Reviews

A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen

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joanieelaine's review

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adventurous hopeful mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

alicias_bookaddiction's review

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5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tiffany Woodhall is a spinster living at the mercy of Uriah her half brother. One morning she finds him dead. Considering all the consequences of losing her only family member Tiffany dressed up as Uriah. Showing up to his job as a librarian for a Duke. Dressing up as her brother came with many positives she’s able to make her own decisions and read any book she wants. Tiffany becomes wrapped up in a mystery as the Dukes household staff members keep dying.

bvannevel's review

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

lisakerd's review

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4.0

Thank you Dreamscape via NetGalley for the ARC.

What a fun book! It reminded me of C.J. Archer's Murder at the Mayfair Hotel series. I loved the premise of a 40-year-old woman (spinster) in 1784 taking on the pretense of her recently deceased pig of a step-brother in order to be granted the privileges of men in her time (i.e. walking out unchaperoned, working in a library, owning land, etc.).

For the most part, wonderfully executed with a murder mystery and touch of romance thrown in. I would have liked a little more backstory (the book starts with Tiffany finding her brother's corpse, but could have benefited from setting the stage a little more first, although the strange circumstances do intrigue the reader from the start) and I would have enjoyed Larsen digging a little deeper with her characters and relationships for a richer experience. But overall a delightful read and one I've already recommended to friends :)

Marni Penning's audiobook narration was excellent: superb accents, interpretation, and voices to differentiate the characters.

mes987's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

okevamae's review

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3.0

Spinster Tiffany Woodall somehow manages to be content with her life. Yes, she has to basically live as her cruel and miserly half-brother's servant, but when there are no alternatives aside from living completely penniless, one makes do. And she quite likes the little cottage that came with his current job as a Duke’s personal librarian. But when she finds her brother dead in his bedroom one morning, she has a choice to make. She will get no inheritance, so she’s sure to be thrown out of the home she loves and forced to live off the meager generosity of others if anyone finds out he has died. But another option presents itself: replacing him. She bears an uncanny resemblance to her brother, after all... and being a librarian sounds quite appealing.

This was a cute historical mystery with a strong romantic subplot. Tiffany as a character was a bit bland at first, but I liked her more and more as she developed a backbone and proved herself quite competent. She and Samir are quite cute, as well. I guess I was expecting something a little more sophisticated than I got, in terms of the writing style. Stylistically, it was more akin to a cozy mystery than I had expected. Overall I felt like the writing didn’t quite live up to the premise, but it was still a pretty good book. I suspect it will be a series, and I liked this one enough that I’ll probably pick up the next one (if only because I’m a sucker for a romance and I want to see how things turn out between Tiffany and Samir.)

Representation: Black character, Indian character

CW: mention of domestic abuse