Dilly Court's stories always have lots of layers and this book was no exception. Full of detail with a very heart warming story.
Dilly Court's stories always have lots of layers and this book was no exception. Full of detail with a very heart warming story.
Kate and her family return to London from war torn India in 1858. She is "of an age" where she should be looking for a husband, but her heart lies in an unsuitable match with an Indian Soldier, Ashok, much to her very strict and traditional parents' disappointment. Not knowing if Ashok is alive or dead following the terrors of the uprising, she sets about making a life in London.
Alerted to the plight of the poor and needy, she goes blindly into the opening of a soup kitchen using money inherited from her late Uncle. Help comes from unexpected sources and she makes new friends. She inadvertently rents a building for the soup kitchen from a local villain, Harry Trader.
In an exciting climax to the book, Harry Trader is not all he seems and Katie's true enemies might not be who she initially thought.
A very enjoyable read based in the East End of London in 1858.
I loved the description of the East End of London, the poverty that our Reluctant Heiress Kate Martin, saw. It was only after coming back from three years in India that she noticed it, but she wanted to try to do something about it. This is her tale. Of course, there is plenty of romance and there are 'bad people'. It is as I imagine society would have been. I loved the fact that Kate and her friend were able to travel to India on their own - a voyage that took 4 months - that surprised me. The description of India brought back happy memories for me.
I saw this book as a good old fashioned romance, and it left me with a lovely warm feeling. Hope you enjoy it!
Having left her first love in India, Katherine Martin soon becomes a wealthy woman. She tries to help the poor and finds herself involved in a battle between rival gangs.
In 1858 Katherine Martin and her parents arrive in the east India docks, London after escaping the conflict in India.
Feeling unsettled and missing her first true love and largely ignored by her parents, she opens up a soup kitchen with the help of her maid.
While helping to feed the poor Kate is soon drawn into the middle of a battle between two rival criminal gangs.
This was an enjoyable read with entertaining characters and many ups and downs.
The Reluctant Heiress was pure escapism from the realities and cruelties of modern times.
The Reluctant Heiress was pure escapism from the realities of modern times. The story transfers the reader to 1858 in London where the lives of the rich and poor intertwine to reveal hardships, ives if crime and greed, friendships and stories of love.