“The world for a woman in 19th century England is as small as the society in which she lives. Daphne Charter dreams of a life beyond the forests of her home, Sonora, in Southern England. She is an only daughter, clever, comfortably wealthy, pretty, and unwed. Her friends are the most important thing in her life, above finding a husband, above her own happiness. Her selflessness has cost her dearly, but she finds comfort in the good fortunes of others. Betrayal and deceit have painted an ugly picture of men's hearts, and she has given up hope of ever finding love for herself. But the arrival of a handsome stranger and the lies of another woman force Daphne to reevaluate her actions and discover who her real friends are.”
~The Devoted, by Mandy Metzger
I been promising myself I’d get around to telling you about a wonderful book I read recently, and today I finally have the moment to do so. The Devoted is a self-published work by a very good friend of mine. It is her first published work, though she has others in the various stages of completion (which I am hoping to see published someday for my future reading pleasure). Not many of us have the guts to publish our own stories and put them out there for all to see. Heck, I barely have time to read a book much less write one. That fact alone makes Mandy’s book all the more impressive. See, she is the mother of two small children AND a small business owner AND she has time to write such wonderful works of fiction!
The Devoted is about a young woman who sacrifices her own happiness for the love of her friends deserving or otherwise. Though a short work, you are immediately drawn into Daphne’s world and walking away is virtually impossible until you turn the last page. The book paints wonderful imagery which called to mind (at least for me) BBC’s version of Pride & Prejudice; and I couldn’t help but imagine that Mr. Trenton bore a striking resemblance to Colin Firth.
I love a book that strings you along and leaves you guessing until the very end and this book does just that. It was easy to slip into and didn’t drag in the least. You always have a confidence that things will work out for Daphne in the end, but you just aren’t sure how she’s going to get there.
Mandy tells me it’s a “nice piece of fluff” and I’ll have to agree. If you want to find out for yourself it available on Amazon.com in both print and digital editions. I also believe there are a limited number of copies available at Long Beach Coffee Roasters in Long Beach, WA for those in that neck of the woods.
