Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

 Read first chapter excerpt here

Anna O'Brien leads a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the illustrious Library of Congress until she stumbles across the baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at sea. Thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help.

Luke Callahan was one of the nation's most powerful congressmen before his promising career was shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause and intrigued by the winsome librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship. Opposites in every way, Anna and Luke are unexpectedly drawn to each other despite the strict rules forbidding Anna from any romantic entanglements with members of Congress.

From the gilded halls of the Capitol where powerful men shape the future of the nation, to the scholarly archives of the nation's finest library, Anna and Luke are soon embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is bringing the truth to light worth risking all they've ever dreamed for their futures?

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden was an interesting and well written novel that kept me glued to the pages. While slow to start at first, this novel was extremely well researched and contains very interesting information about the Library of Congress and politics during the late 1800's that is portrayed in a most fascinating way. The plot was well crafted and included elements of mystery, suspense, betrayal, loss, and romance. The characters were extremely realistic and complex, and they continued to grow and to change as the novel went on. Anna was a fascinating character who had experienced much pain and loss as a child, but she continued to pursue her dreams to work with books and to find out what happened to her father. Her job was very intriguing as well. Luke was a complex individual who also had experienced hurt and pain as a small child and was still showing the repercussions of it. I highly enjoyed watching the relationship between these two characters grow and deepen slowly as it seemed very realistic and not at all rushed like in many books. I also liked how these two characters helped sharpen and refine one another and how each in turn found God and began to trust him with their lives and hearts. Overall, I highly enjoyed this novel, and I thought it was a wonderful mix of history, suspense, and believable romance. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good historical romance.

I received this novel from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.