Happy Friday Bookish Friends :)
I hope you've all had a great week, and that you're all looking forward to the weekend.
I'm still on the mend, and still feeling slightly sore after the fall I took at the end of last weekend. I'm still excited though to be heading out for the weekend with my husband and one of our good friends.
Before I head out though, I wanted to make sure and share my newest book review with you all, and I can pretty much guarantee this is one book you're definitely not going to want to miss out on.
Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano:
Source: Complimentary copy provided by the publisher as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program.
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London's east end when a handsome stranger appears in a dank alley and offers her a glittering smile and a chance for adventure. Rothburne Abbey has a unique position for her, one that will take her away from her hardscrabble life and give her a chance to be a lady. Things she could only dream of might be coming true. But some dreams turn out to be nightmares.
Though Raina has traded squalor for silk and satin, something about the abbey is deeply unsettling. As she wrestles with her true identity, the ruin, decay, and secrets she finds at the heart of the old mansion tear at her confidence and threaten to reveal her for who she really is. Only one man stands between her and the danger that lurks within--and only if he decides to keep her biggest secret hidden.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I have read a lot of books over the years. A lot of books across many different genres, and yet I don't think I've ever personally read anything quite like Finding Lady Enderly before. It's a delightful and creative story that had me glued to each page, and on the edge of my seat as the sinister plot twisted and turned in ways I never could have seen coming.
A rags to riches story with a dark mystery unfolding around it, the reader first meets Raina Bretton as a rag woman working in the slum area of London's east end. A chance encounter with a mysterious stranger in a dark alley one night leaves her with a business proposition she's hesitant to accept. Raina knows there must be more to the story than what she's been told, but with the love of her life having passed away, and her future looking mighty bleak, she's not sure what other choice she truly has.
The plan seems simple, although extremely dishonest, and Raina's main job is to step in for the lady of Rothburne estate, while she's recovering somewhere away from the public eye. As her role becomes more sinister, and more involved, Raina struggles with questioning what truly happened to the real Lady Enderly? Is the woman's husband, the Earl, the one to blame, or does the estate's solicitor, Victor, who approached her about the position in the first place, know more to the story than he's truly letting on?
Finding Lady Enderly was a true literary treat, and kept me second guessing at every twist and turn as to what was truly going on at Rothbrune. Nothing about the plot in this one was ever predictable, and that's something I definitely appreciate when an author can successfully pull off. I personally adored the romance. Sully and Raina's relationship was heartfelt and swoon worthy, and even though they don't actually spend that much time together; their beautiful way of corresponding through the texts of classic literature kept this bibliophile smiling the way whole way through.
While this book's plot may be towards a more gothic; dark and sinister side, I appreciated that this is balanced out with an emphasis on the One who's got everything truly under His control. How in His eyes, no one is "just a rag girl", and everyone is an important piece of the Kingdom. There's truly nothing I love more in Christian fiction than an actual emphasis on faith, and the characters coming to realize that through Him, "all things are possible." I'm so thankful that Joanna Davidson Politano didn't shy away from this, as has been the case for me with a lot of more recently published Christian fiction titles.
I adored this one, and will definitely consider this author a new favorite. The only complaint I had with the entirety of the story was that I didn't love the ending. While there was technically nothing wrong with it, I just found it slightly underwhelming, and I wanted more for these characters. However, that one small issue did not affect my enjoyment of the overall story, and I will definitely be recommending that everyone give this one a read. It's truly unlike anything I've ever read before, and I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Final Rating 4/5
Thanks so much to Revell for providing me a complimentary copy of this novel to read and review!
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.
I hope you've all had a great week, and that you're all looking forward to the weekend.
I'm still on the mend, and still feeling slightly sore after the fall I took at the end of last weekend. I'm still excited though to be heading out for the weekend with my husband and one of our good friends.
Before I head out though, I wanted to make sure and share my newest book review with you all, and I can pretty much guarantee this is one book you're definitely not going to want to miss out on.
Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano:
Source: Complimentary copy provided by the publisher as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program.
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London's east end when a handsome stranger appears in a dank alley and offers her a glittering smile and a chance for adventure. Rothburne Abbey has a unique position for her, one that will take her away from her hardscrabble life and give her a chance to be a lady. Things she could only dream of might be coming true. But some dreams turn out to be nightmares.
Though Raina has traded squalor for silk and satin, something about the abbey is deeply unsettling. As she wrestles with her true identity, the ruin, decay, and secrets she finds at the heart of the old mansion tear at her confidence and threaten to reveal her for who she really is. Only one man stands between her and the danger that lurks within--and only if he decides to keep her biggest secret hidden.
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
I have read a lot of books over the years. A lot of books across many different genres, and yet I don't think I've ever personally read anything quite like Finding Lady Enderly before. It's a delightful and creative story that had me glued to each page, and on the edge of my seat as the sinister plot twisted and turned in ways I never could have seen coming.
A rags to riches story with a dark mystery unfolding around it, the reader first meets Raina Bretton as a rag woman working in the slum area of London's east end. A chance encounter with a mysterious stranger in a dark alley one night leaves her with a business proposition she's hesitant to accept. Raina knows there must be more to the story than what she's been told, but with the love of her life having passed away, and her future looking mighty bleak, she's not sure what other choice she truly has.
The plan seems simple, although extremely dishonest, and Raina's main job is to step in for the lady of Rothburne estate, while she's recovering somewhere away from the public eye. As her role becomes more sinister, and more involved, Raina struggles with questioning what truly happened to the real Lady Enderly? Is the woman's husband, the Earl, the one to blame, or does the estate's solicitor, Victor, who approached her about the position in the first place, know more to the story than he's truly letting on?
Finding Lady Enderly was a true literary treat, and kept me second guessing at every twist and turn as to what was truly going on at Rothbrune. Nothing about the plot in this one was ever predictable, and that's something I definitely appreciate when an author can successfully pull off. I personally adored the romance. Sully and Raina's relationship was heartfelt and swoon worthy, and even though they don't actually spend that much time together; their beautiful way of corresponding through the texts of classic literature kept this bibliophile smiling the way whole way through.
While this book's plot may be towards a more gothic; dark and sinister side, I appreciated that this is balanced out with an emphasis on the One who's got everything truly under His control. How in His eyes, no one is "just a rag girl", and everyone is an important piece of the Kingdom. There's truly nothing I love more in Christian fiction than an actual emphasis on faith, and the characters coming to realize that through Him, "all things are possible." I'm so thankful that Joanna Davidson Politano didn't shy away from this, as has been the case for me with a lot of more recently published Christian fiction titles.
I adored this one, and will definitely consider this author a new favorite. The only complaint I had with the entirety of the story was that I didn't love the ending. While there was technically nothing wrong with it, I just found it slightly underwhelming, and I wanted more for these characters. However, that one small issue did not affect my enjoyment of the overall story, and I will definitely be recommending that everyone give this one a read. It's truly unlike anything I've ever read before, and I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Final Rating 4/5
Thanks so much to Revell for providing me a complimentary copy of this novel to read and review!
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Revell) as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.
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