Fiction Review: A Lady Unrivaled

I've really enjoyed taking the journey with Roseanna M White's Ladies of the Manor series - and I don't really recommend reading "A Lady Unrivaled" without having read the first two books - you can, but it might take some time to get the backstory straight, and besides that, when familiar characters from previous books make small appearances or find new redemption, the read becomes all the more satisfying having read the entire series.

White's first book was an enjoyable romance with a slight thrill, but her second book in this series showed improvement with darker themes and more intriguing characters. Now in this final installment, we have near perfect plot development - albeit with a somewhat quick finale - and a very gratifying conclusion. I particularly enjoyed the character of Kira, a Russian ballerina sent to spy on Rushworth and Catherine for information on the Fire Eye red diamonds. White includes a servant's viewpoint in each book, a nice counterpoint to the richer society at the forefront of the stories. Kira begins as someone who wants to gain independence and material wealth and ends as one who appreciates the people around her and the God who sustains her.

Lord Cayton also goes through a spiritual journey as he forgives himself for past sins, embraces his young daughter and falls in love with the optimistic Ella. And Ella is bright and entertaining in her pursuit to stop the curse of the Fire Eye diamonds once and for all. Where those diamonds end up after violent encounters and kidnappings is also a wonderful way to end the series. Although, I confess, I am sorry to see these beautiful characters go.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.