Book Review: Written in Secret by Crystal Caudill

I expected to like this book, but I didn’t expect it to be THAT AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Book Blurb

What happens when fiction becomes reality? In the corruption-infested Queen City, danger lurks in every shadow, but Lydia Pelton refuses to stay silent. She writes under a pseudonym, E. A. Dupin, crafting crime novels to exact justice and right the wrongs she sees in society. When a serial killer decides to be the sword to her pen, Lydia is confronted with the consequences of her words. Four men are dead, and the city blames her.

With murders on the rise, Officer Abraham Hall’s only lead is Lydia’s fiction, and he is thrust into an investigation with the “Killer Queen of Romance.” Despite his misgivings about the woman, he realizes that even with his reputation for catching elusive criminals, he needs her help. But his unexpected attraction to Lydia proves as difficult to manage as the woman herself.

As the mystery unfolds, Abraham and Lydia race to rewrite the ending, not only for Cincinnati’s citizens, but for their own hearts too.

My review

First of all, that introduction was the BEST OPENING SCENE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING!!!!!!!!!!!! It was the PERFECT setup to Lydia and Abraham’s characters and just made their relationship THAT MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lydia’s character had such incredible depth. Her character journey was so beautifully complex and I loved the themes discussed through her story. She was a writer through-and-through, and I loved her strength, determination, and ingenuity.

Abraham is a police officer. He feels very duty-bound and has a very white-and-black view of morality. At the beginning of the story, he is quite quick to judge Lydia for her hobbies, but I LOVED the added goodness that added to their love story!!!!!!!!!!! I love how he cares about his family and is loyal to a fault. He’s such a sweetheart.

The mystery aspect of the book was written SO WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The suspense was put in perfectly, and there were delightful foreshadowing hints about the villain’s identity. Crystal just constructed the mystery SO UNBELIEVABLY WELL. I still can’t believe how perfectly she wrote it!!!!!!!!

The THEME in this book. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved how it discussed how we shouldn’t focus on the dark parts of life and should leave justice in His hands. It was so intriguing how she wrote that theme through the story of a novelist!

Overall, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you’re looking for a fast-paced mystery with sweet, clean romance and beautiful themes, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book. My opinions are my own. A positive review was not required.

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