The Cash Countess
1893 New York. Cordelia Jones is a carefree heiress, living a life of luxury and basking in the attentions of her best friend and love, Stuyvesant. But then she is told she must marry a British lord in order to improve her mother’s social standing after her parents’ divorce. She is forced away from her true love and her completely modern home and lifestyle into Ashdown Abbey, a damp and neglected estate in the British countryside. Thrust into an unfriendly household and taken away from everyone and everything she holds dear, she can only depend on Thomas Ashby, the man who married her for her money, in order to survive. And it appears, based on a series of near-accidents, that somebody is out to kill her.
Based on some of the lives of the real “dollar princesses,” this is the fictionalized story of how rich American families in the late 19th and early 20th centuries basically sold their daughters for titles. Thrust into a culture they did not understand and married to men who did not love them, these women lived sad or complicated lives while their families enjoyed an elevated social status thousands of miles away. The added plot element of attempted murder is effective, and the mystery is compelling. Cordelia’s growth in character and strength is very well-portrayed. There are delicious hints of a real romance and wonderful nuggets of the Rapunzel fairytale woven throughout. The combination of real history, romance, and a fairytale makes this a very enjoyable read. This is highly recommended to fans of romance and books about the “dollar princesses.”
