Rumors: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen

Even though it's been a few months since Elizabeth Holland's untimley demise, rumors still fly about her mysterious disappearance, as noted in the newspaper. Amidst these rumors are the mourning family and fiance, Henry Schoonmaker, who are ready to return to society and all its winter season gatherings. But now that Manhattan's princess is gone, who will take her place? Will it be Elizabeth's younger sister, Diana, whose prospective marriage could pull the family out of debt? How about Elizabeth's best friend Penelope Hayes, who has her eyes on Henry? Or could it be the Hollands' former maid, Lina Broud, who has somehow entered society's elite circle? As the wealthy know, it's never a dull day in Manhattan...

I still can't get over how original this series is! It's like Gossip Girl, but instead takes place in 1899. There's still plenty of scandal, and Gossip Girl's notorious website is even present, this time taking the place of the society pages in the newspaper. There's a lot of historical detail and it's all very interesting. The one thing I don't like, though, is that some of the characters seem very one-dimensional and flat. I'm sure that's the author's intention, but they seem so shallow, it's almost boring to read. But it's only one or two characters like this. I think Anna Godbersen wants to make it easy for us to know which characters to love and which to hate, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Besides that, there are characters who are grow and develop, like Elizabeth and Henry, and that makes up for any other characters that might be lacking. Even so, the book is extremely readable, and if you don't like historical fiction, I'm sure you'll still fall in love with this series.

7 out of 10.

Envy will be released in January 2009.