Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano

FTC Disclosure: NetGalley and Revell Reads gave me complimentary copies of this book (one electronic, one paperback). A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts.

Where do I start? What a captivating novel! From the first page, the style was engrossing, fascinating, and exquisitely quotable. If I had jotted down every line that made me sigh for how beautiful it was, I would have a notebook filled with at least half the lines from this story.

The unique usage of novels within the romance thread was beautiful and made me giggle with delight and gasp with elation. I truly admired the way each of the classics used were woven in so seamlessly and delectably. Every new quote had me holding my breath to see just what sentiment would be shared this time.

There were pieces of this story that reminded me of My Fair Lady and Cinderella as well as the gothic flavor of Wuthering Heights, though not necessarily the torrid tragedy that I somehow find enthralling about that particular vintage book. It’s clear to me that Mrs. Politano has a great appreciation for classic stories, for she put them on display very well in her own tale, from transforming a rag woman to the book quotes I previously mentioned to the very essence of the telling of Finding Lady Enderly. There was something so completely addicting about the overall classic feel to this story that it truly ought to be an instant classic, if I might be so bold to state.

The characters were rich and deep, quite complex, and so secretive that I was kept guessing along the way. The twisty plot aided that, definitely. Every chapter had me on the edge of my seat, not solely to find out what happened next to the leading lady, but also to see which surprises and twists and turns would pop up next around her. Let me tell you, there were an entire universe of them! I love how all of that added up to be one of my favorite books of the year, joining Mrs. Amanda Dykes’s Up From the Sea and Whose Waves These Are as well as Mrs. Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Ours for a Season.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes, because I simply must share a couple of the very quotable lines within this story.

“Conceding a battle didn’t mean losing the war, and I always won when it counted.”

“Even without meeting a person, we can determine a lot about her by looking at the people she allows into her life.”

“Never be ashamed of who you are, your ladyship, for you have something powerful in you.”

“Quiet was the best cure for the noise of my thoughts.”

The faith thread was rich and exactly what I love in a novel. I want more books with this saturation of good, solid faith, please!