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betwixt_the_pages's review against another edition
4.0
Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father's choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan.
Until Lydia—and Robert along with her—is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won't hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert's help, Lydia strives to keep her family's good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants…
Rating: 4.25/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: entertaining, beautifully written historical fiction; absolutely adore Lydia; realistic, delicious romance; a subtle hint of mystery and intrigue; Lydia's shift from "not a romantic" to "fully in love" is believable and well-done; oh my penguins, THE SNARK
Huge thanks to Cindy Anstey, Swoon Reads, Netgalley, and Xpresso Book Tours for granting me free access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
"So what is the plan?"
"Hmm... well, plans are a little lacking at this moment. I had expected to rush in and simply grab you, but there are three guards by the door. I procured a thick stick, but three to one... well, not good odds."
Holy penguins, is Lydia QUITE the character! I fell in love with her pretty quickly, honestly--her snark and personality are loud and vibrantly painted and she drew me in like a fine work of art. I kept trying to burrow my way into her heart, to better see and feel the world from her point of view. In fact, I'd say she's one of my favorite characters of recent reads--the fact that she's so super snarky and to the point only helped to cement her place in my list of favorite personalities. She's blunt, she goes after what she wants (for the most part), and she doesn't let society denote what she does with her life or her time. I mean seriously, she's a role model--and her story in this read? Only helped to strengthen the message that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to, so long as you don't let the rest of the world get in your way.
The relationship with Robert-- ahem, Mr. Newton --started out a bit awkwardly and stilted. In the end, though, it was believably written and so, so endearing. Robert was written to perfectly match Lydia in wit and intellect--and helped prove that real romance and passion do exist in the world. The fact that they start off a little rocky, and each hiding their feelings for the other because of convention or rules-- only to finally drop the act --was realistic, though a bit frustrating at times for me (I just wanted to shake some sense into their hearts, that's all!)
"I do beg your pardon, Miss Whitfield. I was not here for the door. It will not happen again."
"Worry not, Shodster." Lydia shrugged. "I learned how to open a door some time ago. The trick is to turn the handle."
The slight, subtle use of mystery and intrigue helped to pull me more thoroughly into this read, and I really enjoyed that we got the story from both perspectives. I find what I miss most in books like this-- such as Pride and Prejudice --is that we weren't given a glimpse into the OTHER side of the story. This book took the guessing and the mystery away by giving us access to Mr. Newton's thoughts and emotions, which I really appreciated. This helped to make him less a "bystander" in the action of his life, but have a more concrete and tangible role in the story.
This was such a snarky, personality-filled, entertaining read, and I'm even more excited now to pick up more of Cindy Anstey in the future! Lydia's vibrant, strong-willed character and Robert's passionate intellect made for a positively wonderful match. The action of the plot, mixed with the subtle mystery, helped to keep me enthralled throughout. I definitely recommend this to lovers of historical fiction, vividly-painted characters, and subtle societal statements. This read enchanted me, penguins; maybe you should take a taste of the magic, too.
jinjaritia's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
hellomadalyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Well, this book was absolutely delightful! You know those books that reinvigorate your love for a specific genre? Duels and Deception totally did that for me. Historical fiction has always been my favorite genre, but I don’t read enough of it nowadays. Duels and Deception is a fun, witty Regency romance that I think almost anyone could enjoy.
First off, I really enjoyed both of the main characters, Lydia and Robert. The book is told through a 3rd-person omniscient POV, but there are chapters that follow both Lydia and Robert. Lydia reminded me lots of Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice— she’s smart, capable young woman who has lots of agency and bucks conventional expectations of Victorian women. She’s quite witty, which I always love! Robert, on the other hand, was a really endearing character. He’s a law clerk who gets involved with Lydia’s family when a legal issue comes up with their manor. He’s also an extremely intelligent character, and he cares deeply for his friends and family. As for other characters, I really loved all of Lydia’s friends! Her friends always helped her out of sticky situations, and I enjoyed their friendship dynamic.
As far as the actual plot, I found it mostly enjoyable! The “mystery” element was a bit strange, and I found it quite predictable, but I enjoyed seeing it unfold and learning all the details nonetheless. The writing was so compulsively readable. I liked the incorporation of duels into the story! Previously, the only real knowledge I had of duels was from Hamilton, lol, so it was nice to see how duels evolved in later centuries.
Above all, I enjoyed seeing the romance unfold. I, like many people, am a sucker for a friends-to-more romance, and Duels and Deception definitely fits the bill. I’ve heard some people say that Robert and Lydia’s dynamic felt like instalove, but I didn’t get that vibe. I thought their feelings developed and grew over time. They make an awesome pair, and I feel like their combined intellectual strength is definitely a force to be reckoned with. All the other relationships in the book were pretty cute, too.
Overall, I definitely recommend Duels and Deception to any lover of historical fiction, especially people looking for a cute Regency-era romance. I think anyone who enjoys cute, uncomplicated romances will enjoy this one!
Have you read Duels and Deception? If so, share your thoughts! If not, do you plan to pick it up?
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Well, this book was absolutely delightful! You know those books that reinvigorate your love for a specific genre? Duels and Deception totally did that for me. Historical fiction has always been my favorite genre, but I don’t read enough of it nowadays. Duels and Deception is a fun, witty Regency romance that I think almost anyone could enjoy.
