Steven Pierce is finding it hard to keep his silver mine going with the recent thefts. He agrees with the other silver mine owners to hire the Pinkerton's to help since they aren't sure their local Marshall isn't part of the recent string of silver thefts. He sure doesn't seem to want to do anything to bring anyone to justice. Now if only he can keep his head above water before his mining operations going under with this bank account become thinner and thinner. When Mrs. Lavina Stewart arrives to meet with him, he feels God has answered his prayer in finding a way to keep his mining operations afloat as an investment. If only he knew behind that wig and costume lies the help he was asking for in a different way.

In the novel, Love in Disguise by Carol Cox, Ellie Moore will have to use everything in her bag of tricks to deceive not only all the residents on the town of Pickford, Arizona to keep not only the disguise of Lavina Stewart up, but to answer for the missing niece the Pinkerton's have hired with Ms. Moore, whom she hasn't explained isn't there. Lucky for her, she has another wig in her costume trunk to play the parts of two women while questioning the town for clues to the silver mine thefts.

I received Love in Disguise compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and have to say this one was interesting in a variety of ways. First introducing not only the Pinkerton's into a historical fiction, but making her a woman character as well. Add to that mix, a woman who must master the art of deception and disguise while solving a crime. If she can do it, she knows it will secure her a job with the detective agency once this case is over. The character Ellie portrays is definitely believable and I can see how hard it would be to keep track of what towns person has told which character what information, as she switches between the two woman. Will anyone catch on why the two are never seen together? You'll have to read this one and find out. I personally rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for more from Carol Cox in the future. (less)

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Apr 16, 2012 Virginia Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, mystery, suspense, western

"Love in Disguise", by Carol Cox, offers a delightful and entertaining heroine in Ellie Moore. An assistant to a demanding actress, Ellie suddenly finds herself adrift when her employer sets sail for Europe and leaves Ellie behind with only a wardrobe trunk filled with costumes and memories of years gone by. Alone and unemployed in Chicago of the late 1800s, Ellie is facing an uncertain future until she overhears two men talking about hiring a woman for a certain job. She follows the two men, wh...more "Love in Disguise", by Carol Cox, offers a delightful and entertaining heroine in Ellie Moore. An assistant to a demanding actress, Ellie suddenly finds herself adrift when her employer sets sail for Europe and leaves Ellie behind with only a wardrobe trunk filled with costumes and memories of years gone by. Alone and unemployed in Chicago of the late 1800s, Ellie is facing an uncertain future until she overhears two men talking about hiring a woman for a certain job. She follows the two men, who turn out to be Pinkerton agents, and tries to persuade them she is just the woman they seek. However, they turn her down and send her on her way. Ellie learned a lot during her years behind the scenes at the theater, and she returns in the guise of an older widow lady seeking employment. She makes an impression on the detectives, and they send her on an undercover assignment to Pickford, Arizona, where shipments of silver ore are routinely being waylaid. The desperate owners of the local mines have hired the Pinkerton Agency to investigate and stop the thefts. When the female agent who was supposed to be Ellie's partner suddenly quits to get married, Ellie finds herself playing two roles: matronly widow Lavinia Stewart, and Lavinia's dazzling red-haired niece, Jessie Monroe. Complicating matters is Ellie's attachment to the handsome and courtly mine owner, Steven Pierce, who grows fond of Lavinia and quite attracted to Jessie. Ellie knows that she is neither of those women, and she fears that Steven will reject her when he learns the truth. Ellie gets both of her alter egos into precarious predicaments, some of which are funny and some of which are suspenseful. There is villainy of more than one variety taking place in Pickford, and Ellie's two identities are right in the middle of the action. "Love in Disguise" is a very readable and enjoyable historical romantic suspense story with a lovely romance between two people who are both at a turning point in their lives and their faith. Ellie and Steven bring out the best in each other, and together they might just grab true happiness and hold onto it for a lifetime.

Review Copy Gratis Library Thing
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Aug 13, 2012 IrenesChristianReviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

The main character in this book is funny and resourceful. The story itself is interesting and that is why this book goes down as one of my favorites!

The book follows the main characters Ellie Moore and Steven Pierce. Their relationship plays out very well and is a joy to read. I like how Ellie uses her brain and is not just another main character that needs rescuing from her “prince charming.”

