She Wears the Mask

Written by Shelly Stratton

Narrated by Lacey Laurel

Gripping and moving, She Wears the Mask is a novel about two women from two very different worlds, both burdened with secrets from their pasts, who form an unexpected bond…

1950s Chicago: Angelique Bixby could be one of many fresh-faced sales girls working along the Magnificent Mile, but she’s unique. She’s a white woman married to a black man in 1950s Chicago, making her stand out among the tenements on the South Side where she lives. Despite the challenges the couple faces, they find comfort and strength in their love for one another. Angelique is content, as long as she has her Daniel by her side and their baby in her arms, until she loses them both—one to death and the other to dire circumstances.

1990s Washington, D.C.: Angelique Crofton is a woman of privilege. A rich, aging beauty and mother of a rising political star, she has learned to forget her tragic past. But now that she is facing her own mortality, she is finally ready to find the daughter she left behind, remember the young woman she once was, and unearth the bittersweet memories she had long ago buried.

Jasmine Stanley is an ambitious lawyer—the only black woman at her firm. She is too busy climbing the corporate ladder to deal with her troublesome family or their unresolved issues. Tasked with Angelique’s case, Jasmine doesn’t know what to make of her new client—an old debutante with too much time and money on her hands. Jasmine eagerly accepts the challenge though, hoping if she finds Angelique’s long-lost daughter, it will impress the firm’s partners. But she doesn’t count on the search challenging her mentally and emotionally. Nor does she expect to form a friendship with Angelique, who is much more like her than she realizes—because Jasmine is harboring secrets, too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Publishing
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094427478

Shelly Stratton

Shelly Stratton is an award-winning journalist who earned her degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. Another Woman’s Man, her novel written under the pseudonym Shelly Ellis, was nominated for a 2014 NAACP Image Award. A film buff and amateur painter, she lives with her husband not far from Washington, D.C. Visit her online at www.shellyellisbooks.com.

Reviews for She Wears the Mask

[Eliza-Mariah Chamberlain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thought provoking. An emotional rollercoaster of a book. I would like to have discovered what the son thought of the revelations.

[Brenda Shealey Steele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read, after the first two chapters the book is popping, there is always something lurking around….

[Joyce Harout · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute story about friendship and loyalty. It was a bit repetitious for my taste and went off on tangents at times.

[Terri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book about love, loss, abandonment then found, and all the lies in between!

[Miri Prior · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was entertaining. It was an easy book to listen to. I like it.

[Crystal Robinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great Novel loved everything about it. A great lesson on letting go of the past and forgiveness

[LynneGauthier · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don’t normally love relational dramas, but I really enjoyed this book.

[Linda Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well-written characters and storylines played well off of each of their past and present I very much enjoyed listening to this book.

[Betty Bennett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a world of intrapersonal deception; the lies told to permit access to a world we desire. Two personal stories intertwine, each demonstrating the cost of building a life on deception, end with positive outcomes as each woman makes peace wit the painful choices they made in the past

[Shelia Henderson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narrator mostly was kinda annoying with the accents. the story was ok but the ending was so abrupt. The End….

[K G · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 rounded up. Solid middle of the road book. Characters were well written but a bit hollow. Story was more one of life vs events. Narrator was a bit nasal/congested at a few points.
A good but not particularly memorable read.

[Sharon Czudak · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quite good, interested in the subject matter. Lacked a certain spark but worth listening to.

[MyFirstName MyLastName · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With apologies in advance for all of the voice voice recognition typos : I'm going to give this four stars even though I'm only about a third of the way through because it seems to be pretty well written and like it's going to have a decent ending in all of that but I just have to say that the fake southern accent of that woman is so poor it's out of the corniest movies and it's really distracting. It seems so fake and so inaccurate that it's hard to take the book seriously. They should have gotten two different people to narrate the book or the narrator needs a little more reading up on what a real Southern or sounds like. This sounds like what's supposed to be and kind of wealthy or privileged Antebellum white person, I'm guessing and that is what you see in Corny old movies. But that's not how people actually sound Delta Burke being an exception. But even her accent is fake it's exaggerated for comic relief at least it certainly seems to be. But if it doesn't drive you crazy enjoy the book; it's probably good.

[Rebecca Eritano · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The writer should have done her homework on applying for bar exams. It was Long-winded and drawn out.

[Shonie Chavez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a very good book and I would read it again

[tina kelly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good just pity such abrupt ending
Nice voice of narrator

[Melissa Brewer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book seemed a little bit rambling at times but was overall all a good story.

[gloria glidewell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Beginning was slow, middle got interesting and the ending was pleasing.

[sterling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an outstanding book. And the characters seemed really true to life, and were dealing with extremely challenging life situations. The main characters lives were woven together with great skill and the story never faltered. I was enthralled right up until the end. And the ending was quite satisfying.

[Annie Crauwcamp · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A totally abrupt ending.
This book was reasonably good. Long descriptions which sometimes bored me. Some surprising twists and turns.

[Nurse Tara LSP · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this!! Can’t wait to read more books from this author.

[Angela Soltan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written! Interesting, strong female characters and the stories of their lives.

[Amy Homan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

That was a fantastic story! Twists and turns! Unexpected ending

[Leah Barton Tew · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Should’ve been better. Interesting plot but suffers greatly from a nearly complete lack of development. The author spends far more time on physical descriptions of people and environments than on drawing the reader in to the emotional and behavioral currents going on. The narration feels more like observation, and the writing suffers greatly from cheesy lines such as referring to life events as “sliding like shoulder pads”.

[Samantha Lee-Fleming · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a beautifully written book about forgiveness and living in one's truth. I highly recommend!

[Tanya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. It's a unique storyline with unexpected surprises and twists - a refreshing read.

[Zoelle Maria · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A lot of infos , enjoyable book about lives of white negros in 1948-1994.

[Francine Reece · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whew! Plot twists GALORE!! ? I loved it!! NOTHING was as it seemed!!