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?
Release Date: Dec 10, 2019
Series: The Regency Impostors
Book: 3
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon Impulse
Price: $3.99
Cat Sebastian continues to demonstrate how she brings fresh storylines and diversity infusion to the historical romance genre. A Delicate Deception is no exception. The story starts out a bit slow, I relay didn’t become invested until about 30% in, the beginning dragged and it’s a slow burn/build kind of romance. Except, this isn’t the same old London tale. With a country setting and fun characters, including a dog with the tendency to think her owners are sheep to protect… it’s filled with humor that quickly infects the spirit with joy.
Our hero, Sydney Goddard is an interesting character. Not an aristocrat but one of the working class, raised a Quaker, and… he’s taken some very simple issues, compounded the, over the years and believes that people aren’t capable of loving him. So, it’s easier to not have relationships because of it. Oh Sydney, the mighty with the false believes will fall hard and he does for the clever and so much fun Amelia.
Amelia was mentioned in the last book in this series, the illegitimate daughter of a social climber and a Marquess. She’s an author with a desire to steer far away from high society and feelings or emotions because if people know you have them they can hurt you. One of the best parts about this character was that I ever knew how she would react and enjoyed how she seemed to the opposite of what any other “lady” in a historical romance would do.
For two people trying to avoid entanglements, Amelia and Sydney do a rather poor job of it. One thing I loved though was the unique storytelling. I love The risks Avon and Cat Sebastian take with her story’s from diverse characters to a slightly different format of how the romance unfolds- it’s both a bit familiar for lovers of Avon Historical Romances, and something brand new. I am excited to see where this goes in future books. So don’t expect things to unfold as the same old same old.
Overall, not my favorite Cat Sebastian, but her writing is quickly becoming a must have. For readers wanting more inclusion this book is a must read. For those who enjoy Eva Leigh and Tessa Dare – this is like a mash-up.
~ Landra
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