Addresses modern slavery through the early 20th century story of the Irish coming to America. Great history, well-developed characters, sometimes hard to read but only because the topic is so real.

I loved this book. I hated this book. I found I could not put it down, on the other hand I had a hard time continuing it. It kept me on the edge of my seat toward the end, waiting to see how it ended. I was very affected by the story, knowing it was taken from a true situation. I could not tell myself "It was just a book", because this still goes on today. One of the best books I have read in awhile, and I read a lot. ( )

I really liked this one a lot! I’d seen it available through Overdrive at my local library about a year ago, and decided I wanted to read it then. The first thing that drew me to it was the cover. The peek at the vintage shoes was intriguing. Then I read the synopsis and the book was even more interesting to me. So when I saw it was no longer on the wait list, I decided to check it out.

The book is set in New York City in the early twentieth century and tells the story of Maureen O’Reilly, a young Irish woman, and her younger sister, Katie Rose. They come to America to escape a dangerous situation in Ireland after the death of their mother. They hope to get off to a good start in America by being welcomed by Colonel Wakefield, a man whose life was saved by their father during the American Civil War. However when they arrive, they learn the Colonel has died and his family is not at all welcoming. Maureen works hard to make a life for herself and her sister, taking a position in a department store patronized by wealthy New Yorkers. But as an immigrant woman, she is treated poorly and learns she is somewhat powerless. She does make a friend at the department store, but one day the friend just disappears, similar to the way other young women in the store have disappeared. They are victims of sex trafficking. Maureen works to solve the mystery, with the help of Olivia Wakefield, younger daughter of the Colonel.

I tend to think of sex trafficking as a ‘new’ crime, and didn’t realize how prevalent it was in early America. But it was prevalent enough that there were laws passed to deal with the issue, including the Mann Act mentioned in the book.

In addition to the historical setting, the story also has romance and suspense. One thing you should be aware of is the Christian aspect of the book. “What Would Jesus Do’ is a major theme in the book as the women study ‘In His Steps’ by Charles Sheldon. The characters in the book come back to this frequently. Maureen was a Catholic girl in Ireland, but in America, she attends a protestant church. There are a couple of times when she ponders the difference and the Catholic church appears to come off negatively. If either of these things would bother you, you are probably better skipping this one. But if this doesn’t bother you, or you can look past it, you will be rewarded with a very good story! ( )

Maureen and Katie Rose are two sisters who are immigrants from Ireland. Maureen wants to start anew. She does not want her sister to suffer the same fate as she did. Maureen was working as a parlor maid for her landlord and violated. Her landlord forced himself on her several times tarnishing her reputation in the village. Now the landlord's son is cut from the same cloth and is eying Katie Rose who is starting to mature as a young lady. Little does Maureen know that life in New York City has men who are just as evil as the people in Ireland. Upon entering the US Maureen suffers still more hardships. She thought she could depend on an old friend that her father had but very soon learns that Mr. Wakefield has died. She find rejection from Mr. Wakefield's family.

And then there is Olivia Wakefield and her friends. Olivia is the daughter of the man who died who had been the friend of Maureen's father. After reading her father's journals she realizes her family should have never turned Maureen away. She wants to honor her father's wishes but runs into trouble when Maureen rejects her.

I really enjoyed this story but the O'Reilly sisters annoyed me. I don't know which sister annoyed me more. Maureen was stubborn and did not trust anybody. She also took matters into her own hands. She made decision which made things worse for her. In the second half of the book Katie Rose acted bratty and intitled. She also trusted the lies told about her sister and she gossiped about her own sister to her new circle of friends. She keep throwing in Maureen's face about her past. It really took too long for Katie Rose to come around. The character of Olivia was almost without flaws. She had a servant's heart and wanted to do Jesus would do. She formed a group of women dedicated to helping immigrant women.

There was also a mystery storyline in this book. Women are disappearing after working the "upstairs" room of a department store. What is involved is white slavery. I'll stop here. I don't want to give too much of the story away to spoil it for the next reader. This book is well-written and deals with social issues. Not really heavy on the romance but there is romance. It just doesn't consume the novel like a lot of novels do.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an e-book download to review. ( )

I loved this story, and the pages almost turned themselves. We begin in County Meath Ireland, not far from Dublin where the O'Reilly sister's [Maureen and Katie Rose] have just buried their Mother.
Their Dear Aunt, their Mother's sister, loves them and helps them with some money to leave Ireland and come to the US.
Their adventure has begun!! Along with them immigrating is a young fellow they know named Joshua Keenan, who Maureen does not trust. She actually doesn't trust anyone, and is trying to take care of her thirteen
year old sister. What the sister's do have is a letter from Colonel Wakefield, stating he wants to set her Dad's son in business. He is indebted to him for saving his life! When Maureen goes to his home she finds that he has died and is crulely turned away by Drake Meitland, who burns her letter.
Now Maureen's is penniless and without home or job. She does have a friend in Mrs Melkford, from the Missionary Aid Society, she is Heaven sent.
Maureen also met a shady character, she could tell by his smile, Jamie Flynn, who thrust $30 at her and tells her where she can obtain a job. After what has happened she goes and gets a clerking job at Darcy's Department Store. When things start to not add up and some of her friends begin to go missing, she doesn't know what to do.
Olivia Wakefield and her Sister Dorothy belong to a Church Group to help people. They decide to read In His Step's by Charles Sheldon, "What Would Jesus Do". Olivia also attempts to find anything she can in her Dad's paper's about the O'Reilly's. In the end she tries to find Maureen and Katie Rose.
I found Katie Rose to not be very endearing...like a spoiled brat, but considering the poverty they came from in Ireland, and what they are now experiencing in the US, I kind of understand.
We are about to journey to the dark underground of life in the US...White Slavery. Cathy Gohlke has worked this subject into this story in such a way that it touches today's current problems.
While I could not put this book down until the end, some of the injustice is still happening. I would love to able to sit down and be with these strong woman, and find out what happens in later life.

I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )