Glamorous Illusions, by Lisa T. Bergren
Reviewed by: Jill Hart
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Publisher: David C. Cook
Publication Date: June 1, 2012

Cora Kensington has just had the shock of a lifetime. She comes home from Normal School – studying to be a teacher – to find out that she is the illegitimate daughter of the state’s copper king, one of the richest and most powerful men in Montana. Her newfound father whisks her away to join her new half-siblings on their Grand Tour of Europe.

Cora doesn’t fit in well with her new family from the very beginning. She misses her mother and the only father she has know her entire life. And her half-siblings are certainly not a welcoming bunch. She doesn’t truly even want to go on this Grand Tour they have planned but at the insistence of her “new” father, she agrees.

The journey is a rough one, full of ups and downs, as she does her best to get to know her brother and sisters. However, her family is not entirely keen on accepting their father’s illegitimate child into their tight-knit crowd and they worry she will embarrass them and keep them from receiving a warm reception from those they visit while traveling abroad.

Cora clings to her faith and asks for God’s guidance as she strives to make peace with these frustrating siblings, as well as keep her sanity about her in each new situation she finds herself in. The Grand Tour is certainly a far cry from her life on the farm in Montana.

It doesn’t help that Cora finds herself attracted to the nephew of the tour guide. That relationship can certainly never grow into anything more…or can it?

This book was a fun read. Bergren’s descriptions of the people and places the characters visit make it a vivid read as well as an emotional one. My only complaint was that it ended and now I must wait for the next installment of the Grand Tour series.

Rated PG13: While the romantic scenes are pretty calm, the underlying feelings of the characters are best suited for adults.

Book provided by the publisher. Thank you!