Author: Cristin Terrill
My rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Quick points: A simplistic black and white – rich vs poor setup, but good character moral conflicts & growth. The romance didn’t overtake the main plot.
Vika, a barmaid living from hand to mouth each day, is suddenly offered an opportunity that could change her life. To earn her richest dreams, she only needs to marry a total stranger. Thrust suddenly into a world of wealth and parties, Vika has to choose between her integrity and the life she’s always dreamed of.
Money changes people. I like how this book presented this theme with various characters as they either gained heaps of it or had to start working for it. It’s a question of morals over greed, and I enjoyed how the story brought out the best and the worst of each character as they each tried grasping for a large inheritance.
The book began with an emotional roller coaster for Vika, and continued with an interesting chain of events. The story was a combo of Regency novel types of parties – fancy dresses, dancing, gossip…, but also included a mystery with some good plot twists. There wasn’t much fast paced action. Instead, it focused on character development and solving a mystery. The character development was really good. The author did a great job of showing how superficial items like money and beauty can change people’s lives and lead them into making stupid decisions.
Vika leaped from poverty to riches, but to avoid returning to the slums of her past, she needs to marry a stranger. With the help of some friends, Vika must discover who keeps trying to murder the heirs to the Chapin fortune, while at the same time, figure out how far she’s willing to go to keep her riches.
TBR Next 