Just not my cup of tea, I couldn't get into the story and I didn't really enjoy the characters.
I did appreciate the writing.

Two women Mable Burton and Rosamund Easling take their lives into their own hands, decades apart their lives come together under the circus big top.


Rosamund is a titled lady who leaves it all behind for a chance to earn her own way in life, along side her treasured equine companion. She joins the Ringling Circus as a trick rider, learning about life, faith and family.
She wants more out of life than to be a kept woman, at the whims of society.


I tried to read this book on two separate occasions, the first time it just didn't hook me, and the second time I made it over halfway before I started skimming. It just seemed to take a long time for the plot to really get going. I admired Mable for her faith and how in her own gentle way she took control of her life, and fell in love with John.


Overall, though this book just was a slow read and in the end I wasn't really engaged or invested. I've read rave reviews of this book, so I feel like it may be a personal taste thing. But this just wasn't the book for me.


I received an ebook copy of this book from the publisher in hopes that I would share my thoughts with my readers. Opinions are my own.

Cambron takes a real person, Mable Ringling, and breathes fictional life into her while staying true to what is known about this compelling woman. The novel is an intriguing look into circus life in the 1920s. A bit more depth into the characters would have been desirable, but the author’s gift for writing beautifully crafted sentences will draw readers into the story and the fascinating world of the circus.
Mable and Rosamund come from different worlds but meet under the Big Top. Mable comes from humble roots, and she meets John at the Chicago World’s Fair. She doesn’t know he is a Ringling until she meets him again later. In a parallel storyline, Rosamund is a titled young woman in England, set to marry a man she doesn’t love in order to provide money for her family. When her beloved horse is sold to a circus in America, she accompanies the horse and is captivated by the idea of performing. The women must make their way in a culture that doesn’t always accept them.

The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron is an interesting story but to use the cliché, all style, no substance. Let me try & explain what I mean. This involves mild spoilers.
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The Hollywood moment where a woman is rescued & discovers at a party a couple of hours later, two of the guests are her rescuers.
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The prologue should have been part of the chronological story. I only remembered that part now because I’m double checking something else.
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Rosamund’s brother being named Hendrick. This isn’t a given name for anyone with any kind of land or peerage. It’s very much a surname. .
The title was bigger than the story but it was also disappointing the whole premise seemed to revolve around a man who had a woman crushing on him. I would have thought the centre of attention would be the two women, Rosamund & Mabel. Also, Sally was far more interesting than the two main characters & she was killed off so quickly she was valueless.
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There were some genuinely beautiful moments though. I was particularly moved by Nora & I loved the constant theme of roses. .
There’s more to like about this book than there is to dislike but I come to The Ringmaster’s Wife from the first two books of the Hidden Masterpiece series. Both of those titles have moved me in ways I haven’t expected & I’ve cried, in public, on the train. Cambron touched something in me with this book but not in the same way. .
Cambron’s work is nice & when I say nice, I don't mean in a negative sense. This world, politics, life etc. make me feel battered & out of sync so it's vital for me to have authors who relieve this feeling of tension. Thank you Kristy for all the work & the writing & the words. I'm sorry I missed feeling the connection with this title but I'll be back for more very soon

All the glitz and glitter of the magnificent world of circus. All the masks and costumes. And all the hearts beating true behind those masks and costumes.

Mable had never thought that the world could be hers. Yet, the love of one man brought her world of fortune - and happiness. Yet there is also a broken dream here - and she had decided to never let the dreams of others go unsupported and uncultivated.
Rosamund is a British lady - of an old world with no freedom. Yet one man sees what is she made of. Will she find the courage to follow her dream? And what will she do when the dream is shattered to pieces?

This novel is not what I thought it to be. So that's why I am both charmed and disappointed. Having read a couple of novels by this authoress before, I have almost missed the gentle movements of her writing brush I have never read from her before. Their newness was unexpected and as I said, I might missed them completely - fortunately this new (for me) quality of nuance and emotions shines on her own.
And yet - I somehow miss the rawness of the heart here. All is too glittery, dreamy and colourful, there is too much of visual beauty to truly portrait the pain of brokenness, the power of everyday courage and the light of hope in the dark. Might be that the authoress has been too enamored with her own world for her own good - or might be that there is a very, very tender and gentle heart here.
Go see for yourself!

