First, the blurb:
Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London’s east end when a handsome stranger appears in a dank alley and offers her a glittering smile and a chance for adventure. Rothburne Abbey has a unique position for her, one that will take her away from her hardscrabble life and give her a chance to be a lady. Things she could only dream of might be coming true. But some dreams turn out to be nightmares.
Though Raina has traded squalor for silk and satin, something about the abbey is deeply unsettling. As she wrestles with her true identity, the ruin, decay, and secrets she finds at the heart of the old mansion tear at her confidence and threaten to reveal her for who she really is. Only one man stands between her and the danger that lurks within–and only if he decides to keep her biggest secret hidden.
What I thought of the book:
I have to say – I love this book! Who hasn’t mused, at least once, of some stranger whisking you away from whatever troubles you were facing at the time, and into an adventure full of things you’d only dreamt about? Of course, most of us have also been warned that not everything is as it seems, and just because it seems a fairy-tale life, it may be something much much different underneath.
That said – the underlying theme of this story is that people are not always who they seem, and just because you were born into one life, one situation, this does not mean that life or situation defines who YOU are. Raina discovers this along the way and finds out more about herself as well.
One of the things I so loved about Raina is she is written as a woman with strength, but not like today’s definition of a “strong woman”. She is relatable and not at all two-dimensional. Neither are the other characters nor is the setting. I love the way Joanna Davidson Politano weaves the senses together to give the reader a glimpse into this different world. Definitely an author I would like to read again.
** I was sent this book from Revell in exchange for my honest (which doesn’t always mean positive!) review.
Me, Take Three 