Monday, September 09, 2024

A charming clean regency romantic mystery. The Cloverton Charade by Sarah E. Ladd ~ a book review


 

This was a delight to read. It is a charming “whodunit” set in the Regency era, early 1800’s. It begins when our main characters are youngsters.  Their fathers had been business partners but had a falling out and become rivals in the antiquities trade.  By the time Olivia and Lucas are young adults, they are both considered experts in the field. However, the customs of the era prohibit Olivia from devoting her time completely to her job. She is expected to marry well and have children.  Lucas is trying to salvage his father’s reputation after some bad business dealings.

Mr. Wainbridge, the current owner of Cloverton Hall has asked Lucas to catalog, appraise and sell all of his uncle’s collections.  His aunt, Mrs. Milton, the former owner and widow of George Milton, is vehemently opposed to the sale. She asks Olivia to pose as her companion in order for her to appraise her secret personal collection without her nephew finding out.  Unfortunately, at a house party held by Mr. Wainbridge and hosted by Mrs. Wilton, Lucas recognizes her. In the process of examining the uncle’s collection, several forgeries are found.  Lucas and Olivia decide to join forces to solve the mystery of the forgeries. Will Lucas expose her? Will they discover who is behind the forgeries? Who can they trust?

This is a clean romance. The dialog flows well and is engaging.  The author does a wonderful job describing the fashions and settings. She draws the reader into the story.

Read an excerpt HERE

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher the via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed  are my own.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Dear friends, I love to hear from you! Please leave me a comment. But remember, keep it clean and if you could post in English so I can read it, I'd appreciate it!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...