"This book is fun to describe in list form—a gender-swapped Jewish Regency “Cinderella”!—but it’s even more enthralling to see those magpie elements fused into a dazzling union.”—The New York Times Entertainment Weekly Kirkus, Starred Review Publishers Weekly Library Journal BookPage Vulture Magazine Paste Magazine Jewish Book Council Hey Alma Eva Leigh, USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt, New York Times bestselling author Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author of Always Be My Duchess Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Portrait of a Scotsman Adriana Herrera, USA Today bestselling author of A Caribbean Heiress in Paris Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author of The Belle of Belgrave Square Joanna Shupe, USA Today bestselling author of The Duke Gets Even Manda Collins, bestselling author of A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem Jean Meltzer, bestselling author of The Matzah Ball Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate and The Intimacy Experiment Liana de la Rosa, author of Ana María and the Fox Elizabeth Everett, author of A Love by Design
"An important addition to the historical romance canon . . . Highly recommended."
—Library Journal, Starred Review, on Dalliances & Devotion Library Journal, Starred Review, on Appetites & Vices
07/01/2023
Grossman ("The Truitts") introduces her new series with a scintillating Cinderella swap set in 1830s London. Heiress Isabelle Lira wants nothing more than to run the business her late father left behind, but her Jewish community, and the gentiles they trade with, demands that she first find a husband. To select the perfect partner, she decides to host a series of soirees to which she invites every eligible gentleman. In case the marriage-minded men are only after her fortune, she hires custodian Aaron Ellenberg as a spy to uncover their motivations and help her make the best choice. Can Aaron convince her that love is more important than a legacy, or will time run out on their romance? Grossman's writing is inviting and immersive and includes abundant Hebrew and Yiddish turns of phrase. She delivers a well-developed and diverting cast of characters, both playful and provocative. VERDICT This novel will appeal to readers seeking a steamy historical romance about reputation and representation, with a fresh fairy-tale twist. Recommended for fans of Charis Michaels and Eva Leigh.—Lauren Hackert
★ 2023-05-09
After her father’s untimely death, Isabella Lira must marry to secure her family’s business and standing. Her father sat on the London Commission of Delegates, an organization that works with the Crown for the safety and security of the entire Jewish community in England, while also co-owning a business with the powerful Berab brothers. The three brothers each offer to marry her, hoping to secure total control of the shared business. Isabella wants to preserve her own influence in the company, so she hatches a plan to find another suitor—one outside the sphere of the Berab family. She's going to throw three festivals in three weeks, between the holidays of Passover and Lag b’Omer, and she enlists the help of Aaron Ellenberg, an unlikely ally. Aaron exists in a strange liminal space in the community: He’s a kindhearted and gentle man who has never successfully found a job or home of his own. The community supports him by providing work as a custodian in the synagogue. He has become expert at observing everyone and everything while remaining invisible in the background. Isabella asks him to spy on prospective suitors at her parties to help her find one who won't try to control her—a man with a secret that Isabella could hold over him. In return, she offers Aaron 200 pounds, enough money for him to have a home and family, which had always seemed like an impossible dream. Isabella and Aaron should have nothing in common, but while working together they learn to respect and love each other despite their differences in status and the many obstacles in their way. It’s an engaging and sexy romance, almost old-school in its complexity, complete with genuine conflict, delicious tension, and dense, meaty subplots.
A masterful, original take on a beloved fairy tale is sure to please romance readers.
In this exciting first installment of a new historical romance series, narrator Justine Eyre brings to life a swoon-worthy love story amid the complexities of Jewish society in 1830s London. After her beloved father dies, 23-year-old Isabelle longs to take his place in his surety business. Thwarted by the gender and religious bigotries of the time, as well as her father's devious business partners, Isabelle decides her best course of action is to marry a suitable Jewish man who can act in her stead and whom she can subtly manipulate. She enlists the assistance of Aaron, the synagogue's attractive and kindhearted custodian, to uncover the secrets of her suitors. This propulsive romance is full of twists and turns, and intriguing period details. M.J. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
SEPTEMBER 2023 - AudioFile
