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A review by heatherwoodauthor
A Gilded Lady by Elizabeth Camden
4.0
After falling in love with the Delacroix sibling dynamic in The Spice King, I could hardly wait to continue their story in A Gilded Lady. (Note: read this series in order) The Spice King ends with Luke still in prison and his twin sister Caroline holding animosity towards their older brother Gray's love interest (now wife in A Gilded Lady).
Those two themes continue through this book, and were subplots that I found almost more interesting than Caroline's developing love story. Elizabeth Camden's strength has always been finding unique places in history and bringing them alive; in this case, the McKinley administration. I love history, and I found it fascinating to imagine along with Camden what daily life in the White House would have been like in 1899. We even get a cameo glimpse into the Roosevelts as their place in history begins, which was super fun.
Caroline is a woman who's overcome most of the habits of her wild youth and is now a force to be reckoned with as Ida McKinley's personal assistant. She's a go-getter who gets things done with grace and poise, but her weakness is the two brothers she adores and who need her to use her position to save their family. She quickly attracts the rather stuffy new head of security, the rule-following Nathaniel Trask. Nathaniel is good at what he does, but in the moments that mattered most in his life, he failed on a large scale and daily lives with the consequences.
Things I loved about this book were the unique storyline and characters, the humor (intercom on the train, anyone?!), and the fact that you really didn't know what the characters were going to choose to do until the end. Nathaniel and Caroline are so different from each other, I had no idea how they would make a relationship work and the extent that each one of them would willing to give for the sake of the relationship. Because admit it, while a life partner should definitely be someone who helps fill in the gaps, it also requires a great deal of giving, and Caroline and Nathaniel are both characters who aren't likely to budge for anything. I liked that this was a relaxing read with no really hateful villain blackening the mood. And on a personal preference level, I liked that after Caroline's time at the White House ended, she admitted that she was tired and didn't rush into another career; she seemed to me like someone who would have been likely to do that, and I liked the humanity of a character as strong as she prioritizing self care over a career for a period.
My cons for this book again are personal preference: I felt like I was on the outside looking in on the romance and did not feel connected to it at any point in the book, and while faith did play a role, God didn't have as strong of an influence in these characters' daily lives as other, favorite Christian fiction.
I will be the first in line to get my hands on Luke's story when it comes out; I can't wait!
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
Those two themes continue through this book, and were subplots that I found almost more interesting than Caroline's developing love story. Elizabeth Camden's strength has always been finding unique places in history and bringing them alive; in this case, the McKinley administration. I love history, and I found it fascinating to imagine along with Camden what daily life in the White House would have been like in 1899. We even get a cameo glimpse into the Roosevelts as their place in history begins, which was super fun.
Caroline is a woman who's overcome most of the habits of her wild youth and is now a force to be reckoned with as Ida McKinley's personal assistant. She's a go-getter who gets things done with grace and poise, but her weakness is the two brothers she adores and who need her to use her position to save their family. She quickly attracts the rather stuffy new head of security, the rule-following Nathaniel Trask. Nathaniel is good at what he does, but in the moments that mattered most in his life, he failed on a large scale and daily lives with the consequences.
Things I loved about this book were the unique storyline and characters, the humor (intercom on the train, anyone?!), and the fact that you really didn't know what the characters were going to choose to do until the end. Nathaniel and Caroline are so different from each other, I had no idea how they would make a relationship work and the extent that each one of them would willing to give for the sake of the relationship. Because admit it, while a life partner should definitely be someone who helps fill in the gaps, it also requires a great deal of giving, and Caroline and Nathaniel are both characters who aren't likely to budge for anything. I liked that this was a relaxing read with no really hateful villain blackening the mood. And on a personal preference level, I liked that after Caroline's time at the White House ended, she admitted that she was tired and didn't rush into another career; she seemed to me like someone who would have been likely to do that, and I liked the humanity of a character as strong as she prioritizing self care over a career for a period.
My cons for this book again are personal preference: I felt like I was on the outside looking in on the romance and did not feel connected to it at any point in the book, and while faith did play a role, God didn't have as strong of an influence in these characters' daily lives as other, favorite Christian fiction.
I will be the first in line to get my hands on Luke's story when it comes out; I can't wait!
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.