Thursday, June 13, 2013

Cinders and Sapphires (At Somerton)

By Leila Rasheed

Just as tomboyish Lady Ada Averley has given up all hope on finding a decent man and is dead-set on studying at Oxford, she meets a dashing young man named Ravi on her ship back from India. After their 10-minute encounter, Ada has had her first kiss and wonders if she will ever see Ravi, who is traveling with Ada's father's friend, again. Meanwhile at the Averleys' English mansion Somerton, the servants and staff are eagerly awaiting Ada, her sister Georgiana, and their father, Lord Averley.  What they are not expecting is the arrival of Fiona Templeton, who is to marry Lord Averley, and her three children. Sebastian, Charlotte, and Augustus are certainly not low-maintenance. In all this chaos, simple housemaid Rose Cliffe is promoted to the position of Georgiana and Ada's ladies' maid. Ada and Rose soon become fast friends and confidantes, for each has a secret that would tear their lives apart if told to the wrong person. However, Ada and Rose are not the only ones with secrets. Sebastian is worried that his mother will find out about his relationship with his valet, Oliver. Michael, the current love of Georgiana's life, is smitten with love for Polly, an Indian servant girl, which doesn't make Georgie very happy. And Lord Averley is keeping particularly quiet about just why he was sent back in disgrace from India.
With well-developed characters, fast-moving plot, and various story twists, Cinders and Sapphires is a wonderful read for anyone looking for a tale of lavish balls, evening gowns, and trail rides over mansion grounds. This novel is not unlike Downton Abbey, but is much more palatable with the teenage set than the show because of the lower average age of the characters. This is only the first in Rasheed's At Somerton series, and it leaves you hanging and wishing for the sequel.