A Gilded Lady by Elizabeth Camden

A Gilded Lady by Elizabeth Camden ISBN-13: 9780764232121 Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Bethany House Released: June 2nd 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Caroline Delacroix is at the pinnacle of Washington high society in her role as secretary to the first lady of the United States. But beneath the facade of her beauty, glamorous wardrobe, and dazzling personality, she's worried that her twin brother will face execution for treason.

Nathaniel Trask is the newly appointed head of the president's Secret Service team. He is immediately suspicious of Caroline due to her brothers treason, despite his overwhelming attraction to her quick wit and undeniable charm. Desperate to keep the president protected, Nathaniel must battle to keep his focus fully on his job as the threat to the president rises.

Amid the glamorous pageantry of Gilded Age Washington, DC, Caroline and Nathaniel will face adventure, danger, and heartbreak in a race against time that will span the continent and the depth of human emotion.


My Review:
A Gilded Lady is a Christian historical romance set in America in 1900 to 1901. This is the second in a series, but it works as a standalone novel. The historical details about the events and politics of the time were woven into the story and affected everyone's lives. The main story was Caroline dealing with her job as secretary to a difficult First Lady and Nathaniel dealing with setting up proper security for the president. They spent time together while doing their jobs, first becoming good friends and then romance developed. They built each other up and supported each other. They admired each other's character and personality as well as their looks, yet it was their personalities that led to problems in the romance. Nathaniel's completely dedicated to his job and kept putting off his relationship with Caroline, which didn't make her feel very good.

A lesser element in the story was Caroline's efforts to use her political influence to free her twin brother, who has been imprisoned in Cuba for treason. While this was a constant stressor in her life, she wasn't really involved with untangling Cuban politics or proving his innocence. The characters reacted realistically, were complex, and I cared about what happened to them. The Christian theme was Nathaniel's realization that God loves and forgives him. (Since Nathaniel felt guilty over mistakes, not sin against God, it's really that Nathaniel must learn to let go of the guilt that's driving him.) There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-written, interesting historical romance.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.