The Gilded Lily    by Deborah Swift Order:  USA  Can Griffin, 2012 (2012) Softcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Wanda Plourde In 1660 England, Sadie Appleby lives in rural Westmoreland on a small farm with her sister Ella and their drunken father. One night Sadie is rudely awoken by her Ella, beside herself with panic. Ella drags Sadie to her employer's house, telling her to pack up anything that is of value. As they creep around the manor, Sadie realizes that Ella's employer is dead in his bed. The siblings flee to London, intending to lose themselves in the crowds. As Ella and Sadie try to make a life for themselves, they find out that the relatives of the dead man are after them. In fact, by the look of things, staying hidden will be a bit harder than Ella realizes. Ella and Sadie have a rough go of things. They are down to their last penny, with hardly any food and it's a cold winter in London. Then Ella is hired by Jay Whitgift to run a store for high society ladies. Ella is seduced by the glamour and all the beautiful things that a city can offer. This starts to cause a rift between the sisters. As the front cover says 'Beauty is skin-deep. Blood runs deeper.' The Gilded Lily is an awesome novel, beautifully written. I can almost feel the chill come out of the pages. I like the way the author develops both sides of the tale, bringing emotions to a boil and then letting it all overflow. I loved this story. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews