The One Where I Review Manor of Secrets

Manor of Secrets 
by Katherine Longshore
Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
Format: eARC

Goodreads Synopsis:

The year is 1911. And at The Manor, nothing is as it seems . . .

Lady Charlotte Edmonds: Beautiful, wealthy, and sheltered, Charlotte feels suffocated by the strictures of upper-crust society. She longs to see the world beyond The Manor, to seek out high adventure. And most of all, romance. 

Janie Seward: Fiery, hardworking, and clever, Janie knows she can be more than just a kitchen maid. But she isn't sure she possesses the courage -- or the means -- to break free and follow her passions.

Both Charlotte and Janie are ready for change. As their paths overlap in the gilded hallways and dark corridors of The Manor, rules are broken and secrets are revealed. Secrets that will alter the course of their lives. . . forever.

Not all is as it seems at the Manor.

Lady Charlotte is wealthy, available, and incredibly bored.

Janie is hardworking, determined, and just trying to keep her job.

What happens when you put this two young ladies together?

Scandals and secrets! That's what happens! And it is so much fun.

The early 1900s saw the separation of the classes where interactions were discouraged. Servants were not to be seen nor heard by those of the upper class. However, Lady Charlotte has different plans. She's tired of having to stick to the social norms and get married to a boring lord and have children and sew all day. She wants adventure and to do things that may not be socially acceptable, especially where a handsome and completely off-limits footman is involved.

Enter Janie, a hard-working girl with a fiery streak. She has the relative freedom that Charlotte so desires. The two strike up a friendship in spite of every social norm saying otherwise. While things don't always go quite as smoothly as they may like, this is a story of true friendship and sticking up for your friends no matter what. This is a story that questions the social "norms" and what it means to be a woman or servant in this time.

Perhaps the one thing I loved most about this book, besides the unlikely and wonderful friendship, is the fact that the characters are not at all what they seem. Some characters care more about what society thinks than remaining true to friends. Others may seem to stick to societies social norms because they think that is what the other person expects, all while hiding their true thoughts and feelings. This book truly shows that you can't judge someone based on the outside or based on their social standing. Everyone is hiding secrets and it takes kindness and heart to have them open up. And some of those secrets are BIG ones. This book definitely throws quite a few curveballs at you!

Short and Sweet:

 This is a wonderful historical-fiction about what it means to be true friends. It's a book that looks at social norms and tests the boundaries. It's full of secrets and gossipy goodness and characters that aren't always who they seem. While I'm not one to usually compare books, this feels like an episode right out of Downton Abbey and it is absolutely wonderful.

                           

Read More

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Gilt (The Royal Circle #1)
by Katherine Longshore
Pages: 398
Source: Netgalley
Format: eARC


Rating: Loved it!!


Goodreads Synopsis:


In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all. 

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.


My Review: 



   Welcome to the Tudor court, the breeding ground for vicious back-stabbers and master manipulators, where secrets are the currency. Enter if you dare.


   I used to think how fun it would be to live in medieval times. Come on, every girl wants those pretty dresses and gorgeous jewels the size of an egg. Seriously, its a girls dream. And most books just add to this sense of beauty. Sure, they didn't have plumbing (ewww) or toothpaste or whatnot, but in most books, they don't focus on that so it can be forgotten. You just get the pretty dresses and court intrigue. Heck, now that I look back at other historical fictions, the court intrigue wasn't as scandalous, but more political. They show you the good stuff. And, more often than not, the MC's go against the norm and are kick-butt and all that jazz. Well, Gilt brought reality crashing back down. Medieval times sucked.


   This is the story of Catherine Howard's rise to queendom. Starting off as a lowly maid and working her way to becoming the most powerful woman in England. 






   Alright, I'm going to be as nice as I possibly can but I have never hated someone so much. But I loved to hate her. Cat is the most manipulative, self-centered, selfish, vicious, vindictive, devious and shrewd person ever. Heck, those words don't even begin to describe her. Cat started off as a maid but even within that group she was their leader. You wanted to fit in? Cat had to like you. Cat could make or break you. All she wanted was more, more and more.She was never satisfied with anything and was willing to do anything in order to get what she wanted, even be mean and vile to those she considered "friends". Heck, even in the end she still wasn't happy even though she got what she wanted. In the end, it was all about Cat. 


   Kitty, our MC, was the complete opposite. She was like a kicked puppy. She followed Cat around like her shadow and did whatever Cat said. One moment Cat would actually be nice to her, but the next she would manipulate and condemn Kitty and she just dealt with it. She was a pansy and pathetic and passive, and yet I couldn't help but care for her. She was an orphan, and Cat was the only one ever there for her. So, even though Cat can be mean and manipulative, she deals with it. She knows that in order to fit in, she has do whatever Cat says. She's the Cady Heron to Mean Girl's Regina George. 




   The thing is, going into this book, you know it's not going to have a happy ending. I mean, come on! She's one of Henry VIII wives and we all know how well it worked out for them. So, you know this is just a car wreck waiting to happen, yet for some odd reason I simply couldn't put it down. Was it because I simply loved to hate Cat? Is it all the delicious scandals? The court gossip that could make or break you? Whatever it was, I was hooked. Throughout the story I was gasping and yelling and quite frankly calling Cat many names I'm not proud of. 


    I've tried to write this review without too many spoilers because although you know how it ends, its the journey that's the adventure. This book is a stark reality to the other historical fictions out there. This book makes you realize how easily you could be destroyed back then. One word and you were ruined. It was brutal. And women were treated worst of all. 


Overall:


   I simply loved to hate Cat and I hated to love Kitty. I really would have had a hard time not punching both of them back then, but at the same time I understand why they are like they are. Women were treated like nothing and the only thing they could get back then was a rich husband, so why not get the richest of them all? And for Kitty, Cat was the only one keeping her life better than it used to be. This book has scandals and gossip and backstabbing girls. It's like a high school! And it's so addicting. This is a historical fiction with real characters and while it may not have a happy ending for all of them, it's still a story worth reading and reading about what greed and manipulation can do to you. 

All the best ♥

Mackenzie 

Read More