An illustrious marriage, a fortune, a position of wealth and influence. These are the dreams and ambitions of any Victorian woman of sense. Or are they?
Perhaps not for Arabella Gray.
The death of Abbie’s father, the overseer of a large country estate, leaves her without means or resources, without, even, a place to live. Her landlords, in an extraordinary display of charity, invite her to live … invite her to live at Holdaway Hall. But the invitation is as puzzling as it is generous. Why are the Crawfords, who have never paid her any notice before, so concerned with her wellbeing now?
It’s a question the younger Crawford brothers would like to have answered as well. Certainly Miss Gray is a mercenary upstart. Certainly their brother is mad for fancying himself in love with her. Such a union would make them a laughing stock. They mean to put a stop to it, but when they learn that her past is closely — even disturbingly — connected with their own, they are brought up short, forced to ask themselves some very hard questions.
As Abbie herself soon learns, there is a great mystery at the heart of her landlords’ extraordinary offer. Everything she has ever dreamt of might be hers for the taking, but is the price worth it? More than her happiness alone rests upon her decision. If she refuses Ruskin Crawford’s offer of marriage, will she be able to live with the consequences? If she does, will she be able to live with herself?
In the end, all must ask themselves some very hard questions. What does it mean to be a man or woman of honor and integrity? What does it mean, after all, to be a gentleman? And what, exactly, is the price of a woman’s heart?
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There were some twists and turns in this story. The man she is supposed to marry isn’t a very nice person and his father is a master manipulator.
This is a very slow-moving novel in the tradition of Jane Austen. There is a convoluted plot device, wherein the heroine is being pressured to marry the oldest son of the family her father used to work for. It seems like a dream come true for her, but her Prince Charming isn’t so charming and no one has bothered to tell her that she is an heiress …
I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction and this novel met all my criteria for this genre! I admired the strength of the sisters in their endeavor to survive in a time of history where it was very difficult for women to survive on their own. I loved reading the story of Abbie and David and Mariana and James. I have read all three books in this …
Loved it!!!
Long, but worth it.
This is not a fast paced book but I was interested the whole time. I couldn’t put it down because I was intrigued by the mystery.
The main character, Abbie, is thrust into society by her benefactors, the Crawford family. For reasons Abbie does not know, she is greatly admired by the oldest Crawford son. She is from a lower class family and it …
Lush
Nice story
This is a great regency era book. I love the characters and the manner in which the story is told. This is my second time reading this book. It was just as good the second time.
Great Suspense and a mystery you can’t put down til the end.
Interesting story.
love this author
Just cou;don’t get into the story.
I could not get into the characters–they were not very interesting, and the book ‘telegraphed’ the plot early, so I didn’t read on to find out what happens.
i really liked reading it, had a hard time putting it down
really boring
Frustrating characters
I liked this book as it was good escape after work. The story took turns that kept me interested and wondering how they were going to end up at the end. It was a fun read.
I couldn’t finish it, I was bored with plot and didn’t like the characters. I stopped reading when I figured out I didn’t care what happened to any of them.
This was a relatively easy read but the story just moved oh-so-slow.