Jealous whispers.

Old rivalries.

New betrayals.

Two months after Elizabeth Holland’s dramatic homecoming, Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. When Elizabeth refuses to rejoin her sister Diana’s side, however, those watching New York’s favorite family begin to suspect that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park South.

Farther uptown, Henry and Penelope Schoonmaker are the city’s most celebrated couple. But despite the glittering diamond ring on Penelope’s finger, the newlyweds share little more than scorn for each other. And while the newspapers call Penelope’s social-climbing best friend, Carolina Broad, an heiress, her fortune—and her fame—are anything but secure, especially now that one of society’s darlings is slipping tales to the eager press.

In this next thrilling installment of Anna Godbersen’s bestselling Luxe series, Manhattan’s most envied residents appear to…

Children’s Literature

It is 1900 New York City society where the women are gorgeous and the men handsome, where morals are loose and regrets abound. Elizabeth Holland has returned from a failed relationship with a young stable hand to find her younger sister, Diana, smitten with Elizabeth’s ex-fiance, Henry Schoonmaker. What Elizabeth does not know is that an intimate encounter between the two was observed and reported to scheming socialite Penelope Hayes, once Elizabeth’s dear friend. Henry marries Penelope to keep her from ruining the reputation of stunning Diana and now longs to reestablish some relationship with Diana and dismiss the fraud of a marriage in which he finds himself. Interwoven into the mix is young Carolina Broad, the “ward” of a wealthy old gentleman, whose truly platonic attention has “saved” the former housemaid Lina Broud and moved her into the lush society she once served. Ironically, she was once a maid in the home of the Holland sisters and was the informant who aided Penelope in her pursuit of Henry. Just when it seems the young lovers will be able to right their lives, Penelope and her brother Grayson provide one more illusion and one more unsatisfying reality to their world. Fraught with the misunderstandings and stunning secrets of a good soap opera, Envy will draw young adult readers into a world where illusions cover the hard realities of arranged marriages and family expectations. From a coastal train ride to Palm Beach, Florida, and back again, the novel leaves the reader waiting for the next installment. Reviewer: Janis Flint-Ferguson

Publish Date : 2009