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Ladies of Liberty #3
A Lady of Secret Devotion
Romantic adventure from a bestselling author, set in turn of the century Philadelphia; can love grow in the presence of danger? Ladies of Liberty book 3.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
69 people are currently reading
1355 people want to read
About the author
Tracie Peterson
249 books3,118 followersTracie Peterson is a bestselling author who writes in both historical and contemporary genres. Her novels reveal her love for research as well as her strong desire to develop emotionally meaningful characters and stories for her readers. Tracie and her family live in Montana.
pen name: Janelle Jamison
pen name: Janelle Jamison
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
did-not-finish
November 26, 2023DNF @ pg.90 (22%)
aaaaand I'm 0 for 3 on this trilogy. Bummer. At least I tried them and now have them off of my physical TBR. Oh well.
I gave this one 30 minutes of my time since I DNF'ed the prior books in the series and yeah, no, no thank you. Pretty sure we're going to have a cad try to corner Cassie at some point (attempted sexual assault) and I already am not a fan of Cassie or the main guy, Marcus. She's a blabbermouth telling her life story to a man whose horse nearly clobbered her and just going ahead and freely sharing her opinion on employer's son (Sebastian, who is the prior mentioned cad). Marcus was super pushy on making Cassie like his horse--despite her telling him that she witnessed her father being killed by a horse?? Dude, come on.
(Also, head jumping. Why is there head jumping? :( )
Main Content for what I read:
Cassie prays & has a faith while Marcus is upset at God and thinks God betrayed him (by taking his wife); Talks about God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of churches & church going; A mention of a mother fearing that her son is in league with the devil himself; A mention of a demon-possessed horse.
Cassie recalls seeing her father killed by a horse (she has a deep fear of horses because of it, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including fevers and Marcus for his late wife); Mentions of murders, killers, being shot, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (including a young boy losing his hand in a factory accident, up to semi-detailed).
In the cad's point of view, he drinks when getting his injuries (gunshot wound) bandaged up; A few mentions of curses (said, not written).
Sebastian tries to pull Cassie into his bed with him and makes a view suggestive comments while touching and holding her against her will; Mentions of his mistress; A mention of him taking liberties with other women; A mention of him leering at Casssie; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed).
aaaaand I'm 0 for 3 on this trilogy. Bummer. At least I tried them and now have them off of my physical TBR. Oh well.
I gave this one 30 minutes of my time since I DNF'ed the prior books in the series and yeah, no, no thank you. Pretty sure we're going to have a cad try to corner Cassie at some point (attempted sexual assault) and I already am not a fan of Cassie or the main guy, Marcus. She's a blabbermouth telling her life story to a man whose horse nearly clobbered her and just going ahead and freely sharing her opinion on employer's son (Sebastian, who is the prior mentioned cad). Marcus was super pushy on making Cassie like his horse--despite her telling him that she witnessed her father being killed by a horse?? Dude, come on.
(Also, head jumping. Why is there head jumping? :( )
Main Content for what I read:
Cassie prays & has a faith while Marcus is upset at God and thinks God betrayed him (by taking his wife); Talks about God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of churches & church going; A mention of a mother fearing that her son is in league with the devil himself; A mention of a demon-possessed horse.
Cassie recalls seeing her father killed by a horse (she has a deep fear of horses because of it, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grief (including fevers and Marcus for his late wife); Mentions of murders, killers, being shot, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (including a young boy losing his hand in a factory accident, up to semi-detailed).
In the cad's point of view, he drinks when getting his injuries (gunshot wound) bandaged up; A few mentions of curses (said, not written).
Sebastian tries to pull Cassie into his bed with him and makes a view suggestive comments while touching and holding her against her will; Mentions of his mistress; A mention of him taking liberties with other women; A mention of him leering at Casssie; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed).
April 18, 2018
This book concludes Tracie Peterson’s Ladies of Liberty Series. A Lady of Secret Devotion was by far the best book in this series. I found it to be edge of the seat reading almost from the start of the book. At times I could barely put the book down.
Cassie Stover needed to find suitable employment in order to help her widowed mother make ends meet. She agreed to become a companion to a wealthy widow, Mrs Jamestown. What she wasn’t planning on was the return of Mrs Jameston’s Son. A man of questionable character and a very hateful son to his mother. From the time of his return to his mothers house tension filled the air and nothing was the same from that point on. I found myself glued to the book and anxiously turning the pages to see what Mrs Jameston’s Son had up his sleeve next. If you want a good read A Lady of Secret Devotion is waiting for you . Tracie Peterson is a well known author and this book will not disappoint.
