Glamorous Illusions

GIVEAWAY!

BERGREN, LISA T.
GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS


It's the summer of 1913, and Cora Kensington's life on the family farm has taken a dark turn. Not only are the crops failing, but someone dear to Cora is failing as well.


One fateful afternoon, a stranger comes to call, and Cora discovers a terrible secret about her past...a secret that will radically change her future.


Cora is invited to take the "Grand Tour" of Europe, a trip intended to finish of a person's education and solidify an understanding of refinement and ancient culture. As she travels from England to France with kin she's never known, Cora encounters the blessings of a family name, as well as the curses. But when an unbidden love begins to form, she realizes there are far greater challenges ahead...


The first book in the Grand Tour series takes you on a journey of cultural refinement -- but, moreover an inner journey of self-discovery.


MY REVIEW:


Stunning start to a grand new series from one of my favourite authors! Bergren knows how to transport her readers into a different time and place. Using vivid descriptions and compelling characters she creates a breathtaking picture of life among the wealthiest families in Europe. And in so doing throws her heroine smack into the middle of a moral dilemma. And such a dilemma! We should all be forced to live the life of the idle rich to prove our muster! :-) Seriously, it's a great premise and poses some interesting questions both for Cora and her readers.


But be warned: as in her other series, The River of Time, not all loose threads, including the romantic ones, are pulled tight by the end of the book. We will have to wait until Spring 2013 and Fall 2013 before we have a real conclusion. While I'm not usually a fan of run-on series, I gladly make an exception for Lisa T. Bergren. I'll let her whisk me away and keep me dangling for as long as she wants -- providing she promises to come back with more...and more...and more!


GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:


If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of Grand Illusions, please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday June 24 2012. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!