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Masquerade by Nancy Moser

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Masquerade by Nancy Moser
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Pages: 400 Trade Paperback
Date Published: August 1, 2010
Publisher: Bethany House
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

They risk it all for adventure and romance, but find that love only flourishes in truth…

1886, New York City: Charlotte Gleason, a rich heiress from England, escapes a family crisis by traveling to America in order to marry the even wealthier Conrad Tremaine.

She soon decides that an arranged marriage is not for her and persuades her maid, Dora, to take her place. She wants a chance at “real life,” even if it means giving up financial security. For Charlotte, it’s a risk she’s willing to take. What begins as the whim of a spoiled rich girl wanting adventure becomes a test of survival amid poverty beyond Charlotte’s blackest nightmares.

As for Dora, it’s the chance of a lifetime. She lives a fairy tale complete with gowns, jewels, and lavish mansions–yet is tormented by guilt from the possibility of discovery and the presence of another love that will not die. Is this what her heart truly longs for?

Will their masquerade be discovered? Will one of them have second thoughts? There is no guarantee the switch will work. It’s a risk. It’s the chance of a lifetime.

A few years ago I was introduced to the writing of Nancy Moser through one of her historical women series in Just Jane. I loved that novel page one to end. I did not love this novel, but overall I liked it. The hardest part for me in liking Masquerade was one of the main characters and her personality. She would flip back and forth from one area of thought to the next and she infuriated me with how selfish, spiteful and arrogant she was. So many things she just did not get, and I felt that she was still that way in the end with no lesson learned and still going out for what she wanted above all else. Another issue I had was another character with similar attributes and once you thought that she was befriended, she pulled out the stops with hostility. It was confusing and a bit hard to keep up with whether “today would be a friendly day or not”.

All and all it is a good story. It has some feminist tones about the main issues of life in the New York Gilded Age that are great to read on a page and see in action. There are also wonderful historical pieces that draw such a vivid picture that both make you want to see it for your self and also make you glad for the changes in the way things are now. I completely get the vibe where in the author’s note, Nancy says that “it was like combining The Prince and the Pauper, Titanic” and others. I could see those and feel them come from the page.

At the end of the book, not only do you get some great discussion questions, but also a very neat section on The Fashion of Masquerade and Fact or Fiction in Masquerade. Very neat and perfect for a reading group.

*Thanks to Bethany House for providing a copy for review through the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance.*

View all my reviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of over twenty inspirational novels. Her genres include contemporary stories including John 3:16 and Time Lottery, and historical novels of real women-of-history including Just Jane(Jane Austen) and Washington’s Lady (Martha Washington). Her newest historical novel is Masquerade. Nancy and her husband Mark live in the Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Sister Circle Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at

www.nancymoser.com and www.sistercircles.com.

View the book trailer:

If you would like to read the first chapter of Masquerade, go HERE.

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(No spam, I promise. Just creative madness ramblings, reviews and life-stories, with quilting and cross stitch inspiration in between!)

The Creative Madness Mama also known as Margaret is a Christian Stay-at-home Mama, married to the Enginerd, quilter, cross stitcher, avid reader and book-a-holic. As book blogger for various publicists, she loves to share the latest and greatest about books coming out as well as her needle art and other crafty projects with some pictures of her fourteen-year-old AppleBlossom, twelve-year-old OrangeBlossom (the Princess), nine-year-old Almond Blossom (the Rascal boy!), six-year-old (red) Mermaid Warrior, the four-and-a-half-year-old Viking Dragon, and Huckleberry (due in June 2024!) in between. Homeschooling, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, babywearing, bone broth brewing, tea drinking, list making mama full of a little creative and a lot of madness.

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