BOOK REVIEW & CFBA Tour: Masquerade

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing

MasqueradeBethany House (August 1, 2010)by

Nancy MoserABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of over twenty inspirational novels. Her genres include contemporary stories including John 3:16 and Time Lottery, and historical novels of real women-of-history including Just Jane(Jane Austen) and Washington's Lady (Martha Washington). Her newest historical novel is Masquerade. Nancy and her husband Mark live in the Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Sister Circle Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at
http://www.nancymoser.com/ and http://www.sistercircles.com./

ABOUT THE BOOK

They risk it all for adventure and romance, but find that love only flourishes in truth...

1886, New York City: Charlotte Gleason, a rich heiress from England, escapes a family crisis by traveling to America in order to marry the even wealthier Conrad Tremaine.

She soon decides that an arranged marriage is not for her and persuades her maid, Dora, to take her place. She wants a chance at "real life," even if it means giving up financial security. For Charlotte, it's a risk she's willing to take. What begins as the whim of a spoiled rich girl wanting adventure becomes a test of survival amid poverty beyond Charlotte's blackest nightmares.

As for Dora, it's the chance of a lifetime. She lives a fairy tale complete with gowns, jewels, and lavish mansions--yet is tormented by guilt from the possibility of discovery and the presence of another love that will not die. Is this what her heart truly longs for?
Will their masquerade be discovered? Will one of them have second thoughts? There is no guarantee the switch will work. It's a risk. It's the chance of a lifetime.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Masquerade, go HERE.

View the book trailer:




My Review:

Set during the Gilded Age in England and America this book has a flavor of the era and a taste of two completely different worlds.



I enjoyed the historical significance of this book. I got to see the vast riches of one side of New York City and the deprivation of the poor immigrants yearning for a new life in America on the other.


The story line is fairly unique where a mistress and her servant swap places, both yearning for adventure, both yearning for love, but can they find it in the deceptive web they continue to spin?


While I did enjoy the story and though it a pretty good story, I just wasn’t able to really delve into the story. It was slow moving and didn’t have a lot of “edge” to it. I thought there could have been stronger tension and better character development so I could truly enter their “world”.


I wouldn’t totally write off this novel. I did find it a nice read, but it hasn’t been the best I have read this year. It just failed to entertain me to the fullest.


This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.