Really liked it

Great narrator. Couldn't fault her and her lovely voice.

Plot is character driven with enough heat to keep you interested. ( )

Just okay. Almost did not finish, but I had the free time, so I trudged on. Love the theater aspect of Madeleine, but somehow never warmed up to Ferguson as a hero. From the start there was already too much going on, too many characters I had to keep track of, and many of them never felt like real people (Caro and Westbrook). Later on I started to like Ellie more than Madeleine, and Alex than Ferguson, and when the reader is more interested in the secondary characters than the main ones, perhaps that is a sign that they are not interesting or lovable enough to sustain the reader's focus. This fails to be their love story then, but a long prologue intended to introduce all the characters in the later books. ( )

Madeleine has a secret that no one must find out. And in order to keep her secret, she has become a wall flower, a spinster if you would. But that is exactly what draws Ferguson to her and what makes him realize her secret. Madeleine is an actress by the name of Marguerite and Ferguson will have her at any cost. What befalls the two will be a struggle of wills, hearts, and trouble that has them falling in love with the people they really are and not who they have tried to become. ( )

Reviewed for my blog at www.bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.com

...starts slow, but boy does it pick up! Loved it...

This is Ms. Ramsey's début novel and first in the Muses of Mayfair Series (Madeline
Vaillant, Prudence Etchingham, Amelia Staunton and Ellie, Marchioness of Folkestone) and she starts off with Lady Madeline Vaillant's story.

The book opens up with our heroine attending a ball at Salford House, which is the home of her cousin Alexander Staunton, the Earl of Salford, his mother, her aunt Augusta as well as Amelia Staunton, Alex's sister. She's been with them ever since she was a little girl, after her parents went back to France in the midst of the Revolution and gotten themselves killed in the process.

She is aware that no one has ever paid her any attention and that no one likely ever will. Not as long as she's determined to stay a spinster and dress like one, down to her spinsters cap. What the ton doesn't know, and if it did it would not only shock them but it would also ruin Madeline and possibly the family that she loves dearly, is that our heroine has a secret desire and a talent for acting.

Our hero is William "Ferguson" Avenel, and coming out of exile is not so easy for him. It has been a decade since he's seen his sister Ellie, and his twin half sisters who are both ready for their first London season, and to all of them, Ferguson needs to apologies for not being there for them when they needed him the most.

I really liked this story for lots of obvious reasons; for a début book, it was written well, paced well and its hero and heroine were very likeable, but what I liked the best about it was the relationship between the three friends, and after we meet Ellie, there was no doubt in my mind that she was perfect as, and eventually would become another, muse of Mayfair.

The author has done an excellent job in portraying the relationships between all the characters with so much reality that it will touch your hearts with an equal dose of humor and sensuality. You will come to care for everyone involved and that is what makes this début such a great read and I whole heartedly recommend it.

Melanie ( )

Heiress Without A Cause by Sara Ramsey is a historical fiction book set around a group of woman who are bored with regency life. They are bored with the season. They are bored with society. However they each manage to have their own special talent. For Lady Madeleine Vaillant the season is especially dull since she is considered a spinster. However Madeline has a well kept secret. She's been acting on the stage. If the ton were to find out she would be ruined. Her life gets more complicated when the notorious rake, William “Ferguson” Avenel asks her to act as chaperon for his sisters. Madeline reluctantly accepts.
Things get complicated and heated up when Ferguson discovers her secret life. He offers her his protection but at what cost. The more time Madeline and Ferguson spend together, the more they find themselves falling for each other. This complicates everything.
This is an enjoyable book from cover to cover. I love the characters and their willingness to live their lives on their own terms. Madeline and Ferguson have great chemistry together. He has a dark past that he tries to overcome and she has a rebellious heart yet they seem to suit each other perfectly. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if Madeline would be discovered. Overall this is a great novel that I would recommend. I can't wait to read the next book in the series! ( )