Review: A Gilded Lady

A Gilded Lady

by Elizabeth Camden

About the Book

 Caroline Delacroix is at the pinnacle of Washington high society in her role as secretary to the first lady of the United States. But beneath the facade of her beauty, glamorous wardrobe, and dazzling personality, she's hiding a terrible secret. If she cannot untangle a web of foreign espionage, her brother will face execution for treason.

Nathaniel Trask is the newly appointed head of the president's Secret Service team. He is immediately suspicious of Caroline despite his overwhelming attraction to her quick wit and undeniable charm. Desperate to keep the president protected, Nathaniel must battle to keep his focus fully on his job as the threat to the president rises.

Amid the glamorous pageantry of Gilded Age Washington, DC, Caroline and Nathaniel will face adventure, danger, and heartbreak in a race against time that will span the continent and the depth of human emotion.

My Thoughts

Elizabeth Camden has become one of my favorite authors over the last few years. Her novels are always so smart, yet filled with tender romance, and are highly entertaining. Her Hope and Glory series has been my favorite offering from her.

Having read and loved The Spice King, I had already made up my mind about Caroline Delacroix. In the first book of the series, she seemed like a brat and I really didn’t care for her. But reading about her in A Gilded Lady showed a whole different side of her and cast her in a very different light. She really was a smart woman with a strong personality and a kind heart beneath the façade of a shallow party girl. Her dedication to First Lady Ida McKinley was heartening and inspiring. Not many people would have been able to work as closely to Ida McKinley, nor with such devotion as Caroline did. I also loved how dedicated she was to her brother, Luke. No matter how bleak things looked for his future, Caroline never stopped believing in him and was always willing to do everything in her power to help him. This gave Caroline more depth and transformed her from a character that I really didn’t care for to being a heroine I rooted for.

As for Nathaniel, I thought he was a decent character with noble intentions, but he didn’t stand out as one of my favorite heroes (Gray Delacroix still remains my favorite Camden hero!). Still, I thought he was a good balance for Caroline, seeing as he’s a bit more level headed.

Another thing I love about this book is how it incorporates real historical facts. This is a hallmark of Camden’s novels and it always sparks more interest in me for the periods her books are set in. Reading about Mr. and Mrs. McKinley in this book was fascinating and I loved reading about Caroline’s experiences in the White House on the early 1900s.

A Gilded Lady is a treat for historical fiction readers. I loved it and can’t wait for the next installment in the series!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Many thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book.