REVIEW: MAID TO MATCH ~ DEEANNE GIST

Tilly Reese was raised to become a Lady’s Maid – the highest position a woman could reach professionally, other than Housekeeper. Tilly's mother spent many years and many resources training her to one day be able to be chosen as Lady’s Maid for some wealthy lady. The position would secure a life of comfort, travel and a significant salary increase, meaning Tilly would be able to help provide for her family. When Tilly is placed on a shortlist to become Lady’s Maid for the wealthy Mrs Vanderbilt, her mother is ecstatic even though becoming a Lady’s Maid would mean giving up the possibility of marriage and motherhood. For 18 year old Tilly this is a sacrifice she is willing to make… until she meets Mack Danver.

Mack Danver is a mountain man forced to place his younger siblings with foster families when he can no longer financially afford to raise them himself. His only sister, however, is sent to an orphanage in North Carolina instead of a foster family. When Mack suspects the children at the orphanage are being abused, he needs to raise funds quickly in order to get Ora Lou out of the orphanage and set her up on her own. His twin brother is also employed at the Biltmore Estate, as footman. When Mrs Vanderbilt realizes that the handsome Earl Danver has a handsome twin brother, she jumps at the chance to offer him a position at the estate - not superficial at all, but handsome twins in one’s service is quite the coupe de grace for the wealthy.

A position at the Biltmore Estate comes with a very attractive salary, and eager to get Ora Lou out of the orphanage Mack accepts the offer intending to leave the estate and head back to his beloved mountains as soon as he can. Then he meets Tilly Reese. Mack and Tilly are instantly drawn to one another. While Mack makes no secret of his intentions, Tilly fights their attraction every step of the way. She knows she can’t be distracted by a man so close to accomplishing her goal of becoming a Lady’s Maid. Tilly even goes out of her way to avoid Mack, but then she is enlisted to tame his wild ways and coach him in proper servant etiquette. Forced to spend time together, and then jointly discovering a hideous scandal at the town orphanage, Tilly and Mack’s romance blooms in spite of Tilly’s efforts to keep him at arm’s length.

When his goal is within reach and Mack’s time at Biltmore Estate draws to a close, with the realization of Tilly’s lifelong dream close enough to touch, her mother’s dreams resting heavily on her shoulders, can Mack and Tilly find a way to be together, or will the realities of life push them apart?

Maid to Match is another gem in the Deeanne Gist collection. I was hooked in the first chapter, and kept reading faster and faster to discover what happens next, and to reach the point where Tilly finally stops fighting her feelings for Mack. The tension in their relationship was perfectly paced and beautifully done.

The complications Tilly and Mack face are believable, and even though you as reader believe that Tilly and Mack will eventually find their happily ever after, the obstacles they face are so real that you can’t help but fear that life might get in the way. A suspenseful romance is always fun to read, because the moments of happiness and joy are that much more precious.

Deeanne Gist is quite simply a master of romance. Her books are all lovely, sweet, funny, feel-good, grab-you-by-the-heart-reads. Her characters are real, deep, emotionally driven and her plot lines are flawlessly built on foundations of faith. What’s not to love? Maid to Match is a must read for all romantics and history lovers alike!

Product information:

Title: Maid To Match

Author: Deeanne Gist

Number of pages: 368

Publisher: Bethany House

Year: 2010

ISBN-10: 0764208063 

One of the reasons I was able to enjoy a story about servants, is that I adored the Vanderbilts, the Master and Mistress of the Biltmore Estate. They are such kind and loving characters, and treat their staff with respect. You can imagine my joy at discovering in the author’s note that George and Edith Vanderbilt truly existed! As did their gorgeous estate in Asheville, North Carolina! This Estate is still in the Vanderbilt family, and is still the largest, privately owned home in America.

Biltmore Estate

 

What a breathtakingly beautiful Estate! Can you imagine living there?! What made the Vanderbilts so extraordinary is the fact that when George Vanderbilt built his estate, he took extra care to also prepare lovely servant quarters, unheard of at the time! The Vanderbilt’s servants had windows, electricity, central heating and running water. He also bought brand new furniture for his servants. George and Edith were truly ahead of their time in their treatment of their servants, and in Maid to Match one gets a glimpse of their extraordinary lives.