The story is a mystery as much as it is a romance. There is great humor and interesting conversations to...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoy a good mystery, and I must say that this books is definitely a good mystery. I was a little surprised at who turned out to be one of the thieves by the end of the story. Usually I can figure it all out ahead of time, but this one sort of snuck up on me.

I have read a few other female detective stories that feature the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and this one lived up to the adventure, mystery and more that I was expecting.

I really loved the characters in this story! If I had to choose onl...more

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Jul 11, 2012 TAMMY CUEVAS rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction

"When one door closes, another door opens." That must be Ellie's motto, for when her employer leaves her to go to Europe, Ellie picks herself up and finagles her way into a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The plan is for Ellie to travel to Arizona to help with an investigation into a series of silver shipment robberies. But when her partner has a change of plans, Ellie decides to try to do the job of two people. Not only is it more difficult than she imagined, but her growing attra...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Nikole Hahn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love in Disguise by Carol Cox brings us to the edge of believability in her story about an unlikely heroine, Ellie Moore.

Ellie worked as the assistant of a famous actress. She had big dreams and a big attitude where it concerned her acting ability. However, Ellie’s dreams slip by when a trip to Europe is cruelly taken from her by someone with an equally big ego. Jobless, Ellie searches the streets of Chicago looking for another job when she runs into two detectives from the renowned Pinkerton Ag...more Love in Disguise by Carol Cox brings us to the edge of believability in her story about an unlikely heroine, Ellie Moore.

Ellie worked as the assistant of a famous actress. She had big dreams and a big attitude where it concerned her acting ability. However, Ellie’s dreams slip by when a trip to Europe is cruelly taken from her by someone with an equally big ego. Jobless, Ellie searches the streets of Chicago looking for another job when she runs into two detectives from the renowned Pinkerton Agency. They eventually hire Ellie.

The Pinkertons send her across the country to Arizona where a group of silver mine owners are losing profit because of robbers. Somehow, the perpetrator always knows where the silver shipments are going or where they are hidden. The Pinkerton Detective Agency doesn’t know Ellie’s assigned partner got married and left. This leaves Ellie with only one choice in order to keep income coming in and to prove her acting abilities to the agency. In this small town of Pickford, Arizona, Ellie goes as two people. She is both Lavinia, an aging woman and Lavinia’s young niece, Jessie.

This of course creates a Superman problem. Like Clark Kent and Superman was never in the same place at the same time so Ellie must work her make-up and costume magic in order to keep a small town from knowing that she is a Pinkerton Agent.

Steven Pierce, one of the mine owners, thinks the Pinkerton Agency hasn’t sent anyone. He begins to fall in love with Jessie. No one knows who is feeding the robbers information, but as we get closer to the end Carol creates fascinating tensions between Ellie and Steven as well as bringing about humorous situations. The problem, of course, in the story is how Ellie is able with what was available back then make a convincing older woman?

When I have gone to see theater, it was always obvious to me with what they have available now that the person is wearing layers of make-up to appear older. The heavy lines across a young face are only convincing in my opinion when bright lights and dark theaters accompany it. In daylight, I wonder about how this situation could be possible or even realistic? Also, the end left me hoping for a sequel because of all the story threads Carol has put in the novel. She has brought Pickford, Arizona alive.

Although, I had a problem with the believability, I appreciate the difficulty of putting together this Superman meets Agatha Christie novel. Carol managed to make me believe it was possible for a younger woman to look older and brought about the emotions typical of a good happily ever after story. Carol is well-versed in Arizona history and her research comes through quite realistically. I gave this novel five stars.

*Book given by author to review. (less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Sensitivemuse rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love these kinds of books. Not only are they light hearted to read and perfect when you’re ‘in between’ heavy reads. I love the historical setting, it’s so well written and I could picture everything so easily. I would say it’s accurate to the history aspect of things and it certainly does capture the ‘Wild West’ picture quite well.

