The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport ~ Review

My Review: A shining debut from Olivia Newport!

Lucy Banning is a privileged young woman of the 1890's determined to do something with her life. Lucy is engaged to her childhood friend, Daniel, but when her brother, Leo, brings home Will Edwards, "a friend from Princeton" and promising young architect, Lucy has some decisions to make. With the friendship of the newest maid, Charlotte, Lucy tries to keep her activities hidden from her family and fiance, as well as keeping the secrets of those around her. Are all these secrets helping or harming the ones that she holds dear?

A wonderfully paced book, that evoked memories of Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey, with the grand houses and the relationships between the servants and the grand folk of the house.

 This was a really fun, and fast read. The characters were for the most part very likable though, Daniel scared me more than a bit! The character of Leo really reminded me of my brother, and wouldn't you know, his name is Leo too!

Ms. Newport has a lovely attention grabbing style, that took me quickly into the story's depths. I really enjoyed being swept into a different time and place. The  I will most certainly be keeping my eyes out for more books from this author! The 1890's have always fascinated me because the setting is so different depending on location, the bustling city or the rustic country, and being set during this time is one of things things that set thing book apart and made it fresh.

Overall I would say that this was a highly enjoyable book, that I will definitely be recommending often. Lucy was a feisty character with a sort of no-nonsense approach to things, which made her a strong lead. And I look forward to visiting the Bannings again sometime soon :)

I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. Thanks!

“Available May 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”