Book Review – How to Deceive a Duke by Samara Parish

  

 

How to Deceive a Duke by Samara Parish follows Fiona McTavish, a woman who enters a risky arrangement with her former lover, a powerful duke, only to find that lingering attraction and hidden motives threaten to unravel both her plans and her heart.

Fiona is a brilliant chemist and engineer, but also a rebel who defies society’s expectations. She has no interest in being a proper lady and would much rather spend her time in the lab than planning social events. Her latest invention, friction matches, has the potential to secure her financial independence. However, her plans are derailed when she is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. The only person who can help her is the man who broke her heart years ago.

Edward Stirling, the Duke of Wildeforde, is determined to restore his family’s reputation after his father’s scandalous death. When Fiona turns to him for help, he can’t refuse, even if it means agreeing to her condition that she live under his roof after her release. As they spend more time together, old feelings resurface, but gossip about their arrangement begins to spread. Edward must decide what matters more: protecting his name or following his heart.

I thought the novel was an okay read up until the ending, which left me very frustrated. Many of the characters acted in ways that felt illogical or immature. Edward often made major decisions for others without giving them a choice. Edward decides to marry Fiona and then break up their relationship without even talking to her.

Edward was furious with his brother for making a mistake and essentially cut him off, yet the brother is never mentioned again, and there’s no indication of any reconciliation. Meanwhile, Fiona damages Edward’s reputation similarly, and he forgives her without much consequence. The inconsistency was frustrating.

Another issue was the repeated references to the scandal surrounding Edward’s father. It’s treated as a major plot point, yet the details are never fully explained. If it’s meant to be central to the story, it feels incomplete without that context.

As for Fiona, she started off as a strong, compelling character, and I was rooting for her early on. But by the end, I found her increasingly difficult to like. She often acted selfishly, rarely considering how her decisions affected others. She constantly doubts Edward’s feelings, despite his actions showing otherwise, yet she blindly trusts her father, Alistair, who repeatedly abandons her. Her stubbornness also became frustrating. She refuses help even when her situation is dire, insisting on doing everything her own way, or this must be another way, even when she, herself, admits there is no other way. She claims she doesn’t want to marry Edward, yet she becomes upset when he shows attention to other women.

I also found parts of the plot difficult to follow, particularly Fiona’s time in prison and her eventual release. Her insistence on disguising herself as a man, “Finley,” didn’t always make sense. At first, it seemed tied to selling her matches, but she attends many business meetings openly as a woman and is frustrated when she isn’t taken seriously. If the concern was avoiding legal trouble, it seems like she could have created a different alias or approach from the beginning.

I did enjoy parts of the novel, especially in the beginning, but the ending fell short for me. Despite my frustrations, I would still be open to reading more books by this author.

 

Book Review – It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica

 

 

  

It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica follows Courtney Gray, a woman whose family vacation turns deadly. Courtney is looking forward to spending time with her immediate and extended family. Still, everything changes one morning when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law murdered in their lakeside cottage. Her niece, Reese, is missing, while her nephew, Wyatt, is found upstairs, unharmed but asleep.

As the police work to uncover leads, Courtney grows increasingly desperate for answers and for any sign of her niece. Unable to sit back and wait, she takes matters into her own hands. As she digs deeper into the case, she uncovers dark secrets from her family’s past. The truths that someone is determined to keep hidden. Will Courtney be able to uncover what really happened?

I found the book entertaining. It alternates between multiple points of view, primarily Reese in the past and Courtney in the present. The short chapters made it a quick read and helped build suspense. There were several twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

There were a few elements that felt underdeveloped or not fully explained. Some details seemed included mainly to mislead the reader rather than to meaningfully contribute to the story. Even so, I found it engaging overall and would be open to reading more books by this author.

