In 1835 England, Lady Lucy Porter supports herself and her fourteen year old sister Calla by pretending to be the gypsy Madame Zora. Lucy performs at the various parties hosted by the Ton. Although she knows her life is ruined, Lucy wants her sibling to have a season in a few years. Since their parents died and her cousin treated them worse than poor relatives, the two sisters currently live in a run down dwelling and find sustenance in plenty of potatoes.
Lucy?s profession begins to unravel when Ian Fortune cynically insults her fortune telling abilities. He appears wherever the gypsy performs, ultimately planning to expose her as a fraud. Lucy and Ian begin to fall in love, but outside forces including his estrange grandfather, her odious cousin, and a wannabe lover threaten their relationship.
FORTUNE?S BRIDE is an entertaining historical romance that will please fans of Regency and Victorian tales as it bridges both sub-genres. The well-written plot is fun, but the story belongs to Lucy, whose bravery under fire turns her into a heroine. Ian is a strong lead character. Readers will want Victoria Malvey to follow up with a Victorian romance starring the precocious Calla, whose antics often steal the show from the dynamic lead couple.
Harriet Klausner
This report prepared by Harriet Klausner
