Book Review: Suitors and Sabotage

Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey ~ 325 pages ~ published 4/17/18 by Swoon Reads

Goodreads Synopsis:

Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father’s approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. When her interest is piqued, however, it is for the wrong brother.

Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother’s intended.

But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of “accidents,” it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger. . .

What I Thought:

I am a huge fan of Jane Austen. I love her humor. I love the Regency time period. So, when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew it was going to fall right into my wheelhouse! Then, I ended up receiving it in a subscription box from LitJoy Crate! It was obviously meant to be! I went into this book hoping it would be a fun, light read, and it certainly delivered.

Firstly, I really enjoyed our heroine, Imogene. I found her to be funny and endearing. I also loved the fact that, while she was interested in love, she was also very independent and had ambitions that fell outside of matrimony and child-rearing. A woman of this era was generally not encouraged to have any ambition, so I found this to be quite refreshing. Her love for her artwork, and for teaching art to others, made Imogene a very well-rounded character, as well as one who I could relate to. This is always a great thing when you are trying to immerse yourself in a story.

I also was quite a fan of Ben. He was charming, funny, and sweet. The fact that we were able to see some of his insecurities also made him well-rounded and more approachable than some other Regency-era heroes. He also had flaws, such as his inability to stop flirting with and being charming to women that he harbored no romantic feelings towards, which helped to humanize him as well.

As far as the mystery was concerned, I did end up figuring out who the villain was, but not until almost the very moment that they were revealed. Up until that moment, I was able to enjoy the ride and make assumptions right along with the characters. I don’t read a lot of mysteries, but I would say that this could probably fall into the Young Adult Cozy Mystery category.

I absolutely love historical fiction, and you really don’t see a ton of it in YA. Because of this fact, it made me love this book even more! I am really excited to dive into more of Anstey’s books now!