Book Review: The Heiresses by Allison Rushby

Pages: 352

Genre: New Adult/Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: May 7, 2013 (paperback) / six episode e-serial January 7, 2013

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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."

It's 1926 in London and there are three girls that couldn't be more different except that they are related. They are triplets and were separated at birth.  Their Aunt Hestia has contacted them as they are heiresses to their mother's fortune.  Their mother died during childbirth and their father, a morally bankrupt man, gave them up.  Until now, the girls had no idea they had sisters, let alone an heiress for a mother.  The first child,Thalia, is the beautiful sister that is outgoing and spunky to a fault.  She often finds herself in precarious situations and lives life on the edge.  Then there's Erato, or Ro, who dreams of becoming a doctor and continuing her education, and lastly, Clio.  She's the conservative religious sister that simply wants to help her adopted mother get medical treatment.  Of course all three girls could really benefit from the money; however, their half brother, Charles, has the money and they must find a way to get it back as it is rightfully theirs.  The Heiresses by Allison Rushby is an entertaining read filled with scandal, family secrets, some romance and of course, all the fun that three girls living in the 1920s in London could have.  Fans of the Luxe series will enjoy this "new adult" historical read.

The three sisters are all so very different, yet entertaining in their own right.  Thalia is a force to be reckoned with and I found myself getting frustrated with her from time to time.  Her home life before coming to London wasn't that great, which may explain her behavior.  She's rather bossy, unpredictable, and likes to have fun...maybe too much fun.  I found myself rooting for Ro as she is more the "middle of the road" sister.  She is smart, determined, logical, but still likes to be social and have fun.  She's got her eye on a certain professor; I wouldn't expect anything less from a bookworm!  On the other hand, there's Clio.  She's the adopted daughter of a vicar and religion is important to her. She's rather shy and although she has good intentions, she kind of annoyed me. I wanted her to stand up for herself in The Heiresses, because at times she was perfectly content with being a wallflower.  There's definitely more than meets the eye with Clio, though.

Aunt Hestia is definitely an unconventional aunt and let the girls pretty much run wild in London.  I thought she was an interesting feminist who is involved in politics; I actually wanted more of her in The Heiresses.  She was always off at meetings and when the girls would find themselves in a jam, I often wanted Aunt Hestia to guide them a bit more often even though I feel like she often figured things out late in the game. Be forewarned, The Heiresses is a "new adult" read as the girls are eighteen years old; keep in mind, there's drugs, sex, scandal, and of course, alcohol. This is the 1920s after all. 

There's a ton of family drama in The Heiresses.  The girls must figure out a way to get the money from their half brother, Charles, who is determined to just get them out of London so he can continue on with his political career.  The girls must come together in order to deal with Charles and that wasn't always easy as they are so very different, especially Thalia who does what she wants, when she wants.

What is so cool about The Heiresses is the fact that it is published as an e-serial, which means readers can get the book broken up into six episodes or novellas for $1.99 each.  If an e-serial doesn't strike your fancy, this May the whole book will be published as a paperback.  I will admit that the e-serial is a really great idea!  I thought it was a lot of fun to read The Heiresses in six episodes, much like I would watch my favorite TV show.  So, if you are a fan of Downtown Abbey, the Luxe series or juicy historical reads, check out The Heiresses.