Historical fiction is an area I am trying to get more into. The synopsis for this was intriguing. It tells the story of Kerry who returns to North Carolina to care for her ailing and estranged father. I should have known it would get interesting when she was on the train ride there and met some interesting characters. The area around her home is being bought up and right from under her and others by the wealthy Vanderbilts. She ends up working for them and gets caught up in their life of wealth , greed, and power. And mystery. All in all I liked this and would recommend it.

What an excellent historical novel and reading experience Under a Gilded Moon turned out to be.

I must have lived under a rock all this time because I was not aware of the Biltmore Estate (and George Washington Vanderbilt II) before reading this book. Reading the story made me research and fall in love with the history of the estate. It is now on my checklist of places to visit. So, a big thank you to the author for introducing me to this piece of history.

Coming back to the story, I loved reading this book! It has historical references, a murder mystery, intrigue, and romance, all interwoven beautifully! Similarly, the author also describes the locations of the North Carolina mountains and the estate in s vibrant manner. Moreover, the level of detail put in is immaculate. For instance, I loved how some of the addresses mentioned were actual locations to historical landmarks.

The author also beautifully contrasts the various lifestyle of the vast characters. Also, Kerry is terrific in the lead! My next favorite characters were Sal and Nico. I enjoyed how the author portrays them and the attitude and prejudice of society toward them. I also liked all the other characters like Grant, Cabot, Lilli, Aunt Rema, Tully, and Jursey,

The story had me glued from the first page, and the plot just kept getting better with the mystery. The climax is intense as the characters (I’m not going to say who) hang on for their lives in the literal sense. “Under a Gilded Moon” is the first book I read of Joy Jordan-Lake, and I am already a fan!

Overall, do read this book if you like historical fiction, mystery, or yearning for a taste of the Biltmore Estate history.

Thank you Get Red PR and Netgalley for a copy of this novel.

What an unexpected novel! It is rare that I pick up a historical novel and completely dive in, but Under a Gilded Moon hooked me from chapter one. The mysterious intrigue of the characters and historical setting made this story read much like a movie. The plot was detailed and quick, allowing readers to truly fall into this time period. The Biltmore and Asheville area is one I love incredibly so I was enamored with the descriptions and how the physical setting acted as a great character in this novel. Joy Jordan-Lake is a new author to me and I will be picking up her future works.

4 stars

Releases- 01.12.2020

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✨"Elegantly written and expertly crafted, Under A Gilded Moon soars as high as any piece of literature can reach.
You're transported to a time and place in history that begs [to be] read late into the night." --
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✨Under A Gilded Moon: a novel.
409 pages; 59 chapters.
Genre: historical fiction.

Joy Jordan-Lake is the author of eight books, including A Tangled Mercy, a #1 Amazon bestseller and also an Editors’ Choice recipient from the Historical Novel Society; Blue Hole Back Home, which won the Christy Award for First Novel
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Speak less than thou knowest
Lend less thou knowest

📌The story dates back to October 1895.
It talks about
a family's journey to forgiveness, Biltmore Estate,
Kerry's dilemma,
her duty towards her family (father & siblings) ,
forgiving her father for what their life could have been,
a teacher's concern & care for her student
and how your roots always pull you towards them.

📌What did I learn?
✨You don't turn your back on family, no matter what.
✨Change is an inevitable part of life.

📌What to look forward in the book?
✨a no. of CHARACTERS are BASED ON ACTUAL PEOPLE, even the Saint Bernard is also BASED ON A HISTORICAL CANINE.
✨there's a section on HISTORICAL NOTES.
✨there are BOOK CLUB discussion ques.s
✨beautiful storytelling skills
✨you actually go back to that era
✨very detailed & descriptive narration.
✨a bit lengthy, with a moderate pace.
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✨"Crawdads meets the Crawleys in Jordan-Lake's latest, where she offers up a powerful location in the Biltmore House of Asheville, North Carolina. Pitting rugged locals against Gilded Age interlopers and threaded throughout with a meticulously researched, well-crafted mystery, this is historical fiction at its best." --
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#noorthebookwormreviews
#underagildedmoon