Cassie Stover needed to find suitable employment in order to help her widowed mother make ends meet. She agreed to become a companion to a wealthy widow, Mrs Jamestown. What she wasn’t planning on was the return of Mrs Jameston’s Son. A man of questionable character and a very hateful son to his mother. From the time of his return to his mothers house tension filled the air and nothing was the same from that point on. I found myself glued to the book and anxiously turning the pages to see what Mrs Jameston’s Son had up his sleeve next. If you want a good read A Lady of Secret Devotion is waiting for you . Tracie Peterson is a well known author and this book will not disappoint.
August 6, 2014
Wow. This was definitely my favorite in the Ladies of Liberty series! With the perfect amount of intrigue, romance, faith, and suspense, it quickly became a page-turner that I couldn't put down. I loved how the author actually came through with having the characters address the issues of their faith (or lack thereof), and was delighted when a twist in the story came unexpectedly (and with crucial timing!). I was glad that the plot did not drag where one might expect it to, and that the end wrapped up nicely without feeling too short. This was my first series by Tracie Peterson, but certainly won't be my last!
April 5, 2023
I don't know how Tracie Peterson does it. She seems to know how to write villains of a story to a perfection. And that's probably why I gave this book five stars, I couldn't wait to see the villain get his just dessert. 😀
January 5, 2023
Excellent story. Lots of intrigue.
January 1, 2016
SUMMARY: Eager to ease the financial burdens of her family, Cassandra Stover is thrilled when she is hired to be a companion to Mrs. Jameston, a wealthy society woman. Cassie finds herself living a life she'd never imagined-and growing close to the elderly woman who treats her like a daughter.
Her new position is tarnished only by Mrs. Jameston's son. As Sebastian's resentment and cruelty toward his mother mount, Cassie begins to harbor concerns for her employer's safety--and ultimately her own. When Sebastian is suspected of fraud, insurance investigator Mark Langford solicits Cassie's help to uncover the truth. But what begins as a game of pretense is quickly complicated by matters of the heart.
REVIEW: I think this book was my favorite of the 3 in this series. Filled with the sweet heroine (but one who spoke her own mind) Cassie, the dashing hero (who is beset by various problems) Mark, and the evil villain (who truly represents all the immorality in the world) Sebastian, the storyline was intertwined with good and evil. The author did a great job of displaying that second chances are available to everyone if they are accepted. There was just enough romance and just enough intrigue to keep the storyline moving and the reader's attention engaged. I am sorry to see this series end as it was enjoyable to read about strong women who were willing to speak their minds in a time period when women were to be quietly behind the scenes.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "i grow weary of trusting and having faith when wrong continues to prevail and innocent people are cut down in the prime of their lives."
"Anger is not in and of itself wrong, even the Bible speaks of being angry, but not sinning... However, there is such a narrow path, and to step into sin, compelled by that anger, is quite easy. "
"We must not leave the authority and protection of God's truth, even if it does cost us our lives, as it sometimes does."
"God has a way of working out the details in bits and pieces, and before we know it. He has dealt with the overall scheme of things."
"The anger will merely burn inside until it destroys the good things and leaves ashes and bitterness in its place.
Her new position is tarnished only by Mrs. Jameston's son. As Sebastian's resentment and cruelty toward his mother mount, Cassie begins to harbor concerns for her employer's safety--and ultimately her own. When Sebastian is suspected of fraud, insurance investigator Mark Langford solicits Cassie's help to uncover the truth. But what begins as a game of pretense is quickly complicated by matters of the heart.
REVIEW: I think this book was my favorite of the 3 in this series. Filled with the sweet heroine (but one who spoke her own mind) Cassie, the dashing hero (who is beset by various problems) Mark, and the evil villain (who truly represents all the immorality in the world) Sebastian, the storyline was intertwined with good and evil. The author did a great job of displaying that second chances are available to everyone if they are accepted. There was just enough romance and just enough intrigue to keep the storyline moving and the reader's attention engaged. I am sorry to see this series end as it was enjoyable to read about strong women who were willing to speak their minds in a time period when women were to be quietly behind the scenes.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "i grow weary of trusting and having faith when wrong continues to prevail and innocent people are cut down in the prime of their lives."
"Anger is not in and of itself wrong, even the Bible speaks of being angry, but not sinning... However, there is such a narrow path, and to step into sin, compelled by that anger, is quite easy. "
"We must not leave the authority and protection of God's truth, even if it does cost us our lives, as it sometimes does."
"God has a way of working out the details in bits and pieces, and before we know it. He has dealt with the overall scheme of things."
"The anger will merely burn inside until it destroys the good things and leaves ashes and bitterness in its place.
