Cinders & Sapphires
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
One house, two worlds... Rose Cliffe has never met a young lady like her new mistress. Clever, rich, and beautiful, Ada Averley treats Rose as an equal. And Rose could use a friend. Especially now that she, at barely sixteen, has risen to the position of ladies' maid. Rose knows she should be grateful to have a place at a house like Somerton. Still, she can't help but wonder what her life might have been had she been born a lady, like Ada. For the first time in a decade, the Averleys have returned to Somerton, their majestic ancestral estate. But terrible scandal has followed Ada's beloved father all the way from India. Now Ada finds herself torn between her own happiness and her family's honor. Only she has the power to restore the Averley name—but it would mean giving up her one true love . . . someone she could never persuade her father to accept. Sumptuous and enticing, the first novel in the At Somerton series introduces two worlds, utterly different yet entangled, where ruthless ambition, forbidden attraction, and unspoken dreams are hidden behind dutiful smiles and glittering jewels. All those secrets are waiting . . . at Somerton.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the spring of 1910, Lady Ava Averley sails from colonial India to her family's English estate at Somerton Court. On board, she meets a cute but common Indian boy, Ravi Sundaresan, and they steal a clandestine kiss. Ada's first season is approaching, but she dreams of attending Oxford, at a time when the higher education of women is frowned upon. At Somerton, Ada's father remarries, and Ada contends with her new stepfamily, including a mean stepmother and rival stepsister. She also has a new, 16-year-old maid, Rose, a girl with her own secrets as well as aspirations that go beyond her current station. British author Rasheed brings a dizzying number of characters and subplots together skillfully in this first book in the At Somerton series, mixing standard upstairs/downstairs fare with clashes involving sexuality, scandal, love triangles, and murder. Scheming and secrets drive a plot with largely shallow players (Ada's other love interest, Lord Fintan, is an exception), but fans of historical romances like the Luxe series and shows like Downton Abbey will look forward to the next book. Ages 12 up.
