KWH does it again!! This book was such a masterpiece and shows what a versatile author KWH is. This story follows two different families from two different generations and flows seamlessly back and forth.

In the early 20th century, the story alternates between chapters narrated by Edith Vanderbilt and her daughter Cornelia, who are challenged with running the Biltmore Estate after Edith's husband passed away. In the present day, the chapters alternate between Babs, a recently widowed 80-year-old who may have a second chance at love and her granddaughter Julia, a young architect-to-be who's always had her dream wedding and man planned out. The lives of the two families intermingle through a wedding veil that has been passed down within each family.

I love how this story examines Edith, Cornelia, Babs and Julia's perspective on love, family and education and discusses the societal pressures and challenges one faces when they are expected to follow a certain path, despite the time period. I am not one for historical romance, so at first, I only wanted to read about Julia and Babs' story in the present day, which were both so great. However, once I got to know a bit more about Edith and Cornelia, I found their lives fascinating to read about, especially during the Roaring 20s and start of the Great Depression. Overall, the story flew by quickly, and I wasn't ready for it end to end.

I will literally read anything and all that KWH writes. Thank you so much Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC! Pub date: 3/29/22

The story of the veil and how it worked it’s way through generations of women is a wonderful story. The incorporation of the Vanderbilt’s and the Biltmore House makes the story wonderful.

This is a fascinating fictionalized account of the life of Edith Vanderbilt. Widowed after her husband’s death because of a burst appendix , Edith must try to run the vast Biltmore Estate and the town that survives because of it. Not an easy task for anyone, but for a woman in 1914. Things are not as rosy for the Vanderbilts as the world might believe, Edith is struggling under a mountain of debt, trying to steer the family’s fortunes back in the right direction. She wants to leave a fortune and a legacy for her daughter Cornelia, another high spirited woman ahead of her time. Their lives intermingle with those of Julia Baxter, a modern day bride with a supposedly charmed bridal veil gifted to her great grandmother years before by an unknown woman on a train. I really enjoyed this story, especially the historical part; it was fascinating to get a glimpse inside the life of American royalty