Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Just my style!' Publishers Weekly, February 4, 3013: 'Nickerson makes smart use of a lush, eerie antebellum Mississippi setting to add tension.Although the book moves leisurely, it effectively blends the fairytale world with the realities of Sophia's powerlessness: she's underage, impoverished, and female. The writing is excellent, and the setting is very Gothic and dark.

The Mirk and Midnight Hour is set to release in March 2014 and is about the legend of the Ballad of Tam Lin. She's brave, intelligent and looks through the glamour. Sophie is a very likable character, and readers will soon find themselves caught up in the intrigue and mystery right along with her.I'm glad, too, that Sophie was no shy submissive heroine. USA Today 'Happy Ever After', March 19, 2013: 'Even if you've never read Blue Beard's tale, you'll enjoy Strands of Bronze and Gold. Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut-a thrilling retelling of the 'Bluebeard' fairy tale. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives-all with hair as red as her own-in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she's trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac's intoxicating world. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it's as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi. An invitation-on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting-from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram's beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter.

Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson