ARC Review: The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray

The Gilded Cage
Author: Lucinda Gray
Publication: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (August 2, 2016)

Description: After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen-year-old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper class England in the 1820s, is shattered when she discovers the corpse of her brother George in a lake on the estate-the tragic accidental drowning of a young man, the coroner reports, despite the wound to George's head.

Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident. A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumor, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham.

Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too?

My Thoughts: What a lovely Gothic novel! Katherine Randolph grew up in Virginia with her brother George. They were orphaned but taken in by a kind neighbor family. Their lives change immensely when a lawyer comes to call tell them that they have inherited Walthingham Hall in England after the death of a grandfather they never met.

They are made welcome by their cousins Henry and Grace Campion but strange things start to happen. There are rumors of beasts in the woods nearby. Almost immediately after their arrival, George is found dead. Katherine suspects foul play the but the older, wiser men including the local magistrate and her cousin are convinced that it was an accident.

Katherine is alone with no support except her loyal maid and a footman but both of them are threatened with being let go. She makes a friend with the magistrate's daughter Jane who is in love with Cousin Henry. When her loyal footman suffers an "accident" when out hunting, Katherine knows that she is correct that her brother's death was not an accident.

Many exciting things happen before the villain is unveiled and gets his comeuppance but Katherine manages to stay strong, smart, and intrepid despite the things that happen to her. This was a nice romance and had all sorts of scary moments, too.

Favorite Quote:

There—in the corner—something crouches. A dark shape, too hunched to be a man. As I adjust to the blackness, my sight sharpens, and I see two yellow eyes watching me. My breath stops in my throat. This can't be happening. Keeping my eyes on the thing, I move my legs to the floor, carefully, carefully. It keeps its terrible gaze trained back on mine.

I received this ARC from Macmillan. You can buy your copy here.