Book Review: The Heiresses

Author: Allison Rushby
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

In Allison Rushby's Heiresses, three triplets--estranged since birth--are thrust together in glittering 1926 London to fight for their inheritance, only to learn they can’t trust anyone--least of all each other.

When three teenage girls, Thalia, Erato and Clio, are summoned to the excitement of fast-paced London--a frivolous, heady city full of bright young things--by Hestia, an aunt they never knew they had, they are shocked to learn they are triplets and the rightful heiresses to their deceased mother's fortune. All they need to do is find a way to claim the fortune from their greedy half-brother, Charles. But with the odds stacked against them, coming together as sisters may be harder than they think.

Halfway through Thalia’s haircut, the girl sitting next to her had her style finished up. She inspected it carefully in the mirror (it looked lovely), paid, and then proceeded back to the mirror to do something Thalia had never before seen in her life. Right there, in public, she proceeded to powder her nose and apply lipstick! Bright red lipstick – the reddest red lipstick Thalia thought she had ever seen in her life. When the girl was done, she turned to Thalia with a smile. “Would you like some?”

 

“I have one word for you girls: independence. Independence is everything in this man’s world. There is nothing more liberating that being able to make your own decisions in life.”

 

“This, whatever it turns out to be, is my escape.”

 

“But the thing is, I’ve come to realize very quickly – I don’t want to live with you. I wasn’t to live like you.”

Three sisters, separated at birth, are reunited once again in their teenage years upon learning that they are in line to inherit a fortune. The premise of this book sounded wonderful to me, and I knew that I would love to read it. I was absolutely right. Our setting is 1920’s London, when flappers and women’s rights are all the rage. We have three daring girls, with names from Greek mythology I might add, who have led separate lives but are not joined together on one mission: get back what was rightfully theirs. Allison Rushby first published this book as an e-series, and I am so glad that these stories were put together in one book altogether!

 

My favorite part of this book was obviously getting to know the girls. Thalia, Erato, and Clio were as different as night and day! Thalia was our flapper wannabe, Erato was the brains behind the entire operation, and Clio was not quite sure about either one of them. Before they met in London, each girl was being raised by different guardians, another story in itself, and each girl was accustomed to a different living style entirely. In this novel we see them share secrets, butt heads, and learn to be a family. I was so impressed with Rushby’s writing style and how she was successfully able to keep each girl, and her thoughts, separate from those of her sisters! I always love that in a story!

 

I do have to say that Aunt Hestia, the one who reunites the girls in the first place, was my favorite character. She plays a very pivotal part in the story and she is the one whom all the secrets come from. This book is a little like Downton Abbey, as the author compared it to, but has a more modern feel. There are plenty of secrets and even more backstabbing. The girls learn things about themselves that they would have never dreamed to be true. This was an exciting journey and I hope to read more like it for Allison Rushby in the future!

 

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review***