5-STAR REVIEW: SEVEN DAYS AT MANNERLEY by Audrey Schuyler Lancho

Publication Date: March 26, 2024

The suitcase she found changed everything. The contents? An elegant dress and an invitation in another girl’s name. Twenty-three-year-old Mary would go to the ball, enjoy how the rich lived just for one night, and then quietly slip back into her real life, sorting rubbish as a poor barmaid. No harm done. Of course, there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell had it turned out that way.

It’s 1870 in rural England, and Mary assumes the identity of the suitcase owner, Agnes. When Mary’s one night at Mannerley estate turns into a seven-day, hilarious farce, she quickly makes friends, finds suitors, and keeps fibbing. Not only does Arthur, the heir himself, fall for her, but so, too, does Mr. Singh, his friend visiting from India, making advances in plain sight of the heir. Making matters worse, a former workmate recognizes Mary and extorts her: she must steal a golden watch from the heir for him or have her true identity exposed and risk being thrown in jail, which could mean death–and that would certainly ruin her stolen, er, borrowed ball gown.

The only way Mary can get close enough to Arthur to steal his watch is via sensuality and flirtation. But as Mary scrambles to cover her tracks, her lies and crimes compound, weaving themselves into an impossible tangle. All the while Agnes, the real owner of the fancy ball gown, is making her way ever-closer to Mannerley.

Barmaid Mary Potts dreams of a life away from the day-to-day drudgery. When she finds a trunk full of clothes and an invitation to an elite ball in another woman’s name, the opportunity is too good to miss.

Author Audrey Schuyler Lancho delivers an engaging Cinderella-type story in Seven Days at Mannerly. Not only does Mary catch the interest of the Mannerly heir, but she also has an electrifying connection with Mr. Singh from India.

Tension builds as the original suitcase owner gets closer to Mannerly. Couple that with a blackmail attempt by a disgruntled servant, and Mary’s dream is set to explode.

This Regency tale includes an intriguing storyline as Mary finds herself having no choice but to weave an intricate web of deceit. As the first book in the Love and Lies series, it features plenty of witty remarks.

Seven Days at Mannerly illustrates the adventure of a young woman seeking to experience the rich life, only to fall in love while impersonating someone else.

Audrey has always written stories. Her very first picture book which she wrote in early elementary school was about a mean, grumpy tooth fairy. Her first “novel”, bound using a cardboard cereal box, was written in the fourth grade. By high school, she was writing secret novels of her own, usually naming her characters by her own initials. By her twenties, she knew that writing was her calling––and she’s so glad you’re reading her debut romance!

Audrey lives in North Carolina with her Spaniard husband and two young sons, is completely bilingual in Spanish, and enjoys church, crochet, jigsaw puzzles, time with friends, yoga, and funny movies. She’s a freelance fiction editor on Upwork, an editor at a literary agency. She also writes contemporary romance under the name Audrey Lancho. Her debut contemporary is due out in May 2025 from Harpeth Road.

April 15: Long and Short Reviews
April 16: A Wonderful World of Words
April 17: The Avid Reader
April 18: Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read
April 19: Literary Gold
April 22: Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Romance
April 23: Kenyan Poet