Raina Bretton, more commonly called "Ragna" in her position as a rag lady, is swept off the streets with a mysterious promise of high wages and a beautiful manor, and told she's under no obligation to stay. That promise, however, is a lie, and Raina finds herself impersonating Lady Enderly in a ruse she doesn't understand and isn't allowed to compromise. Complicating the trap is her best friend, and hopefully more, Sully, who has kept her safe and sane in her rough life thus far; Sully's life is in danger if Raina chooses to be less than compliant in this charade she willingly, yet naively, became a part of.
There were so many layers to this book, I hardly know where to begin! There was the mystery - who is the real Countess, and what happened to her? There's the dangerous element - what will Victor do if Raina slips? There's the moral dilemma - Raina knows it's wrong to deceive the people around her, but how else is she to protect Sully, and what if she can use this position for good? There are the characters whom Raina befriends, whether by choice - Lady Remington and Bradford the butler, or by necessity - Cousin Phillip and the Earl. There's also the softer side - the literary romantic communication between Sully and Raina through carefully collected book quotations coded in secret to slowly reveal their feelings towards each other.
The people and the mysteries in this story were woven so well together that this was a truly enjoyable read. Victor was despicable, yet time and again Raina managed to rise above the circumstances and bring joy and change to the people around her that would be longer lasting than the temporary control that Victor was attempting to wrangle. I loved that even wile trying to be the Countess, Raina couldn't help but see the best in those around her and to try to use her strange situation to help where she could. The power and position could have gotten a hold on her, and she could have fallen into the same traps as Victor, but she didn't. And no matter how conflicted she felt in her relationship to God due to the role she was playing, only He could have been working through her to bring such kindness and change.
In the end, I really liked how the book resolved not without consequence for bad choices, but by showing that God can even use those choices and consequences for good. I give this book 5 stars; this is the second Joanna Davidson Politano book I've read, and as long as she keeps writing, it won't be my last!
You can find Lady Enderly HERE.
You can find the author's site HERE.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.
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