When Aurelie Harcourt’s father dies in debtor’s prison, he leaves her just two things: his wealthy family, whom she has never met, and his famous pen name, Nathaniel Droll. Her new family greets her with apathy and even resentment. Only the quiet houseguest, Silas Rotherham, welcomes her company.
When Aurelie decides to complete her father’s unfinished serial novel, writing the family into the story as unflattering characters, she must keep her identity as Nathaniel Droll hidden while searching for the truth about her mother’s disappearance–and perhaps even her father’s death.
Author Joanna Davidson Politano’s stunning debut set in Victorian England will delight readers with its highly original plot, lush setting, vibrant characters, and reluctant romance.
From the first chapter, I was intrigued. Who was the man who came to collect Aurelie Rose from outside the debtors’ prison? Why was he so broody? What was Aurelie’s story?
Lady Jayne Disappears is a mystery within a mystery, a story within a story. The twists and turns Joanna Davidson Polatino takes readers on left me craving more as the story continued. Who—exactly—was Lady Jayne? Would Aurelie’s family discover her secret?
In some ways, Aurelie is naïve, but it’s that innocence and her soft heart that endeared her to me. She is smart about some areas of life—after all, she has to be to hide her secret identity.
This book has whispers of the gothic Bronte novels, touches of social class commentary similar to Dickens, with the hope of Austen. Polatino’s debut novel is one to devour.
***I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
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Sounds like an intriguing book and one not to be put down. Thanks for the review!