This is one of the best books I have read all year. This book takes place in the servants quarters of Longbourn. As a fan of Pride and Prejudice, I try not to read any sequels. This book is not a sequel to P&P. Instead it runs concurrently with P & P. It is the story of the servants. Mr. and Mrs. Hill, Sarah and Polly, the housemaids and a footman who arrives at Longbourn at the beginning of the novel. James, the footman, is has a mysterious secret. Sarah, yearns to get away from Longbourn. When the Bingleys arrive at Netherfield, so too does a handsome half black servant who Sarah finds intriguing. The author writes so beautifully and so descriptively that you feel transported to that time period. While James is falling in love with Sarah and trying to keep himself away from her, Mrs. Hill is guarding her secret. A secret that we later find out ties masters and servants together. Mr. Wickham is even more evil than in P&P. Sarah's life is hard but she fights for love and makes a decision that Mrs. Hill couldn't. This book is so good it is equal to P&P in drawing you in until you are completely immersered in the lives of all the characters. I ardently admire this book and highly recommend it.
