Indiana Belle by John A. Heldt
Publisher: John A. Heldt
Publication Date: April 2016
SYNOPSIS:
Providence, Rhode Island, 2017. When doctoral student Cameron Coelho, 28, opens a package from Indiana, he finds more than private papers that will help him with his dissertation. He finds a photograph of a beautiful society editor murdered in 1925 and clues to a century-old mystery. Within days, he meets Geoffrey Bell, the “time-travel professor,” and begins an unlikely journey through the Roaring Twenties. Filled with history, romance, and intrigue, INDIANA BELLE follows a lonely soul on the adventure of a lifetime as he searches for love and answers in the age of Prohibition, flappers, and jazz.
MY REVIEW:
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
Indiana Belle is the second book I’ve read by John Heldt and once again, he didn’t disappoint!
Cameron Coelho is a doctoral student working on his thesis on life during the 1920s when he receives a package containing information on a young, outspoken newspaper columnist who was killed in 1925. Somehow, the photo and story of Candice Bell beckon to Cameron, and he finds himself travelling back in time to save the young woman.
Once I started reading this book, I found myself caught up in the plot and time periods. There is a definite flow to everything that goes on in the story, and the characters are all very believable. There is a lot of character development, and even the “bad guys” of the story are interesting and evil in a very real way.
There is a clear portrayal of life in the Twenties- from the very good aspects of it to the ugly things that went on then. I love the fact that the author clearly did his research on life during 1925; and he also managed to explore the idea of travelling to the past without affecting the present (which is already set). I found John Heldt’s representation of time travel to be very creative and original; and when mixed with the light romance, the mystery, the adventure, and the intrigue; it all adds up to a very interesting read.
Overall, Indiana Belle is a thoughtfully written and well put together work of art. It has a good mix of elements that should appeal to any type of audience. Although it’s part of a series, it can be read as a standalone, and a very engaging one, too.
(My review of The Mine, also by John Heldt, is available here)
Guest review contributed by 1-800 Books. Janey provides book reviews, blog tours, cover reveals, and book blitzes.
All Romance Reads 