Once an Heiress by Renee Ryan

Once an Heiress (Gilded Promises)

by Renee Ryan

"Boston society darling Gigi Wentworth leaves behind everything she holds dear for the sake of love-- only to learn that the man with whom she'd planned to elope is nothing but a thieving scoundrel. Abandoned in New York City and saddled with debt, Gigi must sell a prized family heirloom, but even that sacrifice isn't enough to get her home. Her determination drives her to take on work as a lady's maid, keeping her identity a secret... until she's discovered by a former friend with a hidden agenda. Although dealing with his own serious family issue, Christopher 'Fitz' Fitzpatrick sets out to return the missing heiress to her rightful place in society. But the more he interacts with this new Gigi, the more shocked he is to find her so changed. Gone is the frivolous beauty in expensive gowns. In her place is a woman he could grow to love. When secrets are revealed, will Gigi and Fitz find the trust they need to confront the past and open their hearts?" -- Amazon.com.

Reviewed by phyllish on

5 of 5 stars

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What a great book! I have not previously read any books by this author, but now I am ready to find as many as I can to read them!

While this book is the third in the series, it does stand alone. In reading the story I could tell that there were books that preceded it, but did not feel that I missed out on the story in not knowing more about the secondary characters from this book. That said, I do plan on going back and reading the first two books of this series, but mostly because I enjoyed this story so much and am curious to learn more about the others.

The characters were very well developed and the plot moved along very well. The story gripped me from the very beginning as Gigi attempted to redeem her family heirloom necklace in hopes of atoning for her sins in leaving her family as she did.

The conflict between Fitz and Gigi (or Sally, as she is known to her employers) was very well crafted and quite believable. The feelings of being beyond redemption that Gigi experienced were also explained in such a way as to be compelling. I really appreciated the way that not all the problems in the book were perfectly resolved - it was much more realistic and as in real life, sin has consequences despite the fact that we are forgiven.

This is a beautiful story of redemption with the theme of the Prodigal Son.

This review originally appeared at This review was originally posted on Among the Reads

I voluntarily received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 September, 2017: Finished reading
  • 5 September, 2017: Reviewed