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A review by maggiemaggio
A Most Dangerous Deception by Sarah Zettel
2.0
2.5 stars
Oy, this book. I’ll admit, I probably only read it because I got an email from Netgalley that it was a read-now title. Plus the cover, I really love absolutely everything about the cover. But the rest of it? Meh.
The book starts out with poor Peggy Fitzroy, orphan who’s the ward of her evil (obviously) uncle. Peggy’s assumed she’ll grow up to be a spinster and take care of her cousin (who was thankfully not evil) and her cousin’s future children. But then her uncle tries to marry her off to this terrible horndog of a guy and when Peggy refuses she’s tossed out onto the street.
Peggy than falls in with this mysterious man who promises her a place as a lady in waiting to the Princess of Wales. Peggy gets a place in the palace by pretending to be the recently deceased Lady Francesca. Fran left the court when she became ill and her protector, the mysterious man who approaches Peggy, kept her death a secret so he could replace her at court. Peggy isn’t quite sure why they want to send someone to court so badly, but she eventually figures out she’s some kind of spy, although she’s not sure which side she’s on.
There were two strange things about this book to me. First, I guess this is when I should mention that the book takes place in the early eighteenth century. Something that I don’t think is ever said, but it’s during the Jacobite and Hanoverian unrest in Great Britain and that was during that time period (I had to look this up). Besides being told that the book was set in history there was nothing about the book that felt like history. Yes, there were the outfits and social customs, but otherwise it just all felt so modern. I actually liked Peggy quite a bit, but I think it’s because she was so opinionated, independent, and in charge. Something that I just don’t think was realistic for a woman during that time period.
Second, while the writing in the book was fine, I never felt like I really got into the story, got to know the characters that well, or had a solid idea what was actually going on. YET, I couldn’t stop reading. The author is seriously the master of cliffhangers at the end of chapters. Even though I wanted to stop reading the book altogether many times I would get to the end of a chapter and need to know what happens next. Eventually I was halfway through the book and I figured I might as well finish.
Bottom Line: This book is just too strange for me to be able to recommend. I love historical fiction, yet this didn’t feel like historical fiction. I love spies and mysteries, but somehow the intrigue here never really felt that interesting. The writing is fine and it’s an interesting idea, but for me the execution just wasn’t there.
I received an electric review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
Oy, this book. I’ll admit, I probably only read it because I got an email from Netgalley that it was a read-now title. Plus the cover, I really love absolutely everything about the cover. But the rest of it? Meh.
The book starts out with poor Peggy Fitzroy, orphan who’s the ward of her evil (obviously) uncle. Peggy’s assumed she’ll grow up to be a spinster and take care of her cousin (who was thankfully not evil) and her cousin’s future children. But then her uncle tries to marry her off to this terrible horndog of a guy and when Peggy refuses she’s tossed out onto the street.
Peggy than falls in with this mysterious man who promises her a place as a lady in waiting to the Princess of Wales. Peggy gets a place in the palace by pretending to be the recently deceased Lady Francesca. Fran left the court when she became ill and her protector, the mysterious man who approaches Peggy, kept her death a secret so he could replace her at court. Peggy isn’t quite sure why they want to send someone to court so badly, but she eventually figures out she’s some kind of spy, although she’s not sure which side she’s on.
There were two strange things about this book to me. First, I guess this is when I should mention that the book takes place in the early eighteenth century. Something that I don’t think is ever said, but it’s during the Jacobite and Hanoverian unrest in Great Britain and that was during that time period (I had to look this up). Besides being told that the book was set in history there was nothing about the book that felt like history. Yes, there were the outfits and social customs, but otherwise it just all felt so modern. I actually liked Peggy quite a bit, but I think it’s because she was so opinionated, independent, and in charge. Something that I just don’t think was realistic for a woman during that time period.
Second, while the writing in the book was fine, I never felt like I really got into the story, got to know the characters that well, or had a solid idea what was actually going on. YET, I couldn’t stop reading. The author is seriously the master of cliffhangers at the end of chapters. Even though I wanted to stop reading the book altogether many times I would get to the end of a chapter and need to know what happens next. Eventually I was halfway through the book and I figured I might as well finish.
Bottom Line: This book is just too strange for me to be able to recommend. I love historical fiction, yet this didn’t feel like historical fiction. I love spies and mysteries, but somehow the intrigue here never really felt that interesting. The writing is fine and it’s an interesting idea, but for me the execution just wasn’t there.
I received an electric review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.