I must say I was intrigued by The Dressmaker's Dowry by Meredith Jaeger. It mixes in historical elements with suspense, and a little behind the scenes of an author's research. So for this booknerd, it was definitely a decent read, and cover does catch my eye.  That being said, I was disappointed on several fronts. Sarah's story was not at all entertaining. True, her secret was devastating, but the reasons behind her anxiety and how her husband never delve deeper into her issues, was surprising. I think in terms of Sarah, her personal character development was lacking.  Then you turn the other coin, and thought how great Hanna's story was. How it all came together and the connection that tied into modern day Sarah, was not a bad read at all. It was almost like half the book wasn't even necessary, but to tie into the modern day connection, and that wasn't entirely necessary either. It did add a different element, including a targeted suspense, but as I said before, I could've done without.

The historical aspect of this story really had me wrapped in, from the description of San Francisco, a city I'm very familiar with, and how it was in 1876 to the fashion sense. It was a good part of what made The Dressmaker's Dowry work. It worked so well that I honestly didn't think the intimate scene needs to be as descriptive as it was. Throughout, I felt the author's choice of words lyrical and made that aspect flowed nicely - and then wham! In come the need to add in details of what can easily be written in a more imaginatively discreet way, which would fit the rest of the story more. 

So in all, I'm a little torn, but would I still recommend it? If you're a fan of historical mysteries, yes.