Book Review – The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

 

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen follows Georgia Cartwright, a woman accused of murdering the biological daughter of her adoptive family. It is a case that has been dubbed the “Crime of the Decade.” Georgia is beautiful, glamorous, and comes from a wealthy Southern family. She was adopted as a newborn, but not long after, her parents had a biological daughter of their own.

After being found covered in the victim’s blood, Georgia is taken to a psychiatric institution, where she is held among violent offenders while awaiting trial. Despite the overwhelming evidence against her, Georgia insists she is innocent.

Desperate, she reaches out to her estranged twin sister, Amanda, pleading for help. Amanda is hesitant. She doesn’t fully trust Georgia and suspects she isn’t telling the whole truth. Still, she feels unable to abandon her sister. As Amanda becomes more involved, she must determine whether Georgia is truly innocent or if she’s being manipulated by her.

I’ve read a few books by this author and enjoyed them, so I had high hopes for this one. The novel is a quick read, with short, fast-paced chapters that alternate between Amanda’s and Georgia’s perspectives. However, it didn’t grip me the way the author’s other books have. It felt like it was missing a level of tension and excitement that I’ve come to expect from her work.

Some parts of the story also felt unrealistic. For example, when Amanda visits Georgia’s apartment, it has been thoroughly trashed by the police, cushions overturned, flowers knocked over, and clothes scattered everywhere. Yet somehow, Amanda finds a large amount of cash sitting untouched in a drawer. It’s hard to believe that the police would overlook something like that during their search.

While this wasn’t my favorite book by the author, I would still be open to reading more of her work in the future.

Book Review – My Fair Frauds by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Marie Thorne

 

 

My Fair Frauds by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Marie Thorne follows two women, Alice and Cora, who team up to defraud members of high society. The Grand Duchess Marie Charlotte Antonine of Linsbourg is supposedly from a war-torn country known for its emerald mines. The Grand Duchess has become a sensation among the upper crust. However, not everything is as it seems. The duchess is actually Alice, a con artist posing as royalty to carry out an elaborate revenge plan.

Years earlier, Alice’s family had been wealthy and well-respected, but five ruthless robber barons destroyed their livelihood and ruined her father, leaving them with nothing. When Alice meets Cora, a quick-handed drifter with ambition, she realizes Cora could be the perfect partner. With some guidance, Cora can pass as a debutante and help lure in Alice’s final target.

With the help of real-life social figure Ward McAllister and others, Alice and Cora begin their long con during the social season of 1883. They scheme their way through balls, private dinners, and opera nights, all while gaining the trust and attention of their marks. But as their plan unfolds, it becomes clear that someone close to them may be planning a betrayal. Will Alice and Cora succeed, or will their con ultimately destroy them?

I thought the novel was an interesting read. It felt like a cozier version of Ocean’s Eleven (or even a female-led take like Ocean’s Eight). The story was easy to follow and engaging, though mostly predictable, aside from one surprising moment toward the end. I found the main characters well-written and easy to root for. I also liked that the authors incorporated real historical figures and included a note at the end explaining which characters were based on real people. Overall, I would be open to reading more books by these authors.

 

Book Review – The Raven by Mike Nappa

 

 

"The Raven" by Mike Nappa centers on a street performer, The Raven, who steals from a local politician and tries to blackmail him. The Raven is a skilled street performer. He performs tricks while pickpocketing his audience. He thinks it’s harmless until he decides to steal a spare wallet from a local city councilman.

Raven believed he would make a few extra bucks from the wallet. However, he finds no money, only compromising photos of the politician with personal assistants. Realizing he might have hit the jackpot, Raven decides to blackmail him. Unfortunately, he quickly realizes he’s in over his head, and now the Ukrainian Mafia is after him. Raven then hires private investigators Trudi Coffey and Samuel Hill to help him untangle the mess.

The book is the second in the series. It can be read as a standalone, but there were nuances and references to Trudi’s and Samuel’s relationship that didn’t make sense without the background. The book was a quick read with a few predictable twists. I enjoyed the characters and would be interested in reading more books by the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion**