Isaac Kline is Estelle's husband, and the groundskeeper of Diamond Villa, the mountain retreat in which Genevieve finds refuge in Gilded Silence. At first glance, he appears to be nothing more than an ordinary staff member, quiet, respectful, and steady. He shows up consistently without needing to be asked, without the performance of a person looking for praise. When Genevieve first meets him, she mistakes that quiet competence for surveillance, the same watchfulness she'd gr

Estelle Kline is the housekeeper at Diamond Villa in Gilded Silence, and alongside her husband Isaac, one of the very first people to make Genevieve feel like a person and not an asset. At first glance, she is warm and grandmotherly. She offers compliments out of the blue and for no reason, which means no one can actually be prepared for them. She plates her warm banana bread even while asking what you want for breakfast, because she's already noticed the decision fatigue you

Naomi Keys is the head of the five-person security detail that is assigned to protect Genevieve in Gilded Silence, by the Velis Protective Services. At first glance, she looks exactly like any other elite professional in her field. She is competent, unafraid to ask the hard questions, her voice always even and professional. She is efficient in a manner that can come off as cold, even though she dresses down, blends in like a chameleon, and does not give an inch. Those who don

People ask where the title Gilded Silence comes from. It’s pretty simple. Genevieve spends most of her life dressed in the most opulent fashions. She married into the highest tier of wealth, and is protected by the most elite. None of it happened because she asked for it, nor was she asked before it was imposed on her. The title is not so much about riches, as it is about what can be hidden with wealth. There is one moment, in the later chapters of the book, where she looks d

Pedro Cortez is a medical resident who later becomes a large part of Genevieve’s life, and is the main love interest in Gilded Silence, the first book of the Hollow Crown Trilogy. At first glance, he is easy to overlook. He has no empire. No fortune. No name that opens doors. But appearances can be deceiving. Pedro was born into a world that was set against his success from the get go. With both his parents heavily addicted to party drugs, it was an uphill battle for him and

Genevieve Donovan is the protagonist of Gilded Silence, the first book in the Hollow Crown Trilogy. At first glance, she appears to be living the life most people dream of. Wealth. Influence. Security. A powerful husband to back her up. But appearances can be deceiving. She was not born into that circle of wealth. When she graduated from high school, she won a scholarship to Yale, which is where she first met Conrad Donovan, the first person she fell in love with, and the man