SUMMARY: She has a secret to keep. But will she give her heart away?
Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago's rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work and squeeze herself into the mold of the well-dressed wife who spends most of her time and money redecorating.
When she meets Will, an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World's Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her families expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?
Get swept away into the lavish world of Chicago's high society as Olivia Newport brings to life an age of glitz and grandeur, start social contrasts, and one woman who dares to cross class lines for what she believes.
REVIEW: Lucy is unlike most of the high society women of her era. She is deeply concerned for the orphans in Chicago and does what she can to help them out. She even dresses down in store bought dresses (a major no-no with High Society) so she can blend in with everyone instead of standing out wearing her custom made clothes. She also is determined to further her education now that the newly opened University of Chicago accept women students. Her parents and fiance' believe her charity work will end once she is married but Lucy is determined it won't.
This book is very well written. I like the different stories going on within the book- Lucy and her struggle to decide whether or not to break off her engagement to Daniel; Lucy's determination to hide the fact that she is taking one class at a time from her parents and Daniel; Charlotte, Lucy's maid, hiding the fact that she is a single mom to a newborn at a time when that was extremely frowned upon; Lucy working with Charlotte to keep the knowledge of her baby a secret from everyone; and Lucy's developing relationship with Will, a friend of her brother Leo. I really enjoyed everything about this book.
This is the first book in the Avenue of Dreams series. I can see a couple of potential stories for the upcoming books so I will be excited to read them when they come out.
If you are looking for a fun book to read this summer (or any other time of the year), I suggest trying this one. I think you will be well-pleased.
This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.
Available May 2012 at your favorite bookseller
from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Olivia Newport's novels twist through time to discover where faith and passions meet. Her husband and two twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on the way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is. For more information abut the author, to connect with her and learn more about the series, go to her website at www.olivianewport.com.
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