Yesterday my husband sent me out on a day of pampering…I had my hair cut, dyed, and styled (for just over four hours!), followed by a pedicure and manicure. While that was refreshing and rejuvenating, a wonderful addition to my day of R&R was my beloved Kindle, and my copy of GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS by Lisa T. Bergren. (FYI, she’s the author of one of my other all time favorite series, RIVER OF TIME)
This book swept me away and though I’d had a slight jump start on it, I read almost the entire thing in one delcious gulp yesterday. It was exactly the kind of book I needed to slow down, to think, to fill my spirit with wonder, history, beauty, and romance. Here’s the gorgeous cover, official blurb, and my own modest review….
GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS (Grand Tour Series Book 1)
Lisa Tawn Bergren
Paperback and ebook, 416 pages
June 1st, 2012 by David C Cook
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.
In 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 journey intended to finish a person’s education, to solidify an understanding of ancient culture and contemporary refinement. 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 the journey is only beginning….
The first book in the Grand Tour series will take readers on a journey of cultural refinement, but moreover, explores what truly informs a person’s sense of identity.
Lisa Bergren does it again. This book swept me away, wrapping me in a warm blanket of family, hope, wonder, history, and self-discovery….and beautiful romance. The beginning was slow and beautiful, unraveling at the perfect pace to match the farm-life setting, then kicked into another gear with each new chapter in Cora’s journey. By the end, I was eager to keep reading, to see what would happen, all while lamenting the fact Kindle was telling me I had very few pages left. “No, it can’t end already,” is what I kept telling myself, all while clicking furiously to read more.
I fell in love with these characters, with the hope and message sheltered within the words, and with strong, protective, handsome Will. I’m looking forward to book 2 and beyond.
What have you read lately that filled you with a sense of wonder and beauty?
