Monday, April 1, 2019

The Masquerade: a love story set in the Gilded Age


The Masquerade by Melanie Dobson is a novel in her Legacy of Love series. Set in the Gilded Age, on Mackinac Island, Elena Bissette has the summer ahead of her. A summer of trying to find a husband, if her mother has anything to say about it. After the financial fallout of her father’s business partnership being dissolved, the family is in dire straits and their once high society position has left them scrambling to find their way back up. Every single girl will be eyeing the most eligible bachelor of the summer, Chester “Chase” Darrington, who wants nothing to do with the girls but focus on his own business ventures. Elena and Chase meet, by accident, in an isolated place and neither one tells the other who they really are. Under the night sky of the island, they fall in love, but the real world and their social obligations threatens to bring it all crashing down on them. Will they fight against their true feelings for each other?


I have been a fan of Melanie Dobson’s since I read her book, Catching the Wind, and with each new book I enjoy her stories even more. I enjoy the historical settings with the issues of the time as well as the faith and struggles with God of her characters. The questions the characters have are relatable to questions that many believers have had or will have in their life. While the story formula is familiar, I call it the “Pride and Prejudice” formula, it is a formula that works. I loved reading Chase and Elena fall in love. I screamed with frustration when they missed “meeting” each other at the social events on the island. And cried when the truth revealed themselves and the animosity that ensued. However, I loved the ending and closed the book with satisfaction. I loved each character in this beautiful love story. I highly recommend The Masquerade.

The Masquerade
is available in eBook

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