Giveaway of Jessica Dotta’s latest book: Price of Privilege

By Kelly Bridgewater 

Would you like to win a copy of Price of Privilege before you can buy it on January 1, 2015? You’re in luck. I’m giving away a copy to one lucky person. All you have to do is answer the question at the bottom of this entry and leave your email address by midnight Monday, December 22, 2014. I will pick someone’s name on Tuesday, December 23 and mail the book. Hopefully, the book will be delivered to you around Christmas time. So let’s see those comments.

Backcover Copy:

Where will she turn when the truth becomes more dangerous than the lie?
Having finally discovered the truth of her birthright, Julia Elliston is determined to outwit Chance Macy at his own game. Holding knowledge he’d kill to keep secret, however, is proving more difficult than she imagined.

Just when Julia thinks she’s managed to untangle herself from Macy’s clutches, the scandal of the century breaks loose. Drawing rooms all over London whisper what so far newspapers have not dared to print: Macy’s lost bride is none other than Lord Pierson’s daughter, Julia—and one of the most controversial cases of marital law ever seen comes before Victorian courts.

Though Julia knows Macy’s version of events is another masterful manipulation, public opinion is swaying in his favor. Caught in a web of deceit and lies, armed only with a fledgling faith, Julia must face her fiercest trial yet.

My Review:

The Victorian era of the Novel came around 1837- 1901. Books were thick and populated with many different characters usually protesting the economic status of the era. Plus, the story was so long that the reader could get lost in the pages of the story. Sometimes the authors were long-winded. Can you think of any authors who wrote during this time?

Give up?

I hope you can at least the main two ones who popped in my head. Charles Dickens. The Bronte Sisters. They wrote masterpieces that were long filled with tons of description. Honestly, when I read Great Expectations for the first time, I flipped through a lot of pages because the descriptions of everything went on and on.

But Jessica Dotta just completed her Price of Privilege series, which includes Born of Persuasion, Mark of Distinction, and Price of Privilege. Recently, Tyndale Publishing offered Born of Persuasion for free for the Kindle. I downloaded it but haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. So when the opportunity arose for me to review the last book in the series, I jumped on it.

The writing was strong and active. What I mean is that as the reader I could understand all the dilemma, fears, and uncertainties Julia was having as she tried to fit into the world she didn’t feel like she belonged in. The scenes moved well together, moving from one scene into another. The entire story was from Julia’s perspective. Dotta did a good job at keeping the reader focused on what she saw. We were never told what her father or Edward felt unless it came through the lens of Julia. The plot was well thought out and sparked my interest. I couldn’t wait to see where the story would go.

As for the characters, Dotta created likeable characters. I enjoyed watching Julia struggle with the idea of being “the Emerald Heiress” as the second book referred to her. But in Price of Privilege, Julia wanted to be married to her soul mate, Edward, the vicar. I rooted for Edward and Julia to be together because when they were together, they were better people and their love was so worthy. Edward and Julia deserved to be together.

The setting was described well. I could see the mansions that Julia and Edward visited without being overwhelmed with pages and pages upon detail like the traditional Victorian novels. Dotta does a good job at inviting her readers into the setting without drowning them in detail. My only issue with the setting was the date of the book. As someone who came to the series in the third book before reading the first two, I had no idea when the story took place. I scanned the back of the book and discovered Dotta had been fascinated by England during the Regency and Victorian Eras, but I didn’t know what year to actually place the story. I had to read the blurb on the first book and understand that Born of Persuasion occurred in 1838. It would have been nice to know the actual date for the last book.

Being labeled as a historical novel, Dotta created a realistic world. I truly believed the story happened in the wealthy world of the Victorian Era. Dotta rounded out the story with keeping true to the language, clothes, and customs. Like Julia, who could not backtalk to the men in her life. Even though we heard her feelings because we were following Julia throughout the story, Dotta created Julia to respect and obey the men in her life.

I truly enjoyed Price of Privilege by Jessica Dotta. Now I need to go back and read the first two books in the series, so some of the issues mentioned in the past come alive to my imagination.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale and the opinions stated are all my own.

How to connect with Jessica Dotta:

Amazon’s author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Dotta/e/B00C420UOS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1418995975&sr=8-2-ent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BornofPersuasion

Website: http://www.jessicadotta.com/

Where to buy her books:

Amazon

Christianbook.com

Barnes and Nobles

Wherever books are sold.

Would you like to win a copy of Price of Privilege before you can buy it on January 1, 2015? You’re in luck. I’m giving away a copy to one lucky person. All you have to do is answer the question at the bottom of this entry and leave your email address by midnight Monday, December 22, 2014. I will pick someone’s name on Tuesday, December 23 and mail the book. Hopefully, the book will be delivered to you around Christmas time.

Here is the question:

If you could pick one person from any book (the character, not the author), who would you pick to hang out with for a day? and Why?

Merry Christmas!