“Ah, the deception of it all. That was life, though – the stories you tell yourself, and the stories you present to onlookers. Rarely did the two match. We’re all of us a combination of romance novels, humorous tales, and tragedies, depending on what angle we show the world.

Me, I preferred adventure stories. Tolerated a romance now and then.”

Inquiry agent Peter Driscoll has earned a reputation for his uncanny ability to find anyone and anything. When he’s hired to locate a long-lost sapphire with reputed mystical properties, he is only temporarily taken aback when he finds the jewel strung from a necklace worn by a mysterious film actress, Lily Temple. Peter decides that the most efficient way to learn how Lily came to be in possession of the gem is to request her assistance in a missing person case. Peter soon learns that Lily’s true identity is only a small piece of a much larger puzzle as he uncovers a series of criminal indictments against innocent people.

This genre-bending novel is set in 1903 in the English seaside resort town of Hove. Part historical mystery, gothic romance, and spy adventure, this beautifully crafted work of Christian literary fiction explores the relationship between our mortal human nature and our eternal spirit as we navigate through life’s journey.

The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple is a story about a story. The narrative is whimsical, and has an almost dreamlike quality. The tone and mood of the story is reinforced by the chapter headings which feature quotes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and the fairy tales of Charles Perrault and Hans Christian Andersen. Lily Temple is a first person narrator, and she tells Peter Driscoll’s story in third person. However, the reader is frequently reminded that Lily is not to be trusted to disclose the entire truth.

This is not a fast-paced read. It requires the reader’s patience (perhaps the better word would be faith) that Lily’s and Peter’s individual stories will weave together in the way that all great fairy tales deserve. I found both Lily and Peter to be fabulous characters, and their intense chemistry makes for a truly satisfying slow burn. I also loved how the story gradually unfolded, so that I was often left with more questions than answers, and that Lily layered each element of the story over the other until the entire picture was revealed.

The author's prose has a delicate, earnest quality which was perfectly suited to the themes of the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and the author’s writing style so much that I intend to read more of her work.

Thank you Austenprose, Netgalley, and Revell for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.