An Elegant Facade ~ Review

An Elegant Facade
Hawthorne House #2
By Kristi Ann Hunter

Lady Georgina Hawthorne has to be perfect, it is the only way to secure a good marriage.  Only a titled marriage can protect her from the secret she has been hiding for years. This is her debut season and she is determined to be the most sought after lady of the season.

There's just one problem her older sister Miranda is about to embark on her fourth season, something that Georgina fears could reflect badly on her own person. A sister on the verge of eternal spinsterhood was a most unfortunate association, indeed.

But when Georgina finds herself continually coming into the company Colin McCrea, she quite put out fearing that an association with this untitled business man might lower her standing in society. And being around Lady Georgina while his friend Ryland, the Duke of Marshington, pursues Miranda is not something Colin delights in.  Though he does enjoy a lively exchange of words with her when they meet.

And to Georgina's horror Colin seems dangerously close to discovering her hidden shame. But when a crisis occurs Colin may be Georgina's only hope in keeping her secret hidden.

An Elegant Facade and A Nobel Masquerade tell much of the same story but from the viewpoint of different characters Masquerade told Miranda and Ryland's story and Facade tells Georgina and Colin's.  An lovely and moving story as Georgina struggles with creating a version of herself to show her family, friends, and society to who she truly is in her heart. The illusion, though beautiful and lovely, is shallow and cold.  The time has come to decide who she wants to be, but will she remove the mask or claim it for the rest of her life.

I was provided a copy of this book through the Bethany House blogger program in exchange for my honest review.


About the Book:
Lady Georgina Hawthorne has always known she must marry well. After years of tirelessly planning every detail of her debut season, she is poised to be a smashing success and have her choice of eligible gentlemen.

With money and powerful business connections but no title, Colin McCrae is invited everywhere but accepted nowhere. He intends to marry someday, but when he does it will not be to a shallow woman like Lady Georgina, whose only concerns appear to be status and appearance.

But beneath her flawless exterior, Georgina's social aspirations stem from a shameful secret she is desperately trying to keep hidden--and that Colin is too close to discovering. Drawn to each other despite their mutual intent to avoid association, is the realization of their dreams worth the sacrifices they'll be forced to make?