A desperate young woman’s bargain with a wealthy couple is not what it seems in this gothic tale of big city dreams gone wrong from the #1 New York Times bestselling author and literary phenomenon V.C. Andrews–whose books are now major Lifetime TV movies. The English countryside is beautiful, but for Emma Corey it cannot compare with the bright lights of New York City. Tired of performing only … Tired of performing only in pubs and at church, she announces she’s moving to America–and her conservative father disowns her on the spot.
Distraught but undeterred, Emma will become a Broadway star–or die trying. The largeness of the new city, her new friends, the boundless opportunities make everything shine with promise. However, New York has a way of chipping away at a newcomer’s resolve. First a robbery. Then a low-wage job. Then the realization that such a city attracts the young and the talented–competitors all.
Just when it seems like Emma might have to admit defeat and return to the UK, she is introduced to a peculiar couple: a wife that cannot bear children of her own, and a husband who would pay Emma to solve that problem.
Emma’s father once told her, “Money is life.” But when Emma trades one for the other and moves into the couple’s remote estate to participate in an elaborate ruse, there’s no telling what kind of life she’ll have once she’s taken the money.
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I received a copy through Goodreads via Simon and Schuster.
Emma Corey has just graduated from high school at the age of 18 and has decided to leave her home of Guildford for the bright lights of New York, much to her family’s displeasure, most especially her father. She wanted to pursue a career as a singer and was ready to do what it took. She arrived in New York not knowing what to expect and was captivated by the bright lights and all the attractions, until she started experiencing the “real” world. She met some shady people along her journey, but she also made some new friends as well. Just as Emma was about to give up entirely on her dream, after having gone to numerous auditions and going through a couple of roommates, her luck changed. She received an offer that she just could not refuse.
Not a bad read, but definitely not a “typical” V.C. Andrews book, at least not from what I remember when I read “Flowers in the Attic” way back. I can just imagine what it would be like for an eighteen-year-old just out of high school traveling to a place she knew nothing about, let alone not knowing anyone, as well as being outcast by her father.
Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery books and the Author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well this was the third in the “House of Secrets” series and sadly it didn’t end with a bang, if fact it was written as the prequel to the series and it was just ok.
When I was younger I Loved VC Andrews books so I sort of feel like I have to read them but I think it’s time to hang it up.
My thanks to Edelweiss for the e-ARC.
I have been a fan of V.C. Andrews’ books since reading her Flowers in the Attic and Casteel series years ago. I have fallen way behind and have quite a few of her books(series and stand-alones) to catch up on. Her writing created a mood. Atmospheric and foreboding. Her books were addictive and unputdownable. The releases written by ghost writers are…just not the same. Whispering Hearts is the second book I’ve read that was not written by V.C. Andrews herself(Silhouette Girl was the first).
Beautiful and talented, Emma Corey grew up in a family that stifled her dreams and ambitions. They considered them foolish, frivolous, and far-fetched. But, tenacious Emma would not be deterred. She took a bold step and headed to New York to try her luck. Despite of having a head start(housing in a prime location, employment, and supportive friends), life was not easy. She got a taste of the city early on and her days were an endless cycle of back-breaking work, rejection, and money shortages. Until…her landlord offers a tempting opportunity, one that is hush-hush, lucrative, and daunting. But, less daunting than returning back home defeated.
In the blink of an eye, Emma is whisked from one new world to another. Will THIS risk ultimately be worth the reward?
Overall, this book was just okay. I kept reading, hoping for a plot twist. But, there was none. It was just a story, an uncompelling one, with an ending that hints at a sequel(I found out later that this book was book 3 of 3 in the House of Secrets series and serves as a prequel).