"A Gilded Lady" by Elizabeth Camden - Hope and Glory, book 2

Secretary to the first lady of the United States, Caroline Delacroix is at the pinnacle of high society--but is hiding a terrible secret. Immediately suspicious of Caroline, but also attracted to her, secret service agent Nathaniel Trask must battle his growing love for her as the threat to the president rises and they face adventure, heartbreak, and danger.

In whatever creative historical profession Camden comes up with for her heroines, I can expect to learn something, but this book showed me just how ignorant I am about our president, first lady, and what goes on in the White House. While I knew vaguely that there had to be a lot of people behind the scenes of the White House, I now have a much greater appreciation for all the people who keep the country's administration running smoothly. I never imagined how much work there could be, especially in little things, like sending thank you cards to every town that rang their bells as the McKinleys' train passed through.

And again, while I knew that McKinley was one of the assassinated presidents and that Roosevelt succeeded him, that was about it. I hadn't known anything about the first lady, or really anything that characterized the McKinley administration. This was an entertaining peek into our country's past.

I liked Caroline. She is not without her faults--she's even very aware of them--but she's classy, bold, and unintimidated by the authorities and powers she works with daily. She's a woman who knows how to get things done, and though she struggles with temper and unforgiveness, she is willing to love a difficult (and for some, nigh-unlovable) woman and has a heart for immigrants. Nathaniel's sense of order and justice are a stark contrast to her general disregard for the rules, but they temper each other nicely.

Overall, it was a highly satisfying read, loaded with intrigue, romance, and history. I greatly look forward to Luke's story in the next book!

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Hope and Glory
1. The Spice King
2. A Gilded Lady
3. The Prince of Spies