Olivia Twist is an innovative reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale Oliver Twist, in which Olivia was forced to live as a boy for her own safety until she was rescued from the streets. Now eighteen, Olivia finds herself at a crossroads: revealed secrets threaten to destroy the “proper” life she has built for herself, while newfound feelings for an arrogant young man she shouldn’t like … could derail her carefully laid plans for the future.
Olivia Brownlow is no damsel in distress. Born in a workhouse and raised as a boy among thieving London street gangs, she is as tough and cunning as they come. When she is taken in by her uncle after a caper gone wrong, her life goes from fighting and stealing on the streets to lavish dinners and soirees as a debutante in high society. But she can’t seem to escape her past … or forget the teeming slums where children just like her still scrabble to survive.
Jack MacCarron rose from his place in London’s East End to become the adopted “nephew” of a society matron. Little does society know that MacCarron is a false name for a boy once known among London gangs as the Artful Dodger, and that he and his “aunt” are robbing them blind every chance they get. When Jack encounters Olivia Brownlow in places he least expects, his curiosity is piqued. Why is a society girl helping a bunch of homeless orphan thieves? Even more intriguing, why does she remind him so much of someone he once knew? Jack finds himself wondering if going legit and risking it all might be worth it for love.
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Lorie Langdon’s inventive take on Oliver Twist completely stole my heart. It’s fresh and witty, one of those rare books where you feel like you are beholding something special. I adored Olivia as both the hard-scrabbling orphan posing as a boy and the lady trying to find where she belongs. There are no words for how I feel about Jack and his evolution as a character- it’s mostly heart eyes and flailing. Of course, there’s danger and intrigue and I was crossing my fingers the whole way for a happy ending because I could not recall Oliver Twist having one. I flew through this story, needing to know what would happen. The writing was fresh and clever and I laughed out loud more than a few times.
Totally creative approach to classic characters.
This is a really fun take on the Oliver Twist story. It’s full of adventure, spunk, romance, and lots of great historical details!
A great read with a definite ‘twist’ on the classic! Highly recommend!
Just a pure joy to read and get acquainted with these characters and join them on their perilous adventures…looking forward to more in this series!
I was intrigued with idea of Oliver Twist actually being a girl and what happened when she grew up. I have not read an historical romantic novel in years and this was not the the historical romance of memory. It is unique! Victorian England is painted in vivid detail and populated with characters to fall in love with. Olivia is smart, strong, brave and funny. The adult Dodger is handsome, charming, complex, and kind. I could not put this book down and was sorry to leave their world at the end of the book. If you like romance you have to read this book.
A really great take on the original story of Oliver Twist with a good character development and focus on the fact that true love is shown through sacrifice