October 30, 2017
In Politano’s artful tale of faith, class, and surprising tenderness in 1860s English high society, Aurelie Rosette Harcourt makes a dramatic switch from debtor’s prison to the opulent Lynhurst Manor. After Aurelie’s father was sent to Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset, Lady Eudora Pochard, Aurelie’s wealthy aunt, turned her back on her brother. But now that he is dead and Aurelie is homeless, Lady Pochard takes in the teenage girl, however begrudgingly. Aurelie is also privy to a secret about her father: he was a successful novelist writing under the pen name Nathaniel Droll. To extend his legacy, Aurelie decides to become Droll herself and finish Lady Jayne, the story her father started before his death. The conniving, charismatic Silas Rotherham is also a new guest at Lynhurst Manor, staying there under the guise of courting Lady Pochard’s granddaughter; almost immediately, Aurelie and Rotherham are magnetically attracted to and repelled by each other. While Lynhurst Manor and the lavish lifestyle are appealing to Aurelie, the social double-dealing tries and (eventually) rejuvenates her faith. In depicting Aurelie’s dogged pursuit of finishing her father’s work, Politano also poignantly explores the rules (spoken and unspoken) of 19th-century English society in this excellent tale. Agent: Tamela Hancock Murray, Steve Laube Agency.
Starred review from November 1, 2017
Raised in a debtor's prison, Aurelie Harcourt is sent to live with estranged wealthy relatives after her author father dies. Receiving a less than warm welcome at Lynhurst Manor, she takes up her father's pen name of Nathaniel Droll to finish his manuscript about her mother's mysterious disappearance from the estate. Despite the whispers of truth she picks up in her investigation, Aurelie soon learns that in society, deception is the norm, and begins to doubt she can ever find peace in this new environment without sacrificing all she holds dear. Still, as Aurelie's refreshingly witty and inspiring narrative reveals, hope, faith, and love eventually do shine out of the darkness. VERDICT Fans of the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, and Victorian gothic fiction will enjoy Politano's well-crafted debut, which was a finalist for the 2016 ACFW Genesis Award and a winner of the Georgia Romance Writers 2016 Maggie Award for Excellence in the Inspirational Romance category.
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2017
Raised in a debtor's prison, Aurelie Harcourt is sent to live with estranged wealthy relatives after her author father dies. Receiving a less than warm welcome at Lynhurst Manor, she takes up her father's pen name of Nathaniel Droll to finish his manuscript about her mother's mysterious disappearance from the estate. Despite the whispers of truth she picks up in her investigation, Aurelie soon learns that in society, deception is the norm, and begins to doubt she can ever find peace in this new environment without sacrificing all she holds dear. Still, as Aurelie's refreshingly witty and inspiring narrative reveals, hope, faith, and love eventually do shine out of the darkness. VERDICT Fans of the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, and Victorian gothic fiction will enjoy Politano's well-crafted debut, which was a finalist for the 2016 ACFW Genesis Award and a winner of the Georgia Romance Writers 2016 Maggie Award for Excellence in the Inspirational Romance category.
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2017
In this delightful debut, a sweet romance, Politano pens a clever story-within-a-story full of Victorian intrigue and ghosts. Aurelie Harcourt?s father has just died, and she is leaving the only home she has ever known, Shepton Mallet debtor?s prison, with the few things he left her: a trunk full of blank notebooks and his pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Initially planning to abandon his unfinished serial novel, Lady Jayne Disappears,which she has been transcribing for years, Aurelie decides, instead, to continue her father?s work when she realizes that her Aunt Eudora?s home, Lynhurst Manor, is the setting of her father?s fiction. Lady Jayne was Aurelie?s mother, and staying in the family home gives her the chance to try to uncover what really happened to her. But not everyone wants the family secrets revealed. Older readers who miss the great gothic romances of Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and Mary Stewart will enjoy Politano?s tale, as will readers looking for a chaste romance. Also recommend to readers who enjoy Lauren Willig?s historical romances.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)