Serabelle: Where the Wealthy Come to Play by Tavi Taylor Black

(Thank you to the author and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book: (summary from Goodreads)

An island sheltered from modern progress. Strict lines between servants and masters. Will crossing them leave her fatally exposed?

Bar Harbor, Maine. 1913. Mabel Rae is smart, reckless, and naïve. So when the ambitious seventeen-year-old joins the staff at a rocky cliffside cottage, she willingly lets the boisterous estate owner's improper advances sweep her off her feet. And the slender young woman dismisses the vulnerability of her position when she discovers she's pregnant with his unacknowledged child.

Brought harshly down to earth after she's caught up in the machinations of a family feud, Mabel decides it's time to take matters into her own hands. But with no money and few rights, she fears a forced marriage to the brutish gardener is her only socially acceptable option.

Is her future forever stunted, or can she become a beacon of change?

In a classic upstairs-downstairs tale, award-winning author Tavi Taylor Black spins an intricate web of idealism's battle against harsh reality. Set at a time when suffrage was at its height, temperance was gaining momentum, and war loomed in Europe, this spellbinding novel shines a light on inequities we still face today.

Serabelle is a darkly humorous work of historical fiction. If you like intricate relationships, lyrical prose, and stories that tackle serious issues, then you'll love Tavi Taylor Black's vivid portrait of the Gilded Age.

my thoughts:

Love, love, loved this excellent story by Tavi Taylor Black! Serabelle: Where the Wealthy Come to Play is historical fiction at its very best! 

Set in the early 1900s in Maine, this is the story of Mabel Rae, a young woman working at the luxe Serabelle, a large estate owned by the Ainsworth-Hunt family. Unfortunately, she catches the eye of the owner and winds up pregnant. Soon, she is caught up in a family drama that leaves her learning one hard truth after another. Fortunately, she does have a friend who manages to help her out, except the option isn't a guaranteed happily ever after. So, the question is, will Mabel Rae ever find happiness? Whoa!

I really enjoyed this story and reading about Maine - such a beautiful setting. Plus, it's always fun to find out about different time periods, like the early 1900s - makes for a fascinating history lesson. And, the characters were definitely interesting to get to know. All in all, this was such a treat to read! I would happily recommend it to everyone. Definitely check it out!

Thank you to the author and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!