Christy J. (southernsassygirl) reviewed on 1/27/2013 + 180 more book reviews

After reading Olivia Newport's exceptional debut novel, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, I was oh-so-eager to return to Prairie Avenue to catch the latest happenings in the Banning household. While Lucy's story had a definite taste of the rich and cultured "upstairs" life, Charlotte's story was all about the "downstairs" life of service.

The story started out great, but before too long, I grew bored. Believe me, I didn't want to. The arrival of Henry at the house, and the reasons why he was there, seemed contrived and not believable. The lack of romance also played a factor in my disappointment. Archie's attraction to Charlotte never appeared to be fully explored initially, and her reluctance to entertain a relationship with him lingered too long. And like the first book, the spiritual elements were lacking again.

But on the flip side, the continuance of the Chicago World's Fair and the history of their mayor were thoroughly enjoyable. The addition of the anarchist movement, while not mentioned at great detail, was a perfect element to include and showed the early beginnings of what we now know as the eight-hour workday.

I do wish to finish the series, and am curious as to which heroine will be the focus of the third and final book.

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