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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another solid edition in the series -- be interesting to see what happens with Bree and Anderley's relationship in the next one.
I received an e-arc from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.
I received an e-arc from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
mysterious
The latest in Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby Mystery series (it's an even dozen now) is full of intrigue, revenge, greed, family conflicts and emotional resolutions.
Lord Gage, Sebastian and Kiera are urgently summoned to investigate the mysterious death of the patriarch of the Roscarrock family, Lord Gage's maternal side of the family who hail from Cornwall. The reader (as well as Sebastian and Kiera) is at last introduced to the notorious smuggling family that we've heard disdainful snippets about from Lord Gage at various points in the series...and what a family they are.
There is a lot to unpack in this installment. First and foremost, Lord Gage, who has not seen or been in contact with his mother's side of the family since he aided them in their free trading operation as a child of 11 and was captured, arrested and paroled into the navy by his grandfather. There are 50+ years of animosity, betrayal and pain/guilt over the death of his best friend during that same raid for him to face and come to terms with. Investigation-wise, there is the question of if there really is a murder to investigate or perhaps the death of his great uncle was an accident/suicide? Also, there is frustration and anger from both father and son (and Kiera) for the mystery and secrecy/withholding of information from the Roscarrocks themselves and their efforts to hamper rather than aid in the investigation.
I really enjoyed this story for several reasons. First, we are able to learn more of Lord Gage's extended family background and how it impacted his formative years. We see a different, dare I say, more emotional and vulnerable Lord Gage, both in his struggle with past demons as well as his burgeoning respect and acceptance of his daughter-in-law Kiera. In a very real way, this was HIS book to make or break, and in my opinion, he definitely MADE it. I am looking forward to seeing how his character progresses and grows from this venture. Second, it's fascinating to meet the Roscarrocks and understand their past and its motivations...how they fed off their history, interacted with each other, felt about their neighbors/community, dealt with the law, and plotted for securing their obsessive needs. Third, we see the three-person family unit of Sebastian, Kiera and baby Emma continuing to evolve and grow, and it's heartwarming to have a front-row seat as this new little family settles in with a fierce love and devotion for each other.
This book was very well written, and while there was not as much action (until the denouement) as is present in some of Huber's past books, the emotional and inner turmoil of some of the characters was every bit as thrilling, absorbing and enlightening as other constructs for the book could have been...more so, in my opinion.
I'm very curious to see where our characters go from here and look forward to the next Huber/Darby/Gage collaboration.
Highly recommended (but also recommend that the series be read in order to gain more insight as you go along).
My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the free early arc of A Deceptive Composition for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
Lord Gage, Sebastian and Kiera are urgently summoned to investigate the mysterious death of the patriarch of the Roscarrock family, Lord Gage's maternal side of the family who hail from Cornwall. The reader (as well as Sebastian and Kiera) is at last introduced to the notorious smuggling family that we've heard disdainful snippets about from Lord Gage at various points in the series...and what a family they are.
There is a lot to unpack in this installment. First and foremost, Lord Gage, who has not seen or been in contact with his mother's side of the family since he aided them in their free trading operation as a child of 11 and was captured, arrested and paroled into the navy by his grandfather. There are 50+ years of animosity, betrayal and pain/guilt over the death of his best friend during that same raid for him to face and come to terms with. Investigation-wise, there is the question of if there really is a murder to investigate or perhaps the death of his great uncle was an accident/suicide? Also, there is frustration and anger from both father and son (and Kiera) for the mystery and secrecy/withholding of information from the Roscarrocks themselves and their efforts to hamper rather than aid in the investigation.
I really enjoyed this story for several reasons. First, we are able to learn more of Lord Gage's extended family background and how it impacted his formative years. We see a different, dare I say, more emotional and vulnerable Lord Gage, both in his struggle with past demons as well as his burgeoning respect and acceptance of his daughter-in-law Kiera. In a very real way, this was HIS book to make or break, and in my opinion, he definitely MADE it. I am looking forward to seeing how his character progresses and grows from this venture. Second, it's fascinating to meet the Roscarrocks and understand their past and its motivations...how they fed off their history, interacted with each other, felt about their neighbors/community, dealt with the law, and plotted for securing their obsessive needs. Third, we see the three-person family unit of Sebastian, Kiera and baby Emma continuing to evolve and grow, and it's heartwarming to have a front-row seat as this new little family settles in with a fierce love and devotion for each other.
This book was very well written, and while there was not as much action (until the denouement) as is present in some of Huber's past books, the emotional and inner turmoil of some of the characters was every bit as thrilling, absorbing and enlightening as other constructs for the book could have been...more so, in my opinion.
I'm very curious to see where our characters go from here and look forward to the next Huber/Darby/Gage collaboration.
Highly recommended (but also recommend that the series be read in order to gain more insight as you go along).
My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the free early arc of A Deceptive Composition for review. The opinions are strictly my own.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The sentence structure really bothered me. I don’t have a specific example as I listened on audible, but it seemed that the action occurred at the end of each sentence with 2-5 clauses of description beforehand, making the pacing painful. 2.5 rounded up.
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
This time they go back to her father-in-law's old home in Cornwall, much to his hesitation. There, a questionable murder and smuggling are the twin plot lines. The thing limiting it was the very overblown climax. Otherwise, another good entry in the series.