But what the author does with her story is give her the opportunity to see the truth behind the supposed Prince she wants to marry, realize what is it that she values in a partner and what she hopes her future will actually be. It’s one that’s told so often that the retellings become less about the overall story, and more about the details that will inevitably set it apart. The faerie tale elements work well, and while the outcome is expected, it’s quite a lark to see how we get there. Benedict Ashbrooke as if she is an actual person of rank, and not an invisible maid, well, she rather inconveniently falls in love with him.

Employers in the Regency era saw their servants as amoral, unruly children who would indulge in endless sin unless they were taken stringently in hand. A charming and original take on both the fae and the Regency fantasy genre, with plenty of humour and heart. Through her experiences, we see how much of a servant’s life is dependent on the chance goodwill of the masters of the house. He has a very small moment in HALF A SOUL, where he talks to Dora about what makes someone virtuous, which sets him on his path in this book.Threaded throughout Effie and Blackthorn’s mission, much as in Atwater’s first book Half a Soul, is a particularly pointed commentary on the nature of class struggle and an individuals relative personhood. I loved soo many of the characters but I have to say Lord Blackthorn definitely stole my heart with his enthusiastic joy and sincerity as he strives to become a better person.

It was intriguing to see how Benedict treated Effie because he takes an initial interest in her but when he realises that she’s a servant his interest disappears which makes Effie question how she truly feels about him. Male employers often presumed that sexual favours were part of the job description for female servants. It also turns out that there’s a hint of magic in her fine sewing — when she sews, she imbues her stitches with her emotions… and given how angry she’s been, soon there’s a plague of anger amongst the servants. But having this book set from the perspective of a maid showed more of the downstairs viewpoints than the first novel did.I'm all for open-endedness, and for two people learning that they might not put the word "love" to the same emotions. Sedgewick (who tries to have a friendly conversation with her even when she's dead tired and gets cold shouldered for her trouble, and who doesn't fire her for disappearing from her job for several days with no explanation), and Mr. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke’s heart. I liked this focused on a maid in Regency England, as that almost never happens, and I did life the "social justice" undertones.