George & Edith Vanderbilt 1912

I love when the lines of fact and fiction meet, and no author does it better than Deeanne Gist.

THE BEST-SELLING AND MOST READ BOOK OF ALL TIME

My favourite Holiday, the Easter celebration, is here, so herewith my official Happy Easter to my readers and fellow bloggers!

In the excitement of days off from work and colourful Easter eggs everywhere you look, some people find it easy to forget what Easter is truly about. In short:

Jesus Christ came to earth, took all of our transgressions on His own shoulders and died, in our place, for our sins. Jesus paid the price for every wrong committed. He redeemed us, saved us, and gave us the greatest gift ever: The promise of everlasting life, in Heaven, with Him. All you have to do is to accept and acknowledge Christ as your saviour. Easy as that :)

So, in the spirit of Easter, let’s talk a little about the Greatest Book ever; the bestselling and most read book in history, which also happens to be the first book ever printed – that’s saying something isn’t it?! I must say, though, I never feel comfortable talking about The Holy Bible as a book, because it’s not just a book - It’s so much more than that. It is the word of God, passed down us tiny, tiny humans. How amazing is that?!

The Holy Bible was written by over 40 different authors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It was written over a period of approximately 1500 years from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to approximately 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ). The first translation of the Bible into English was made in 1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe. The Bible was first printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the "type mold" for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed, known today as the Gutenberg Bible (see my post on Gutenberg and the printing press).


The Gutenberg Bible, on display in the New York Library

The Bible spans the entire existence of Earth, from the creation account in Genesis to the end-time visions of Revelation. The Bible contains 66 books of which 39 are in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The terms Old Testament and New Testament originated with the prophet Jeremiah when he said that God would “make a new covenant with the house of Israel.” Testament means “covenant,” and the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, made a new covenant with God’s people. The books of the New Testament provide the fulfillment of the promises made throughout the Old Testament books.

Now, check this out: The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119. The centre of the Bible is Psalm 118. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after Psalm 118, which add up to 1188. The centre verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8! So what does the centre verse of the Bible say? "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Pretty significant, I think.

Happy Easter, friends, and remember to give thanks for the greatest gift you have ever received, and ever will receive – REDEMPTION!

 

HUNGER GAMES HUMOUR

I came across this, and just had to share it.  I suppose you might have to have a certain kind of humour to appreciate this, but I, for one, thought it was hilarious.  If you've read (or seen) The Hunger Games, you'll know this exact scene.  This spoof is obviously written to Adele's song Set Fire To The Rain. 

All credit goes to the very creative mind responsible for writing this (It wasn't me).

THE MOVIE; THE VOW

I first saw the trailer for The Vow in December 2011, and I literally could not wait for the movie to be released.  Last night I finally sat down to watch it with great expectations, and to my surprise, and my dismay, this movie was the biggest let down in a very long time.

The Vow is inspired by true events, and is based on the book of the same name by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, which you might recall I mentioned in my post on 20 books to read before they’re adapted into 2012 movies.  It is important to note that the filmmakers took some liberties with the story, and as Hollywood quite often does, the story has been altered for the big screen.

The movie starts off with a happily married, obviously in love Paige and Leo heading home on a cold winter’s eve. At a stop Paige unfastens her seatbelt to lean over and kiss Leo, unaware that a truck is coming up behind them, unable to stop. The truck slams into Paige and Leo’s car, flinging Paige out of the windshield (this scene, it must be said, was very well done). Leo walks away with no major injuries, but Paige wakes up in the hospital days later with no recollection of having a husband. Paige’s memory of the last five years of her life has been wiped away. She wakes up to find that not only is she married to a man she can’t remember, she has completely broken ties with her wealthy family and friends, moved to the city and dropped out of law school to become an artist.

The story follows a very sweet Leo as he tries his best to help Paige regain her memory. When he ultimately starts worrying that she might never regain her memory, he sets about making her fall in love with him all over again.

