Shadowcrest's Hammer, First Novel in Nightingale's Odyssey Series (джен)

There is but one word above all others never to say to Erik: that word is “impossible”.
Trapped in the Bowery after illegally immigrating to late nineteenth century America, the ever resourceful Erik feverishly poured everything into establishing himself as an elite architect. When the aristocratic architect VanHollus decided to make an example of the ambitious Frenchmen society could not fathom the war that would rage between the two rivals. Once the gauntlet was thrown both men stood to lose a fortune: VanHollus his reputation, Erik his only chance at a livelihood in the new world. Will Erik live to show the world his genius once again or will he starve in the shadows where VanHollus seems determined to confine him?
Steeped in the dynamic cultural melting pot of Manhattan in the 1880’s, the story explores the culture of the tenements dwellers in contrast to the social elite. From the soot-stained Bowery with its lively Saturday night streets, to the lavish Hoffman Hotel with its luxurious dining hall filled with the cream of the crop. Erik’s iron perseverance is the only thing capable of breaking through the barrier to lift him from a ragged laborer to an enigmatic man of consequence.