What a wonderful story! I was taken right into the Circus world and learned about the Ringlings’ glittering world and how two young women from different parts of the world become a special participants of this Ringling Brothers’ circus. Rich in history and just a wonderful story! Loved it!

The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron caught my attention on NetGalley months ago because the storyline weaves in with the history of the Ringling Circus. I grew up in south Florida, about 30 minutes from the Ringling House/Museum, and there’s always been a bit of an interest in the circus world because of it.

I’m not going to climb up on a animal-rights soapbox right now but I will concede to the conflict that exists because of loving the circus and despising how circus animals are historically treated. I have never attended a circus and that may be why I find myself so fascinated by the use of the circus world as a primary setting in books like The Ringmaster’s Wife. It feels so magical! I know it’s real but still it feels like a fantasy world I can kept swept up in without guilt or remorse. I requested it from NetGalley the moment I saw the cover because it’s gorgeous. I didn’t bother to read the summary before asking for a copy of it nor did I know of Kristy Cambron although she apparently has a popular series on the market.

Once I received access to the book I felt buyer’s remorse. I loved Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and was so afraid of comparisons. I didn’t want to fall into that trap of comparing The Ringmaster’s Wife to Water for Elephants so I kept putting it off longer…and longer…and longer. After trying a couple of books that totally let me down I finally decided to start reading it and it was fantastic!

I mean, it was fantastic once you get past the overly flowery and opulent language. At times it felt like Cambron was being so try-hard with her writing. It became tedious and annoying. There were times I felt disconnected because Cambron was relying on this heavy-handed lavish language to capture the magic of the circus amidst the roaring 1920’s in America. Sometimes I just wanted her to get to the point or the story to move along. I didn’t need so many of the filler descriptions and I found myself skimming some of the sections to get back to the plot.

I’ve noticed a lot of “chick-lit” novels have that same kind of over-the-top language so maybe it’s something that most readers can overlook. I tend to read mostly historical fiction and this one blurred the line between historical fiction and women’s fiction. It relies on historical references and historical fact to fill in the setting around Rosamund and her new life. It read more like a women’s fiction novel though.

The story itself is fabulous! Rosamund is such a wonderful character and her interactions with America during the 1920’s and her new circus life were so much fun to follow. She had such spirit about her! Mrs. Mable Ringling is also a prominent character and Cambron did an excellent job bringing her to life and making her speak and behave exactly as I have always imagined. You can tour the Ringling House in Sarasota, Florida and hear a lot of stories about Mrs. Ringling. Cambron brought a lot of those stories to life and that helped me really fall for this book.

Overall, I absolutely recommend reading it and I think you’ll fall in love with it too.

Can't wait to share this title with some of my high school readers!

by Andrea Renee Cox

Memories of attending the circus as a young girl came flooding back into my mind as I read The Ringmaster's Wife. The acrobats, the ringmaster, the horses and their riders... all came to life in this book about second chances and fresh starts.

For much of the first half of the book, I was confused by the constant time jumping and multiple dates given. It was a lot to keep track of. But once that settled out some, I was able to really get intrigued by the lives of Mable Ringling and Rosamund Easling, not to mention the interesting world of the circus.

I was disappointed by one thing in particular, which was a singular inappropriate usage of God's name. This is why I have given three, rather than four, stars.

However, the story was greatly meaningful and quite adventuresome. It's one that will stick with me for a long time. The power in those final three chapters was undeniable. (If you haven't got tissues handy, you may want to track some down before you get that far into the story.) Overall, The Ringmaster's Wife is a wonderful tale of offering grace when it isn't deserved or expected, loving people through difficult attitudes and circumstances, and finding the true purpose for the life you choose to live.

I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, authors, and sites like Netgalley, Litfuse Publicity Group, and Blogging for Books. They do not require me to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.