To Capture His Heart (Book #2) by Nancy Campbell Allen

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Book Review of To Capture His Heart (Book #2) by Nancy Campbell Allen

A murder mystery romance? Why yes, please! What is not to love? A fancy, week-long party at a beautiful home by the sea; murder; betrayal; mean girls. Beautiful dresses; cave exploration; romance; photography; an evil criminal on the loose; missing items; outside games; entertainment; explosions. You know, just a typical week for any of us. To Capture His Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen sucks you in and keeps you reading until the last page is turned!

Blurb:

Seaside, England 1886

Eva Caldwell is an accomplished and well-known photographer who often works with the local constabulary to assist in documenting crime scenes, which means she also often works alongside the handsome and charming Detective Nathan Winston. She appreciates his intellect and how he treats her like an equal, but Eva’s heart is still healing from a past relationship, so, for now, she decides to keep her feelings for Nathan a secret.

One evening, Nathan arrives on her doorstep asking for a personal favor. Would Eva be available to photograph his mother’s legendary, week-long dinner party and matchmaking event? The catch is that Eva would also have to pretend they are courting in order for Nathan to avoid the many single women seeking his attention.

Though wary of the charade, Eva agrees. Spending a week with the two things she loves most—her detective and her camera—sounds simple enough. And if she wants to imagine that Nathan’s pretend courtship of her is real, well, what’s the harm in that?

But when a criminal from Nathan’s past threatens revenge on the detective, Nathan must be extra vigilant to keep his mother and the rest of the partygoers safe. He confides in Eva, and as the two work together to solve the mystery and apprehend the criminal, they find that they might capture more than they expected—each other’s heart.

My Book Review:

What a fun adventure! To Capture His Heart may be read as a stand-alone story, but it does continue the story laid out in The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart. I loved the characters in that book, so I was perfectly happy reading more about them. This story focuses on Eva Caldwell and Detective Nathan Winston. They met in the previous book where Eva would help out the detectives by photographing crime scenes. It turns out that there might be more than just work that keeps these two talking.

Eva comes across as such a down-to-earth, practical, kind person. I find her very relatable. I do not know much about nineteenth century photography, but I learned a bit more in this book. It’s fun that she is a female character trying to overcome stereotypes and make her own way. Nathan Winston also comes across as down-to-earth and practical. He shows a bit more of a romantic side in this book, but he also shows his manly, protective side. I also found him to be quite relatable.

There are also other characters that stand out in this story. Christine Winston, Nathan’s mother, seems like someone I should know! I’d love an invite to one of her fabulous parties! Sammy, Eva’s young assistant, is such a cute kid! He’s a hard worker and you just want to route for him! Among the party guests there are some I liked and some I did not like. I won’t give anything away, but some girls are just mean! Like Eva, they took me back to my jr. high and high school days, and not in a pleasant way.

The setting for this story sounds amazing, and I wish I could be there right now. A beautiful seaside cottage sounds much better than the snow and cold where I am right now! I would love to go explore the caves and walk along the shore with the waves lapping my feet. Ms. Allen does a great job describing the scenery and making you feel as if you are a part of all the fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s very entertaining and packed with action, adventure, and romance.