From the moment I read the description of this book, I was instantly intrigued. Visiting the Biltmore Estate is on my bucket list so I immediately thought this would be an interesting read. It is a great mix of historical fiction and mystery. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, I would also recommend this book. An underlying thread throughout this book are the relationships between the lower classes and the upper classes with an extra element of mountain-raised versus city-raised folks. I enjoyed getting to glimpse the world during which the Biltmore Estate was being built and how it affected those that lived in the area with the added mystery solving. I especially enjoyed the heroine of the story, who had such strength throughout and was willing to give up so much for her family.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
After two years spent in New York, trying to earn a degree, Kerry MacGregor has to put her life on hold in order to return home to care for her ailing (and estranged father). When she returns home, Kerry realizes that an heir of the Vanderbilt family has built an outrageously large estate in the mountains of her home town, and all of the properties around her are being sold to the wealthy family. Although she is desperate to remove herself from the Vanderbilt’s and their outrageous wealth, Kerry is soon left with no choice but to take a position working in their home. When a reporter is killed in a suspicious manner, Kerry begins to question everyone around her and trusts no one. How powerful is the Vanderbilt family and would they kill to protect their family secrets?
“Under A Gilded Moon” by Joy-Jordan Lake is a historical fiction novel, although obviously some characters and elements of the plot have some basis in reality (for example, the Vanderbilts and their ridiculous estate in the Appalachian mountains, as well as George Vanderbilt’s wealthy friends, such as Mason Grant), the novel itself is deemed to be fiction.
Right off the bat, I felt a little lost. The story and characters lacked development, as I felt I was reading a sequel to a novel, where the background of the plot and players had been detailed in a previous novel (this was not the case). Obviously, the Vanderbilt’s and their clan are infamous and world-renowned, but that alone did not give me enough background information on all of Lake’s characters.
The southern feel of this novel was enjoyable (I definitely got a “Where the Crawdads Sing” vibe), and I really did enjoy Kerry as a character (once I got to know her which, admittedly, took some time). The novel was mostly told in chronological order, with only a few chapters highlighting a specific detail of the past for a few of the characters), but overall it had good slow.
I am a fan of historical fiction and although this novel was “not bad”, it did not engage me as I had hoped. I would’ve liked more background development of the characters right at the beginning, but I did enjoy the ending of the story. Overall, it was a mediocre exploration of wealth, privilege, innocence and poverty, as told from both ends of the spectrum.

I enjoyed this book. The first half was too busy- too many characters, too many places, too many scenes. I couldn’t keep up. However, I kept reading and I’m glad I did, as her descriptions of the beautiful blue ridge mountains were spectacular and the plot lines converged into a cohesive story that kept me reading past my bedtime. I have loved the Biltmore since it was featured on America’s Castles a million years ago. Under a Gilded Moon does it justice. Kudos to a book well-researched, characters coming very much alive, and an intriguing story.

Joy Jordan-Lake’s book, Under a Gilded Moon, is a fast-paced mystery that develops in a magnificent way. Her descriptive writing makes the story engaging and interesting. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, the plot twists. The story is gripping, well told, and kept me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down. The characters range from native North Carolinians whose land is being taken over by Vanderbilt, to Vanderbilt and his posh guests, to foreigners who are brought in to work on his grand estate. Lines of class distinction become blurred as they are forced to interact after a murder. Prejudice common during those times is also prevalent among some of the characters, while others rise above it. As the story unfolds, Jordan-Lake gradually reveals more details and some surprising secrets about the characters.

Although this book is fiction, it accurately paints of picture of the time period as the Biltmore mansion was being built, and Jordan-Lake reveals that many of the characters are actually based on real people during that time. Her writing brings these characters to life. It’s clear that she invested much time researching the era and area. The setting in the North Carolina mountains, specifically the area surrounding the Biltmore estate, will definitely make you want to plan a visit there!

In the late 1800s, George Washington Vanderbilt, part of one of the richest families in the United States, started building Biltmore Estate. Many of his rich friends and family didn't understand why he built it in the NC mountains - a poor and isolated part of the country. Biltimore House is the largest privately owned house in the US and is a symbol of the goals that the rich people could make happen in direct opposition to the poor people who lived in the area and worked the land to put food in their mouths.

This novel shows the dichotomy between the rich and the poor. George Vanderbilt and his friends are rich and they show it - from their beautiful clothes to the expectations of what they are due from life. On the other side, this novel has Kerry. She grew up in the area but had gotten a scholarship to a school in NY but was called to return home due to her father's impending death. When she got home, she knew that she needed a job to keep food on the table for her twin brother and sister and the only job she could find was as a maid at the Biltimore House. While there, she got pulled into the investigation of a reporter who had been murdered, an Italian who is hiding something and others who seem to be keeping major secrets. The more she learns, the less she knows who to trust.

One of my favorite parts of the novel was the description of the scenery in the Blue Ridge Mountains. At times I felt like I was in the mountains enjoying the beautiful views. There's mystery, beautiful scenery, family and a bit of romance. It's definitely a book to read when you need a mental vacation to the NC mountains.