LILY OF RED HILLS

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.