Reviewed by phyllish on
My rating is 4.5 stars
Grayson had spent most of his life in school, away from his family. Though he knew what to do when his father died, having been well trained to run an estate, he still felt abandoned. I was so impressed with his integrity and the way he continued to put the needs of “his” people before his own, and the way he was willing to honor his father’s agreement even to his own hurt.
Emma felt like she didn’t belong anywhere. Though part of the family, her uncle and cousins treated her as a servant. Though required to serve, as a member of the family, the servants didn’t accept her as one of their own either. I loved the way Emma was a dreamer and a romantic despite her less than ideal circumstances.
While this captivating story is loosely based on Cinderella, don’t expect to see obvious connections. Author Candee Fick has chosen to create just a subtle connection to the fairy tale and uses artistic license to make this story completely her own.
The attention to detail and effort to place the story at just the right time in history for the events herein to be plausible are evident throughout. This is certainly a story for which you will want to read the author’s notes to see how and why certain choices were made. Having not carefully researched this time or place in history, I had no idea about these things. It is quite impressive.
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I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 29 March, 2019: Reviewed