Copper and Candles by Amber Stockton -- Book Review

Yearning to do more for those less fortunate than her, Felicity Chambers decides to do the unthinkable--she assists a pregnant woman who is on strict bed rest and takes her place working in a candle factory in Detroit's dangerous factory district.

Walking to work one day, she bumps into Brandt, a worker in the nearby copper factory. Their feelings soon blossom into more than friendship, but Felicity knows her parents would never allow her to marry a commoner.

What she doesn't know is that Brandt is hiding his true identity as well. When their secrets are revealed, it's possible they might never be able to trust each other again.

I've already read all three books in Stockton's Delaware Brides's series, which has been repackaged by the publisher and is now sold as the Liberty's Promise series with all three original stories now included in one book. I enjoyed the first book of this series so much that I ordered Copper and Candles at the same time I ordered the second two books in her original series.

Historical romance novels have long been a favorite of mine. That Stockton's work is also Christian romance makes them attractive to me, but the added attention to historical detail, the superb character development--which can be challenging in books of the required size in the Heartsong Presents line--and the obstacles Stockton places in her characters' way, keep me coming back to read more and more of her books.

Felicity is a young woman with her own mind. She uses her position in society to help those less fortunate, but really wants a chance to get her hands dirty. Along the way, she makes many friends; friends she never would have met as Felicity Chambers. Her parents don't approve, but they allow her to expand her wings a bit.

Brandt has responsibilities no one realizes. Also hiding his own identity, he ends up working in a copper factory. Very few people know who he really is or why he is working there under an assumed name.

These secrets are what bring Felicity and Brandt together, but neither knows the other person is anyone other than who she/he says she/he is. The reader follows along knowing at some point these secrets will be revealed. How Stockton develops the plot and brings the reader to this moment keeps a person flipping page after page. And once those secrets are revealed, the reader must follow along to see if Felicity and Brandt can accept the reasons for hiding those secrets and follow their hearts.

Copper and Candles by Amber Stockton is definitely a book I'll be reading again.


Title:  Copper and Candles
Author: Amber Stockton
Publisher: Heartsong Presents
ISBN-10: 1602603405
ISBN-13: 978-1602603400
SRP: $2.97