January 14, 2009
This author is from Montana and I think at one time she was coming to our local library, so I thought I'd listen to one of her books. It was a cute, classic, predictable theme with a love story. I enjoyed it - a little cheesy in some spots, but fun. I listened to it and didn't care a ton for the readers voices - I'd suggest reading it!
December 3, 2019
Overall, I liked it, but not better than the previous ones. The books in the trilogy are pretty much on the same line, quality-wise.
FULL REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2...
FULL REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2...
July 18, 2016
Excellent book
Very good from the beginning to the end.. I had a hard time putting it down. Very well written and loved the message.
Very good from the beginning to the end.. I had a hard time putting it down. Very well written and loved the message.
May 24, 2019
Maybe it was because I had just finished two books that kept me riveted till the end or maybe due fact that I listen to many audio books and I did not care for this narrator (who also was the voice of additional books in this series) but I couldn’t get to the end of this book fast enough.
I found the characters all to be bit contrived. How does a mother have a son like Sebastian who has raped one of her household staff, help protect him from the punishment it would have brought to the average man? And then allow him to return home on demand and continue to abuse the staff and be horrible to you as well?
And then lure an innocent young woman into your household, putting her life in danger just to have “a companion”.
I know parents cover for their children and that it hurts to have a child who is not a straight arrow, believe me I know. But even though Mrs. Jameston changed her will to include Cassie, that didn’t, IMO, forgive the fact that her son groped, insulted and eventually burned her family’s house down.
There should have been a lot more people interested in seeing Sebastian behind bars than just Mark, who is also guilty of using young Cassie as a pawn in a dangerous game to prove he was the murderer of Marks best friend.
A few of the final chapters were listened to distractedly, in the hope that someone would set things right, which finally happened only when young Cassie scalded the villain with hot tea as he was holding his mother at gunpoint to make her change her will back to include him. All this with Mark and the police waiting in the next room to hear an actual confession...heroic.
So off Sebastian went to jail and all as as before. Really? If I were Cassie, I would have gotten the heck out of Philly and found someone who didn’t have to suffer a case of amnesia to discover that he cared for me or constantly put my life in danger to catch a criminal.
I am being generous with three stars I think. This being a Christian novel made it even more disappointing.
I found the characters all to be bit contrived. How does a mother have a son like Sebastian who has raped one of her household staff, help protect him from the punishment it would have brought to the average man? And then allow him to return home on demand and continue to abuse the staff and be horrible to you as well?
And then lure an innocent young woman into your household, putting her life in danger just to have “a companion”.
I know parents cover for their children and that it hurts to have a child who is not a straight arrow, believe me I know. But even though Mrs. Jameston changed her will to include Cassie, that didn’t, IMO, forgive the fact that her son groped, insulted and eventually burned her family’s house down.
There should have been a lot more people interested in seeing Sebastian behind bars than just Mark, who is also guilty of using young Cassie as a pawn in a dangerous game to prove he was the murderer of Marks best friend.
A few of the final chapters were listened to distractedly, in the hope that someone would set things right, which finally happened only when young Cassie scalded the villain with hot tea as he was holding his mother at gunpoint to make her change her will back to include him. All this with Mark and the police waiting in the next room to hear an actual confession...heroic.
So off Sebastian went to jail and all as as before. Really? If I were Cassie, I would have gotten the heck out of Philly and found someone who didn’t have to suffer a case of amnesia to discover that he cared for me or constantly put my life in danger to catch a criminal.
I am being generous with three stars I think. This being a Christian novel made it even more disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2020
This book didn’t suit my taste as I thought it would. I’m thankful it was brief. The story and characters seemed shallow and unrealistic. Mark’s concussion and amnesia didn’t serve a purpose at all. Mrs. Jameston bothered me the most- she was just too understanding and generous; this sounds like an unkind assessment, but she not only named Cassie as her heir after a short while together, but she also helped put her only living son in jail because she felt both were right. Blah!
Cassie becomes Mrs. Jameston’s companion. Cassie meets Mark when she and his horse spook one another. Mrs. Jameston’s devilish son Sebastian comes home. Mark is investigating Sebastian for murder. Mark asks Cassie to pretend they’re courting so Mark can stay close to the Jameston residence. Mark and Cassie develop real mutual feelings. Mark gets in a train wreck and has temporary amnesia. Cassie discovers that Sebastian is poisoning his mother’s food. Cassie and Mrs. Jameston stay with Cassie’s mom briefly until Sebastian burns down the house. Mark finds God and regains his memory; he returns to propose to Cassie and hopefully arrest Sebastian. Cassie and Mrs. Jameston go back to the Jameston residence; working with police, they get Sebastian to confess to his crimes.
