Eager to ease the financial burdens of her family, Cassandra Stover is thrilled when she is hired to be a companion to Mrs. Jameston, a wealthy society woman. Cassie finds herself living a life she’d never imagined-and growing close to the elderly woman who treats her like a daughter.

Her new position is tarnished only by Mrs. Jameston’s son. As Sebastian’s resentment and cruelty toward his mother mount, Cassie begins to harbor concerns for her employer’s safety–and ultimately her own. When Sebastian is suspected of fraud, insurance investigator Mark Langford solicits Cassie’s help to uncover the truth. But what begins as a game of pretense is quickly complicated by matters of the heart.

While I enjoyed this story as I have pretty much enjoyed the rest of the series, this was not my favorite of the set. Cassie is an interesting character and her eventual match as historical fictions go is also a character that draws you in. I am not sure why I could not fully click with this one maybe it is the time of year. Overall however it is a light, nice historical fiction read that has Christian themes but does not cram them down your throat. The theme works well within the period of the piece of course. So the short of this one is I would recommend it, a good read I just did not fully connect with it.

My Gemstone Rating:

When Chantel Panetta’s younger sister claims to be in love with Orlando Vittorio, Chantel knows there is no hope. The Panettas and Vittorios have been sworn enemies for decades, and young love cannot heal the deep wounds between the two iron-mining families. Yet, unable to resist Isabella’s pleas, Chantel agrees to help her sister spend time with Orlando…only to have a run-in with Dante, Orlando’s brother. The older, more handsome one.
Chantel can’t deny the attraction that flares when she’s with Dante. But when a tragedy occurs at the mine, is there any hope that the hatred that has simmered between these two families might be resolved? Or will Chantel’s hope for love be buried amidst decades of misunderstanding?

This was not my favorite of this series, for me it just seemed to be missing some of the spark from the first two and it took me a long while to cozy up to the characters in this book. I think the only one I mostly liked from the start was Orlando. I did not dislike the book but out of the three I have read from this series this was my least favorite. It was not overly memorable for me, just kind of an okay read that probably won’t stay with me to long. It does have some interesting Romeo and Juliet style moments though between the feuding families.

My Gemstone Rating:

Philippa Gregory presents the first of a new series set amid the deadly feuds of England known as the Wars of the Roses.

Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.

The war of the roses has always been something that I enjoy reading about. How a family so powerful for so long came down to nothing but bitter war. Philipa Gregory does another good job with this one and I enjoy how she chose to write the characters. The history is good for the major plot points but of course because it is historical fiction she does take some liberties but I found that they worked well within the story.

Overall this one goes in the I am happy I read it category. If you are a war of the roses fan this is one to go with for sure. If you don’t know much about the era you may still enjoy it but might not understand it *as much*. This is a good start to the cousins war series.

My Gemstone Rating: