"'What's this? You say this man isn't Earl?''No, sir,' the girl said. 'He's Earl's twin. Mrs. Vanderbilt saw him in Asheville and offered him a position in the house. Told him to come round if he was interested.'
Sterling inhaled quickly through his teeth.
'You came to the front door?' she asked Mack. 'What possessed you to come to the front door?'
'I was just looking. I didn't knock or anything. He simply opened the door and...' He shrugged." Maid to Match, pg 55-56.
Eighteen year old Tillie Reese finds herself being considered for the position to become lady's maid to Mrs. Vanderbilt. This is the opportunity of a life time, and Tillie couldn't be more excited about it, even with her brother's misgivings. Things get complicated, however, when the handsome and protective Mack Danvers joins the staff. Does Tillie have what it takes to be a lady's maid? Will she find fulfillment in the position? Will she be able to help people in the way that she dreams? And what is her heart really telling her about the handsome mountain man turned footman who has his eyes on her?
This book brings to life the lives of the servants of the rich and powerful. I really enjoyed learning about the Vanderbilts through the eyes of Gist's characters. Their generosity and care for their staff was amazing, in real life and in the book. This is a well researched and throughly enjoyable read. I loved taking a trip through time in the pages of this book.
Maid to Match was a delight to read. Deeanne Gist is quickly rising to the top of my favorite authors list.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
Loved the ending and towards the last third of the book the story finally picked up, so glad I finished it. I happen to be from Asheville...born and raised here so I could highly critize the author's lack of knowledge for the area. I truly felt she maybe took a tour of the Biltmore House and then went home and wrote a book. The history of Asheville his highly documented and easily obatainable. But I won't critize...because it is fiction...not non-fiction. In the beginning I didn't like Mack (the main male character). He was basically sexually harassing Tillie on the job. He came at her when she cleary told him 'no'. I wish the author would have made it more clear that Tillie wanted his advances...she seemed to not.
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