Description: When Katherine "Kit" FitzGilbert turned her back on London society more than a decade ago, she determined never to set foot in a ballroom again. But when business takes her to London and she's forced to run for her life, she stumbles upon not only a glamorous ballroom but also Graham, Lord Wharton. What should have been a chance encounter becomes much more as Graham embarks on a search for his friend's missing sister and is convinced Kit knows more about the girl than she's telling.
After meeting Graham, Kit finds herself wishing things could have been different for the first time in her life, but what she wants can't matter. Long ago, she dedicated herself to helping women escape the same scorn that drove her from London and to raising the innocent children caught in the crossfire. But as much as she desperately wishes to tell Graham everything, the risk of revealing the truth may come at too high a price for those she loves.
My Thoughts: Of all the genres I read, Historical fiction set in Victorian England is far down on my list of favorites. While the characters can often redeem the start of the novel, the circumstances and conflicts are usually the same. Either a man is losing his fortune and needs a wife with a large dowry or a woman is trying to find the perfect husband and avoid scandal. So when, in the first chapter, Graham states that a dowry is a foolish reason to marry someone and that there are better ways to secure a fortune, I knew that I had found a new favorite.
At a few different points in the novel, it is mentioned that Graham tends to bring joy wherever he goes, and that was definitely the case in this book. For a hero in this subgenre to care so little for social conventions and yet still be upright in character is truly astounding, especially when combined with a fun personality rather than an uptight one. Truly, I found his character to have some of the greatest observations, from his musings on children to his opinions of what makes a good man, I could not help but be delighted with most everything the man said.
The other characters are fun as well, with all the characters coming across as real and having their own struggles which had lead them to their callings in life. Each characters' personality is unique and I couldn't help feeling like these were old friends I had spent time with. I certainly hope that I will not have to say good-bye to all of them and that many will appear in the next book in the series. Because that next book is definitely on my must-read list.
Stepping back from the characters however, the story itself is still really good. It follows a woman who is doing the right thing, though in the wrong way, and a man who has never done anything awful, but has also never done anything noteworthy. And both must learn how to trust God with their lives and the blessings He has given them. Kit was amazing relatable in that the feelings many of us have, of wanting to punish and make people pay for the wrongs committed against those we love, she actually was able to exercise. And along the way, she saw letting God handle things instead is so much better.
I have provided an honest review after receiving a copy of the book from the publisher.
No comments:
Post a Comment