Stevie‘s review of A Delicate Deception (Regency Impostors, Book 3) by Cat Sebastian
Historical Bisexual Romance published by Avon Impulse 10 Dec 19
I’m loving all the different bits of social and political history that Cat Sebastian is managing to slip seamlessly into this series, and also all the ways that conventional Regency romance tropes are being twisted to fit a more diverse cast than the average set of historical heroes and heroines. This time our main hero, Sydney, is a Quaker and an engineer to boot, who is rather embarrassed by having inherited property and wealth he could happily do without. Meanwhile, our principal heroine, Amelia, is the illegitimate daughter of a Marquess, who has fled her half-brother’s attempts to make her more respectable in favour of a reclusive life in the countryside – where, in a delightful twist, she and her former governess write fanciful historical novels and attempt to avoid the attentions of scandalised local worthies. Did I mention that they’re both bisexual?
Amelia and Sydney meet while on solitary walks through the countryside around Amelia’s rented cottage – coincidentally part of Sydney’s inherited estate, not that he thinks to mention the fact – and soon become friends. Meanwhile, Amelia’s companion is summoned to the main property of the estate to discuss the historical theories expounded in Amelia’s novels. The house was formerly the home of Sydney’s brother and was all but destroyed in the fire that killed said brother and his wife, as well as severely injuring Sydney’s former lover, who was living there at the time and has now returned with a small child in tow. Things get ever more complicated as neither Amelia nor Sydney is willing to reveal their true identity to the other, and Amelia is also unwilling to own up to being the chief author of both the novels and the letters previously penned to Sydney’s ex. Obviously things are bound to go wrong when the truth finally comes out. However, there are other obstacles that seem equally insurmountable, and so it is good to see how the characters dealt with incompatibilities of personality and not just with problems of their own making.
I loved all the characters in this book, and it was great to see some of those from previous books in the series also make a welcome return. Having said that, this book stands well in its own right, and while there are treats for readers of the previous books, those new to the series are not going to find themselves struggling to keep up. Cat Sebastian is pretty much an auto-read for me these days, but this book is a particularly outstanding example of how and why that came to be the case.
Grade: A
Summary:
When Amelia Allenby escaped a stifling London ballroom for the quiet solitude of the Derbyshire countryside, the very last thing she wanted was an extremely large, if—she grudgingly admits—passably attractive man disturbing her daily walks. Lecturing the surveyor about property rights doesn’t work and, somehow, he has soon charmed his way into lemon cakes, long walks, and dangerously heady kisses.
The very last place Sydney wished to be was in the shadow of the ruins of Pelham Hall, the inherited property that stole everything from him. But as he awaits his old friend, the Duke of Hereford, he finds himself increasingly captivated by the maddeningly lovely and exceptionally odd Amelia. He quickly finds that keeping his ownership of Pelham Hall a secret is as impossible as keeping himself from falling in love with her.
But when the Duke of Hereford arrives, Sydney’s ruse is revealed and what started out as a delicate deception has become a love too powerful to ignore. Will they let a lifetime of hurt come between them or can these two lost souls find love and peace in each other?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
