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Stepping into womanhood during the Roaring Twenties, cousins Lilly and Rosie have much to inherit in high society, if they want it. But Rosie dreams of having a career on the silver screen, Lilly hopes to escape the big city to return to untamed Montana, and both women long to be loved in Baroness by author Susan May Warren.

This second novel in the Daughters of Fortune historical ChristFic series takes an emotional swirl through part of the Jazz Age. I'll admit, however, that after Book One left me amazed in the end, I had a bit of a challenge getting a grip on the new set of lead characters here, what with so much ground they have to cover.

I didn't find Rosie's glamorous ambitions to be compelling for her storyline because the book doesn't show her actually working as a performer; a little of her work just floats by in the background somewhere. (And why would she be so utterly convinced by the word of a man who promises to make her a star before he's even heard her sing or seen her dance or anything?) Also, the spiritual thread felt pretty forced to me with its somewhat awkward tie-in, and although I understand Lilly's stepdad Oliver's role in it, I'm a little creeped out by how controlling he can be. I'm also not sure how much Rosie's mother Jinx has learned from the decades of misery she suffered while trying to live a society life in Book One.

While I normally don't go for novels of this length where heroines spend so much time rather unhappy, this saga is just so full. Plenty of drama (but not melodrama) in this novel and so much to feel. I'm ultimately quite invested in the characters and curious to see how the series will wrap up in Book Three. ( )

I have been totally won over by Susan May Warren. I've always enjoyed her story-telling style, but when she hits the keyboard to write historicals, she hits me square in the heart with a fiction defibrillator! Baroness, the 2nd in the Daughters of Fortune series, tells the story of not one, but two impulsive, young, wealthy women, though one of their stories is primarily a sub-plot (next book!). I think what makes Warren's story-telling so compelling is how quickly she is able to create a connection between her characters and the reader. No character cutouts here! Maybe because her heroines are flawed. Maybe because they're vulnerable. Maybe because she lets terrible things happen to them, keeping us dancing on a pin for their well-being. Maybe because they have deep, emotional problems despite being born with a silver spoon. Maybe because they are real enough for us to identify with, even though we aren't of their age and culture. If you love a rich historical that's full of adventure and romance -- without being a romance -- you'll love this book and series. ( )

Rosie and Lilly are cousins who, at the start of this novel are in Paris each longing for what they don't have; Rosie for the freedom to be a star on the stage and marry whom she would like and Lilly to go back to her ranch in Montana. Both are children of money and privilege and yet both feel constrained by the life they feel they are being forced to live. Being young ladies of seventeen or so they, of course, know everything and their parents cannot possibly understand that the times they are a'changin' and things are just not done they way they were back then.

The book moves from Paris to New York and then to the Midwest as Rosie and Lilly try to shake the family bonds they feel bind them so tightly. I did not quite understand the dynamic of the almost hatred these girls had for their families. Perhaps if I had read the first book in the series I might have had a better understanding, I don't know but it seemed to be there simply to send these two off on their adventures. Adventures that they seemed to survive quite well despite being fairly pampered young women of money. Little was discussed of how they managed to have enough money to live but long strands of pearls seem to be an ongoing theme. And neither girl ends up or ever was a Baroness so the title baffles me.

It took me a bit to get involved in the story but once I did I found it to be a fast read - I ended up finishing it in one day. I can't say that I cared for Rosie at all. Lilly was a more well rounded character. The parents were there to provide a sounding board and or maybe I should say dart board for the girls' reasons for doing what they did. The book had little happiness in it and it does not leave much hope for the next chapter as the Great Depression is looming. ( )

The Baroness will grab you from the first page forward. It has it all and will leave you wanting more. This book is Lilly's story, and Rosie's .....and we begin in Romantic Paris. French fashion, hair dos, booze, gardens, and aeroplanes!
A Parisian air plane ride unlocks a passion in Lilly, that she takes back to the States. While Rosie wants to unlock her love of acting. Both will get chances to do what they want, but at what cost?
You will keep turning the pages as you try to figure out what is coming next? Some is so sad and others are sweet.
I for one can't wait for the next book!! Enjoy this totally captivating read!

I received this book from the Publisher Sumerside, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )