One woman’s search for the truth
of her sister’s disappearance leads her to deceit and danger in 1893 Chicago.
Rosalind Perry has left her
family’s rural farm in Wisconsin to work as a housemaid at Sloane House, one of
the most elegant mansions in Gilded Age Chicago. However, Rosalind is not there
just to earn a living and support her family—she’s at Sloane House determined
to discover the truth about her sister’s mysterious disappearance.
Reid Armstrong is the handsome
heir to a silver fortune. However, his family is on the periphery of Chicago’s
elite because their wealth comes from “new money” obtained from successful
mining. Marriage to Veronica Sloane would secure his family’s position in
society—the lifelong dream of his ailing father.
When Reid begins to realize the
Rosalind’s life may be in danger, he stops thinking of marriage prospects and
concentrates on helping Rosalind. Dark things are afoot in Chicago and, he
fears, in Sloane House. If he’s not vigilant, Rosalind could pay the price.
Secrets of Sloane House is the first
book in Shelley Gray’s new Chicago World’s
Fair Mystery series. I have always been a fan of Shelley’s Amish novels and
mysteries—which she publishes under the name Shelley Shepard Gray—so I got
excited when I found out she was writing a historical mystery series. And now
that I have read both the first and the second books in the series, I have to
say, I was not disappointed. Secrets of Sloane House is full of just enough intrigue,
romance, and mystery to leave you wanting more, all the while wrapping up the
story in ways you never in a million years thought possible. Even now that I know
the ending, I am still shocked by the reality of what happened to Miranda. Although
I look back now and see a few signs that could have pointed to the truth, I can
still say with certainty that I never saw that ending coming. Ever.
Rosalind
Perry is by far one of my favorite heroines, possibly because she is so easy to
relate to. Completely focused on discovering the truth about her sister,
Rosalind pushes herself into her work and her search, all the while believing
the lies society tells her: that she is not, and never will be, good enough for
anyone. As she continues to come up with dead end after dead end, it becomes
even harder for Rosalind to keep her head up. Obviously, she’s not even good
enough to find her sister. Her family is going to be so disappointed in her, as
she’s running out of chances and time, and she has yet to find anything of
worth when it comes to her search for her sister. The way she puts herself down
for things that are not true or beyond her control have no merit, but they don’t
have to. So many of us believe lies just like those, and all because it seems
so obvious, at least to us, that they are true. That is what makes Rosalind so
relatable, and makes Reid so great.
Each
and every time he becomes aware of Rosalind’s view of herself, Reid does
everything in his power to dispel those rumors she is believing about herself. He
sees her as the beautiful, smart, caring woman that she is, and he is never too
busy to tell her so. Let me just make something clear for a moment: never once
as I read this novel did I find Reid to be so self-absorbed as he appears in
the description. It didn’t take him very long at all to give up on the ‘must
marry a lady of society’ idea, he just wanted to please his parents, especially
his ailing father. If he hadn’t felt that it was his duty to make a good match,
that idea would have been thrown out the door ages ago. And even while he still
knew that his parents wanted that for him, he continued to help—and fall for—Rosalind.
Honestly, I think, he never really truly felt guilty about it, because she was
just that perfect for him.
Then
there is the mystery aspect of this novel. Shelley intertwines everything
PERFECTLY. I could not imagine anyone doing it better. There are just enough
hints that when you look back you see them but as you read you are still just
as in the dark as before, everything wraps up—there are no loose ends hanging—and
the reasons for the crime are all perfectly justifiable, for the criminal anyway.
They do make sense and aren’t just flimsy excuses, which is a good thing
because I hate it when the reasons for the crimes in mysteries don’t make any
sense or aren’t even real motivations. That was not the case with this book,
thank goodness, which made this such a wonderful mystery. And the romance…oh
goodness, give me a moment while I recover from my swoon. Reid is amazing. Have
I said that already? Because he is. And he and Rosalind make the absolute
perfect pair. Despite the fact that society claims they are all wrong for each
other, they leap over the boundaries placed before them to find a love that is
both touching and inspiring, leading them to their very own happily ever after.
Obviously,
I really enjoyed this book. Loved it, in fact. So it must be apparent that I cannot
help but give it all five bookshelves. It was spectacular. And now it has me
looking forward to the final book in the series (I told you I’ve already read
the second book, haven’t I? I couldn’t help myself. I picked it up just seconds
after putting this one down. And if you think I loved this novel, just wait
until you hear my thoughts on that one). This series (or what I’ve read of it) is
by far one of the best historical mystery series I have ever read, which leaves
me with no choice but to say, go read these books! I promise you won’t regret
it!
Happy
reading!
Linking up at The Diary of a Real Housewife.
All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Shelley Gray
and Liftuse Publishing Group.
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