I loved Ellie. She’s so determined! I liked that quality about her. Her talent for switching between Jessie and Lavinia is very well done and as she dodges several...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ellie Moore personal wardrobe mistress to actress Magdalena Cole dreams of being an stage actress herself. But when Magdalena heads off to Europe, an unfortunate chain of events leaves Ellie behind in Chicago.
Steven Pierce used his resources in the mining of silver, but when that venture turned costly he wondered who he could trust.
When Ellie is given a trial employment with the Pinkertons she leaves Chicago to unfamiliar Arizona. Equipped with a few ideas of her own she finds a true fit to her...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Beth - ;) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction, library-borrowed, historical-fiction, mystery-thriller, romance, read-in-2012

This is the first book I have read by this author and I think I will be checking the library for others.

The date is 1882 and Ellie Moore is jobless and on the verge of starving when she overhears two Pinkerton detectives talking about a position. Drawing on her theatrical experience Ellie manages to get them to give her the assignment - finding out who is stealing silver shipments from mines in Arizona territory. Disguised as a middle-aged widow, and also as a stunning redhead, Ellie must figur...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Victor Gentile rated it 5 of 5 stars

Carol Cox in her new book “Love in Disguise” published by Bethany House Publishers takes us into the life of Ellie Moore.

From the back cover: Can she solve the crime before they uncover her true identity?

Jobless and down to her last dime, Ellie Moore hears about a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency and believes it’s the perfect chance to put her acting skills and costumes to use. Reluctantly, the agency agrees to give her one assignment, one chance to prove herself. Disguised as Lavini...more Carol Cox in her new book “Love in Disguise” published by Bethany House Publishers takes us into the life of Ellie Moore.

From the back cover: Can she solve the crime before they uncover her true identity?

Jobless and down to her last dime, Ellie Moore hears about a position with the Pinkerton Detective Agency and believes it’s the perfect chance to put her acting skills and costumes to use. Reluctantly, the agency agrees to give her one assignment, one chance to prove herself. Disguised as Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, Ellie travels to Arizona to begin her investigation. When the need arises, she also transforms into the dazzling Jessie Monroe, whose vivacious personality encourages people to talk.

Mine owner Steven Pierce is going to lose his business if he can’t figure out who’s stealing his silver shipments. In his wildest dreams, he never expected to receive help from a gray-haired widow…or to fall in love with her beautiful niece.

Then the thieves come after Lavinia and Jessie. Ellie isn’t safe no matter which character she plays! Should she give up and reveal her true identity? What will Steven do when he realizes the woman he’s falling in love with doesn’t really exist?

Set in 1880s Arizona, Love in Disguise blends romance, humor, and mystery for a can’t-put-down read.

I read that some actors gravitate toward acting because they are really shy individuals and in acting they can become whatever role the character they play is. That is why some actors are really good at what they do they are becoming different personas that let them escape their shyness. Ellie Moore is a costume maker who is broke and unemployed. Desperate she hires on as a detective without any skills in that area at all. So she fakes it disguising herself as a widow which provides her cover, friends and some information. However she needs more so she adopts a new persona that of the widow’s niece which gets her more information and more friends. Which is the real person; Ellie Lavinia or Jessie? Steven is friends with Lavinia, thinks he is in love with Jessie and has no idea that neither of them are real individuals. That is the big theme of this book; the masks that we wear. Ms. Cox has crafted a fine thriller in that not only is Ellie in deadly danger but her secret identities, Lavinia and Jessie also have their lives in danger. I liked the way the characters interrelated with one another as Ellie tried to solve the mystery that she was assigned to. The small town of Pickford, Arizona and the people who live there become real and are brought to life by a gifted storyteller. On top of everything Ms. Cox has also given us a romance. I really liked ”Love in Disguise” and Hopefully Ms. Cox will bring us more stories with Ellie and Steven.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”(less)

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About Carol Cox

Carol Cox has an abiding love for history and romance, especially when it’s set in her native Southwest. As a third-generation Arizonan, she takes a keen interest in the Old West and hopes to make it live again in the hearts of her readers. A pastor’s wife, Carol lives with her husband and daughter in northern Arizona, where the deer and the antelope really do play—within view of the family’s fron...more

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Books by Carol Cox

Sagebrush Brides: Love Rules the Ranch in Four Complete Novels

To Catch a Thief: Female Pinkerton Agents Nab Their Men in Four Interwoven Novellas

Ticket to Tomorrow (Fair to Remember #1)

A Test of Faith (Mystery and the Minister's Wife, No. 3)

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