Do You Love Books Set in the Gilded Age or Edwardian Era?

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Although it sounds like an oxymoron, this book really is an inspirational gothic novel! Find out why!

<small>Do you love books set in the Gilded Age in America or the Edwardian Era in England? If so, you'll love these two new inspirational novels.</small>

Edwardian Era? What’s That?

When Queen Victoria of England passed away in 1901, her heir became King Edward VII. The Edwardian Era lasted from 1901 to the start of WWI in Europe (1914), even though King Edward VII passed away in 1910. If you’ve ever watched Downton Abbey, you’ll have a basic understanding of the Edwardian Era. Morals loosened, women gained new freedoms, the rich got richer and adopted more opulent lifestyles, and strict class lines started to blur. The Edwardian Era coincides with parts of the Gilded Age in the United States.

In the United States, the Gilded Age started in the lat 1870s and ended in the early 1900s. During this time of rapid economic advancement, the newly rich in the U.S. strove to emulate the old rich in both America and England. Mark Twain coined the term ‘Gilded Age’ to signify a society that seemed glittering on the surface, but shockingly corrupt underneath. As the ideas and social mores of the Victorian Era faded, women fought their way out of the protective Victorian coccoon men had wrapped them in. Middle- and upper-class men questioned women’s ability to work outside the home (as well as her morals if she did).

To Treasure an Heiress (The Secrets of the Isles, Book 2)

By Roseanna M. White, Bethany House, January 2022, 384 pages.

A proper young woman in 1909, England doesn’t do certain things. Such as disappearing for weeks at a time and living alone on a deserted island. Nor does she crave adventure and the world outside her close-knit island community off the shores of Cornwall. But Beth Tremayne defies all the conventions of society. Partly to feed her thirst for adventure, and partly to protect her family from unscrupulous treasure hunters. Treasure hunters who want to claim the treasure Beth has spent the summer hunting for. To make things worse, her brother has invited the unsufferable Lord Sheridan to stay with them.

Lord Sheridan loves archeology, treasure hunting, and travel. When he searches for pirate treasure left by one of his ancestors, he ends up on Tresco, one of the Isles of Scilly. Although his best friend, Lord Telford wants him to marry his sister, Elizabeth, Sheridan falls in love at first sight with Beth Tremayne. But she wants nothing to do with him. With a treasure and his future in the balance, can Sheridan convince Beth to work with him, instead of against him, to unlock the mysteries of their pasts?

Why I Loved This Book

The second installment in Roseanna M. White’s Secrets of the Isles series is even better than the first book, The Nature of a Lady. Readers don’t have to read the first book, but why not? The endearing Lord Sheridan’s attempts to gain Beth’s approval made me laugh out loud. The treasure hunt started in book one, continues in the second book as Beth and Sheridan race to unlock mysteries from both of their pasts.

Readers will relate to both Beth and Sheridan as they struggle to fit comfortably into a world that doesn’t always accept them. White includes memorable characters (Sheridan’s whirlwind sisters deserve their own book) which add depth as well as comic relief to the story.

Fans of Jen Turano, Kristy Cambron, and J’Nell Ciesielski will enjoy this book.

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Her Darling Mr. Day (American Royalty Series)

By Grace Hitchcock, Bethany House, January 2022, 352 pages.

Flora Wingfield’s mother raised her and her four sisters to hunt—for a suitable husband. As the eldest, Flora must use her most skillful powers of persuasion to convince her parents to take the family to New Orleans to stay with their great aunt for the summer. Flora doesn’t want to marry just anyone; she wants to marry her childhood friend Teddy Day.

And the incredibly handsome man has fled to New Orleans to recover from a very public jilting. Flora’s best friend, Willow Dupré, dumped Teddy (at Flora’s urging), to accept the man she really loved. Now Flora has one last chance to show Teddy their friendship can blossom into love to last a lifetime.

Theodore Day might hold the title of most eligible bachelor in New York City, but he’s also the most jilted. Two women have agreed to marry him and then decamped. He decided to spend the summer in New Orleans and escape the socialites who want to become his darling Mrs. Day. Hard work for his father’s luxury steamboat company should fit the bill. If it weren’t for the husband-hunting society ladies in New Orleans who vie for a place at his side.

What a relief when his childhood friend, Flora Wingfield, shows up. With her, he can enjoy an uncomplicated friendship. But when other eligible bachelors (including his older brother) start hanging around, Teddy questions his true emotions.

When Flora’s father announces his four eldest daughters must marry by the end of the summer, the entire family panics. Will Teddy discover his true feelings for Flora before the deadline?

Why I Loved This Book

Hitchcock fills her second installment in the American Royalty series with historical details fans of fiction will love. Although second in a series, readers don’t need to read My Dear Miss Dupré to thoroughly enjoy Her Darling Mr. Day https://amzn.to/3z6CyHp.

Flora has a talent for interior design, and a father who believes her highest calling involves marriage and raising children. Readers will relate to Flora’s quest to find a way to combine her passion with the most acceptable vocation of the era—becoming a wife and mother. To realize her dreams requires a different kind of husband—one who appreciates every facet of her nature. Not just her generous dowry.

Fans of Jen Turano and Jocelyn Green will love this book.

You'll love #HerDarlingMrDay! An inspirational historical romance set during the Gilded Age in New Orleans by @grace_hitchcock. #inspy #gildedage #historicalromance Click To Tweet