Brilliantly executed. It was intriguingly satisfying to read! It took everything I had to not put this book down. I can officially say that I experienced my first book hangover. I couldn't have picked a better book for it.

This historical fiction story is about 19 year old Gwendolyn who is newly married to a tea planter. Hence the title of the book.  She finds herself excited and delighted by the idea of her new marriage and her new life with him. She then finds herself tackling the issues of the 1900's and what it means to actually be married to a tea planter.

At first, I did the whole don't read a book by its cover thing.. I know I know.. what was I thinking?! Not only was the cover beautiful but the story was even more so. It tackles issues from the 1920's like racism, what a wife should appear to others as, and labor workers. Although it's filled with political and social issues that story doesn't steer away from Gwen and her marriage to a  influential tea planter. The author did a incredible job of intertwining important issues with love and the curiosity of Gwen. As much as Gwen wants her marriage to be all she hoped for and more, the author makes us want to root for them too.


*disclaimer: I received this book from the Blogging for Books  program in exchange for this review.