Beginning:
Cold Spring, 1899Friday 56:
Twelfth Night
"They say he's bankrupted himself rebuilding the house--all for her, of course." Carrie Rheinlander's voice carried along the high, arched ceiling. "And then there are those frightful stories about...oh, Janie, I didn't see you there."
No one ever did.
The official notice had arrived hours later, presented by a harried Mr. Tilden. It had been easier than Janie expected to pretend she knew nothing about it, largely because no one ever imagined she might. As always, she sat in a chair a little behind the others, draped in crepe and dullness. Janie Van Duyvil, who never did anything improper.
From New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Willig, comes this scandalous novel set in the Gilded Age, full of family secrets, affairs, and even murder.
Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life in New York: he's the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he's recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she's having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay's sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?
ENJOY The English Wife...a bit slow at first, but it is VERY good.
ReplyDeleteStay warm - I'm guessing you are also in this deep freeze.
Sounds good. I love reading from this time period! I am hunkered down reading and ignoring the freeze outside!
ReplyDeleteJanie sounds like she might be quite the character, even though no one notices her. Looks very good.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love when the characters are not who they seem. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover. Sounds like a superb book. Might need to add it to my wish list. Enjoy!
ReplyDeletehttp://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-friday-56-jan-5.html
Gorgeous cover! The English Wife sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteI love reading books set during the Gilded Age. This one sounds great! Hope you enjoy! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds very interesting!! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteOooh! This one sounds like it has lots of layers to it. I hope that you enjoy it. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the opening. If the rest of the book is as good, you've got a good one on your hands. I am reading nonfiction this week: Dreaming the Beatles
ReplyDeleteI usually don't read historical fiction but this sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteA wall flower with secrets. I wonder what she's been up to. Lovely cover too!
ReplyDeleteMy Friday 56 from Murder On New Year's Eve
Oooh. That's a great opening.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing these teasers! I have this coming up next on my reading list and I'm so excited! I absolutely loved The Other Daughter by Willig and this looks even better!
ReplyDeleteThe English Wife sounds like a fun read, and the beginning grabbed my attention. I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great opening! Wow! The whole story sounds intriguing, Kathy. I hope you're enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteJo-Ann at Inspiration Pie
The English Wife is on my must read list for 2018. I can't wait to dive in. I hope you are enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteI really like that cover design - thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteLauren @ Always Me