Cassie becomes Mrs. Jameston’s companion. Cassie meets Mark when she and his horse spook one another. Mrs. Jameston’s devilish son Sebastian comes home. Mark is investigating Sebastian for murder. Mark asks Cassie to pretend they’re courting so Mark can stay close to the Jameston residence. Mark and Cassie develop real mutual feelings. Mark gets in a train wreck and has temporary amnesia. Cassie discovers that Sebastian is poisoning his mother’s food. Cassie and Mrs. Jameston stay with Cassie’s mom briefly until Sebastian burns down the house. Mark finds God and regains his memory; he returns to propose to Cassie and hopefully arrest Sebastian. Cassie and Mrs. Jameston go back to the Jameston residence; working with police, they get Sebastian to confess to his crimes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2020
Cassie and her family have worked very hard to put food on the table and stay together since her father died. However, Cassie can no longer work in the factories and watch the abuse that takes place there. Luck is with her when she is offered a job as a ladies companion to one of the ladies of her church. Never could Cassie have imagined such wealth as that of her mistress, who is very kind to both Cassie & her family, her servants, and her friends. However, her mistress' son does not deserve her kindness, nor does he receive it after all he has put her through. When the evil Sebastian sets his sights on Cassie, she knows he will stop at nothing to maker her his...even resorting to murder. When Cassie is nearly trampled by a handsome stranger's horse, will he save her life in more ways than one?
This was a great book! A great series all together, although I kept wishing for the previous characters from the series to make some sort of entrance...ah, well, one can hope.
This was a great book! A great series all together, although I kept wishing for the previous characters from the series to make some sort of entrance...ah, well, one can hope.
September 22, 2021
I was on pins and needles! And I laughed... and cried... and just enjoyed the roller coaster of this book! Although it's the conclusion of a trilogy, each of the books are stand alones. I would have enjoyed a bit of catching up with the previous characters. For instance, the dresses for Cassie in this book, could have been ordered from Catherine. Mia could have interviewed the survivors of the train accident to enable family members to reunite. However, I did enjoy reading each book in this series. Due to the perilous, dangerous situations in this book, I would recommend for older teens and above.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2023
Although i'm not typically a fan of Christian fiction, I really enjoyed this book. I finished it in two days. All thanks to the writer who stayed on point and didn't ramble on unimportant details. It's a cute story with a typical melodramatic 1800's theme. My childhood self really swooned over Cassie's innocence and the ever so rotten villain, Sebastian. Although corny at times, it was a pleasant read.
January 26, 2018
# 3 in the Ladies of Liberty series. Again, a light Christian read. This is the most interesting of the three though the first one spoke more to me spiritually, which I appreciate in Christian fiction. I like being challenged in my walk and the first one definitely did that.
April 15, 2018
Suspense, romance, and laughter
Suspense, romance, and laughter—an interesting combination. But one that author, Tracie Peterson, does so well. I couldn’t put the book down until the very end.
Suspense, romance, and laughter—an interesting combination. But one that author, Tracie Peterson, does so well. I couldn’t put the book down until the very end.
September 7, 2023
I listened to the audiobook and found myself
like my friend who talks to movies. I was talking to the book. 😁. Like "No, don't do it", or "would y'all hurry up and leave", haha. This was the best of the series I think. Thank you!!!
like my friend who talks to movies. I was talking to the book. 😁. Like "No, don't do it", or "would y'all hurry up and leave", haha. This was the best of the series I think. Thank you!!!
February 24, 2025
I really enjoyed this book by Tracie Peterson. The author created a villain that you love to despise! Sebastian was absolutely despicable and evil!!! But I also love how Peterson wove faith in God all throughout the story, and how love permeated the entire story.
August 3, 2017
This was such a wonderful story. I have so enjoyed this series.
July 6, 2018
I enjoyed this book, but it was fairly predictable.
July 14, 2018
good clean historical romance with focus on God.
October 28, 2018
I read this book in one day. I found it to be intriguing and it sucked me in.
May 29, 2019
This series is a must read! I will definitely be re reading these. While I loved the first 2 books, the 3rd was the best by far! #justkeepreading
October 6, 2019
A romantic tale with a hint of danger. Enjoyed the story.
June 18, 2020
Classic romance.
Want to read
July 20, 2020RB
September 22, 2020
3.5 stars. read this awhile ago. Don't really remember it but it was okay.
December 27, 2020
Very good book. I enjoyed Cassie's personality. Marc was a perfect match for Cassie. Great story plot!
April 12, 2023
Excellent mystery, romance, intrigue and love!!!
August 27, 2024
I loved this book up until the last 25% of it. It started to drag on, I was like GET TO THE POINT!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews