LILY OF RED HILLS

Second expanded edition of the critically acclaimed novel

An innocent raised in a house of sin …
Lily is the product of a doomed romance between Neal Kale, a dashing aristocrat, and Zara, a beautiful high-class prostitute. Against all odds, Zara manages to shelter her daughter from the depravity of her life, accepting brutalization and humiliation to do so. But when she is diagnosed with a terminal disease, Zara entreats Lily to flee the violent world of her birth and seek shelter with her father’s family. She gives Lily the jeweled Kale family locket that Neal had given her many years ago as proof of her identity.
Lily does not receive a warm welcome at the Kale estate and is unsure of whether she is a lady or a servant. She must learn to navigate the complexities of a sophisticated society. She is wooed by a groom who works in the stables. She also attracts the attention of an arrogant cavalry officer, even as she faces contempt and ridicule in the glittering circle of her father’s family. She’s dogged by her mother’s old pimp and madam, who wish to drag her into her mother’s debauched profession. Torn between a world she seeks to escape and one that will not accept her, Lily must decide whether to settle for safety or risk everything to follow her heart.

Excellent book, highly recommend

Lily of Red Hills is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. It is extremely well written and has a captivating storyline. R.M. Burgess presents an amazing cast of characters who represent a wide range of human traits and human potential. A remarkable feature of this audiobook is that it provides the listener vivid descriptions of the setting and the characters. I could easily picture Red Hills – the mansion, stables, orchards, and the gazebo.

Even after listening to about four-fifths of the book, I could not predict how the book was going to end. It looked like it could go a few different ways. This made it an exciting experience as it left more for the listener to imagine.