Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow by Olivia Newport

Cover Art If you like Downton Abbey, then this book's for you!   Charlotte Farrow is a maid for a wealthy family in Chicago and she has a secret that could cost her her livelihood.  She has a baby.  When the woman who cares for Henry drops him off at the house and heads out of town because of a family emergency, she doesn't know what to do.  If she tells the family he's her child, she'll be fired and then how would they survive?  If she keeps her secret, would Henry have a better life with a family who can give him everything she can't?  Add to her confusion a forbidden romance with a fellow servant, a man from her past, and a new maid with an attitude and you have a book with plenty of drama.

I love the time period of this story and found it fascinating to learn about the working conditions that led to eight-hour workdays, among other reforms for the working class.  I like getting into the heads of the different characters to see what they're thinking and I felt for Charlotte. This is book two in the Avenue of Dreams and though it works as a stand-alone, it seemed that there was some back story I missed not having read The Pursuit of Lucy Banning.  Overall, I enjoyed this story very much and hope there will be more to come!

Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

I received this book free from Revell in exchange for an honest review.

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