Book Review: Masquerade by Nancy Moser

From the Jacket…

1886. Charlotte Gleason embarks from England with conflicting emotions. She is headed for New York to marry one of America’s wealthiest heirs – a man she has never even met. When her doubts gain the upper hand, she swaps identities with her maid, Dora. But what begins as the whim of a spoiled rich girl becomes a test of survival beyond her blackest nightmare. For Dora, it’s the chance of a lifetime. She is thrust into a fairy tale amid ball gowns and lavish mansions, yet is tormented by the possibility of discovery – and humiliation. And what of the man who believes she is indeed his intended? Is this what her heart truly longs for?

While I usually enjoy a nice easy-read romance novel, I found that Masquerade by Nancy Moser left me wanting something more.  These two young women switch identities in an attempt to find love and adventure, but their youthful selfish outlook and somewhat shallow personalities made them difficult to like as characters.  Now, over time, they did grow in maturity through the circumstances they encountered and they were open to the direction and work of God in their hearts, yet I wish these areas would have been further explored in the story.  I particularly enjoyed a thread in the story where Charlotte Gleason is exposed to issues of poverty and social justice, and I found myself really being touched by this aspect of her journey, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if this had been a larger focus, since it added depth and emotional impact.

As for the girls’ romantic endeavors, I think the historical setting makes the development of the relationships difficult to relate to, as courting and marriage were approached so differently in those days.  The important decisions about love and marriage seemed to happen based on emotion and infatuation, more than on God’s leading or on discovering a person’s heart over time.  Again, this is probably largely due to the culture of that era, but it made the romance portion of the story less enjoyable for me.  In the end, I think there were several ideas in this novel that were really good or had a lot of potential to be developed, and I still found the story entertaining to read, but I wouldn’t list it among my favorites.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.