Rating: 4/5
Peter Driscoll, an underground investigator to the wealthy, has never met anyone like Lily Temple. The beautiful silent-film actress spins fairy tales and plays frivolous roles in front of the cine-camera, but beneath the costumes and stage makeup is a woman with a quick wit--and a murky past.
Peter has been tasked with locating the legendary Briarwood Teardrop, an exquisite sapphire, which Lily wears beneath her gown. In order to stay close to her and hopefully unravel the mystery of her story--and the sapphire--Peter employs Lily's help on a case, which leads to a useful partnership. But as they are investigating together, Peter is also investigating Lily. The closer he gets to the truth, the more danger they face. And the closer he gets to Lily, the clearer it is that he needs her even more than she needs him.
I received a free copy of The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple through Austenprose PR for a book tour. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
This was such an alluring beautiful read! A historical fiction that immediately had me enchanted.
From the very beginning, when we meet Lily Temple, she gives off this mystical aura, capturing everyone’s attention. I found Peter to be very sweet and charming. Especially from the second he meets Lily without truly knowing anything about her, he wants to protect her when she asks for help. And as we continue, the story just gets more magical as we see the art of silent films and the mystery around this Briarwood Teardrop.
This novel reminded me of two other historical fictions. The first being The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid mostly with how Lily’s personality gave me vibes of Evelyn’s personality. Lily ensures that she controls her narrative and how people see her. She’s a mystery that we spend the entirety of the book trying to understand. I truly loved her character and her love for fairytales.
The second one is The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis, this one more so with the mystery around locating this missing sapphire and the art films. The art films were a unique aspect that I enjoyed seeing sprinkled throughout the novel. We see these short snippets of what are these silent films. I could easily see them as if they were true silent films.
I loved this one in its entirety. This is a beautifully magical read that you can get lost in. I highly recommend this if you enjoy historical fiction with a shroud of mystery and slow burn romance.
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