First off, I really enjoyed both of the main characters, Lydia and Robert. The book is told through a 3rd-person omniscient POV, but there are chapters that follow both Lydia and Robert. Lydia reminded me lots of Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice— she’s smart, capable young woman who has lots of agency and bucks conventional expectations of Victorian women. She’s quite witty, which I always love! Robert, on the other hand, was a really endearing character. He’s a law clerk who gets involved with Lydia’s family when a legal issue comes up with their manor. He’s also an extremely intelligent character, and he cares deeply for his friends and family. As for other characters, I really loved all of Lydia’s friends! Her friends always helped her out of sticky situations, and I enjoyed their friendship dynamic.
As far as the actual plot, I found it mostly enjoyable! The “mystery” element was a bit strange, and I found it quite predictable, but I enjoyed seeing it unfold and learning all the details nonetheless. The writing was so compulsively readable. I liked the incorporation of duels into the story! Previously, the only real knowledge I had of duels was from Hamilton, lol, so it was nice to see how duels evolved in later centuries.
Above all, I enjoyed seeing the romance unfold. I, like many people, am a sucker for a friends-to-more romance, and Duels and Deception definitely fits the bill. I’ve heard some people say that Robert and Lydia’s dynamic felt like instalove, but I didn’t get that vibe. I thought their feelings developed and grew over time. They make an awesome pair, and I feel like their combined intellectual strength is definitely a force to be reckoned with. All the other relationships in the book were pretty cute, too.
Overall, I definitely recommend Duels and Deception to any lover of historical fiction, especially people looking for a cute Regency-era romance. I think anyone who enjoys cute, uncomplicated romances will enjoy this one!
Have you read Duels and Deception? If so, share your thoughts! If not, do you plan to pick it up?
broncoannee's review against another edition
4.0
Really liking this author. She’s like Jane Austen with more intrigue.
daffz's review against another edition
3.0
The romance in this book was fine, but not spectacular. And because a lot of the plot revolved around it, I couldn't get too excited about the book. The story felt a bit slow, and the kidnapping mentioned in the summary was pretty brief and uneventful.
It was entertaining and did have a very nice atmosphere. I enjoyed it, but I was hoping for a bit more from it overall.
Spoiler
though with the rules at the time, I can understand that the author couldn't get away with a prolonged kidnapping of her upper class lady character without ruining her reputation entirelyIt was entertaining and did have a very nice atmosphere. I enjoyed it, but I was hoping for a bit more from it overall.
tobyyy's review against another edition
5.0
#FluReadathon2020 book 5.
This was ADORABLE!!! I loved this story so much. Clean and sweet Regency romance featuring a headstrong, sassy, smart female protag (which, as I’ve mentioned before, is my absolute fave!).
This was my first book by Anstey but it won’t be my last, for sure. Her sense of humor was perfect and her characters lifelike yet fun. The villain wasn’t too dastardly and indeed, there was fun poked at him too.
This was ADORABLE!!! I loved this story so much. Clean and sweet Regency romance featuring a headstrong, sassy, smart female protag (which, as I’ve mentioned before, is my absolute fave!).
This was my first book by Anstey but it won’t be my last, for sure. Her sense of humor was perfect and her characters lifelike yet fun. The villain wasn’t too dastardly and indeed, there was fun poked at him too.
queens_flame's review against another edition
4.0
I received this ARC in a trade, and I wasn’t planning on getting to it until the end of March, but I was running low on time. Anyways, this was a cute little period drama where a young woman, Lydia, who thinks she has her life under control. But when she meets Robert Newton, someone she unexpectedly grows feelings for, and then someone tries to steal her fortune, her world gets flipped.
I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting. I read it in two or three days, just plowing through because it was so fun and cute to read. I suddenly have this weird obsession with novels that take place around this time period and other similar stories so this book really hit the spot. And it helped me get out of the slump that I was in.
There was no insta-love in this book (THANKFULLY). Instead, the romance started off as a friendship, then a friendship with feelings, and eventually and obviously the feelings grew to something real.
This novel was actually pretty comedic as well. It had it’s laughable moments and cheesy lines as well as much comic relief. It was an all around good read and I highly suggest everyone picks it up when it comes out next month. I most definitely am going to be getting my hands on a finished copy. Or at least the e-book since my shelves are still quite full.
ANYWAYS. Pre-order this book. It’s so cute! I definitely want to read the author’s other book if this one was so great!
I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting. I read it in two or three days, just plowing through because it was so fun and cute to read. I suddenly have this weird obsession with novels that take place around this time period and other similar stories so this book really hit the spot. And it helped me get out of the slump that I was in.
There was no insta-love in this book (THANKFULLY). Instead, the romance started off as a friendship, then a friendship with feelings, and eventually and obviously the feelings grew to something real.
This novel was actually pretty comedic as well. It had it’s laughable moments and cheesy lines as well as much comic relief. It was an all around good read and I highly suggest everyone picks it up when it comes out next month. I most definitely am going to be getting my hands on a finished copy. Or at least the e-book since my shelves are still quite full.
ANYWAYS. Pre-order this book. It’s so cute! I definitely want to read the author’s other book if this one was so great!