It is the year 1847 in the elegant city of Bath where 18yr old Genevre Stratton is treated more as a servant than a daughter in the elegant house where bills are not paid, and the rent is in arrears.
Appalled by the dishonesty and overriding social ambition beneath her parents’ veneer of respectability, only her love for her younger brother and sisters keeps her there.
Left to cope alone when their false world falls apart, she fights to keep her siblings together, until poverty forces her to yield them to the care of their half-brother, George Coleman. Handsome, wealthy and charismatic, he is the enemy who becomes her lover.
To surrender all to her passionate desire for him, or to keep the independence of a new-found musical career on the London stage? This is her is her choice to make, until an unexpected call of duty takes her to Paris.
Must the old, dark secrets she discovers there alter the course of her life forever?
My Thoughts
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Genevre Stratton, and eighteen year old woman who lives in Bath in the year 1847, and has a far from idyllic life. Rather than being treated as a daughter, she is instead treated like a servant within the place she calls home. However her home is far from secure too as bills and rent are well in to arrears, something that is getting worse with every passing day.
Genevre finds herself becoming more and more appalled by her parents behaviour and the way they are more concerned about their social standing than the wellbeing of their family. The only thing that keeps her there, and prevents her from abandoning them entirely is the love she has for her younger siblings.
When everything falls apart and she is left to fend for herself, her main priority is keeping her siblings with her. However, unable to fight her way out of poverty, Genevre finds herself having to relinquish the care of her siblings to their half-brother George Coleman. He is incredibly handsome and charming, but he is her enemy who took her siblings away from her – but ass they are forced into each others lives time and time again, that sense of hatred she feels towards him begins to transform in to something much deeper.
This story had me intrigued from the very beginning. Genevre is such a strong headed woman who is fiercely protective of those she loves, and that shows in the way she puts her own life on hold to ensure her siblings are cared for and loved, something I dare say she hasn’t really experienced herself from her parents. The storyline itself is emotionally driven and has plenty of drama throughout to keep you fully invested in the lives of the characters you get to know and love as the story plays out. Each of the characters have their own motives and flaws, something that ultimately makes them all the more realistic and relatable to the reader.
This is a truly wonderful read that I couldn’t put down. Another page turner from Alison Burke!.
You can purchase a copy of this book by following the links below
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alison-Burke/e/B08P7WHRCT
US – https://www.amazon.com/Alison-Burke/e/B08P7WHRCT
About the Author
I was born in Lancashire and started my career by training as a State Registered general nurse. Later, I joined the army and became an officer in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. On a posting to Malaya, now Malaysia, I found my true love. This was an ideal setting for a marriage with young children, and now my memories are a wonderfully rich source of material for my writing.
Social Media Links
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*Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and Alison Burke for providing me with a gifted copy of this book in return for my honest review. All thoughts are entirely my own and not influenced in any way.*
Victoria Wilks 