Leo takes her to "their places" and even sweetly recreates their first date.  He puts his whole being into making her love him. Problem is, where her mind is at Paige is still in love with and engaged to her former love, Jeremy. Paige rejects poor Leo at every turn, flirts with her ex and embraces the family she has refused to speak to for five years at Leo’s expense. She immediately steps back into her old life without much interest in rediscovering the new.

You would think this story about a man who painstakingly woos his wife would be a joy to watch. The truth is, I literally only enjoyed about the first fifteen minutes of the movie. I loved the artsy, fun Paige we meet at the beginning of the movie, falling in love with Leo. Sadly, in 75% of the movie we have to deal with the snooty rich girl Paige who treats Leo like dirt. She actually does her absolute best to ignore him. My main issue with this story is that Paige never gives Leo a chance. She doesn’t want to remember her life with him, she doesn’t even attempt to get to know him. She does go on one date with him, but to me that was more to placate him than anything else.

Don't get me wrong, I have perfect understanding for what she must have felt waking up to discover a new life that she can’t imagine being real. She’s come to be a carefree artist, married to a struggling music producer instead of the rich lawyer she remembers loving, and not on speaking terms with the family she loves. She comes home to a strange apartment in the city to a house full of strangers claiming to be her friends. Overwhelming is not the word. I get it. But Paige handles the whole situation very poorly. She never, not once gives her husband a chance. She walks away, even seeing the video of their wedding, hearing the beautiful vows they made to each other. Instead of giving her marriage a chance, Paige moves back in with her family, cancels the commission she was working on, and goes back to law school. She divorces the man who loves her so dearly.

It takes her a few months but Paige does eventually discover her reason for leaving her family (which none of them bothered to tell her about), she realizes that she hates law school and drops out again, she moves to an apartment in the city and goes back to being an artist. When she’s ready, she finds Leo and they start dating again.

I guess if you look at the silver lining, it’s really sweet that Paige and Leo fall in love twice. I even suppose it’s understandable that she had to rediscover herself on her own terms. But truthfully I am disappointed that Leo took her back! And this from me, the biggest romantic you will ever come across. I just don't like the person Paige turned into, I certainly don't like the way she treats Leo and I absolutely resent that she doesn't even give him a chance. She just walks away. And when she's ready, on her terms, she walks back into his life. My heart was breaking for Leo throughout the film, and I resented Paige’s treatment of him. I wasn’t emotionally invested in her side of the story at all.

Having said that, I would love to read the book!  In an article by Fox News, the real-life couple reveals their disappointment that the movie version stripped the couple of their Christianity, when in actual fact it was “the couple’s religious belief in the unbreakable vow of marriage that [kept] them together”.  In real life they did not get a divorce, and the book draws heavily on the couple’s Christian beliefs and the power of God to heal and shepherd a marriage through difficult times.  Although she has not regained her memory, Kim and Krickitt are still happily married, and have two children.



Kim and Krickitt Carpenter

“For their part, the Carpenters were just happy to see their inspirational story translated onto the big screen. They hope that the audience seeking the spiritual side of their story will turn to a re-released edition of their book”.  Kim, Krickitt, I, for one, most definitely will.

NOW READING: MAID TO MATCH ~ DEEANNE GIST

I've been wanting to read Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist for quite some time now.    The only reason I've been putting it off, was that I wasn't convinced that a book about maids would capture my attention.  Knowing Dee, I should have known better.  I'm only a few pages in, and already I'm fascinated by the world she has created, and in love with the characters.  I simply adore Deeanne's books!  She does historical romance very well, and manages to concoct beautiful love stories without the need to cross the boundaries of propriety at every turn.  Maid to Match is quite the fan favourite having won many awards, and has also just been nominated for a RITA, the Oscars of romance writers!  See all the awards this wonderful author has been nominated for and/or won here. 

Falling in Love Could Cost Her Everything.

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled by the riches of the Vanderbilts, and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid. After all, the one rule of the house is no romance below stairs.

But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs, their aspirations... and their hearts ~ Deeanne Gist's Website.