By Joanna Davidson Politano

Cinderella meets My Fair Lady in this stunning Gilded Age mystery novel!

Raina practically lives on the streets of London where she works as a rag woman and mourns the loss of the sailor she loved. And then, one night, everything changes. A rich and handsome man offers her the opportunity of a lifetime: assume the role of the aristocratic Lady Enderly while the noblewoman recovers from a breakdown. Having lived abroad for years, no one in England will be able to tell the difference between the imitation Lady Enderly and the real one. Once she completes this task, Raina will be richly rewarded. 

But something doesn’t seem right, and when Raina tries to back out of the agreement, she finds herself blackmailed into compliance. The fairy tale turns into a nightmare. The longer she pretends to be Lady Enderly, the more she questions what really happened to the woman – is she even alive? Trapped with no way out, Raina has no choice but to continue this game to the bitter end. Can she rewrite this tragedy into a happy ending?

Pros: I ended up binge-reading this book, it was so good! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! I was so invested in Raina’s story and I couldn’t see a way out of her dilemma. While I formulated theories, the big reveal did surprise me – which is saying something! Truly a well-written book with a genius storyline!

Cons: Oh, the double-edged sword of knowing tons of historical trivia. SOS was not used as a distress signal in the 1880s. I was so confused when it popped up in the storyline and then, when I realized the error, it threw me out of the narrative for quite a while.

Bottom Line: A beautifully written historical suspense novel that turns fairy tales upside down.