Nicole Lynn
Written on Jan 30, 2020
In the early 1800s, when her father sends her to London for a season, eighteen-year-old Juliana Telford, who prefers researching ladybugs to marriage, meets handsome Spencer Northam, a spy posing as a young gentleman of leisure.
- ISBN10 1250084032
- ISBN13 9781250084033
- Publish Date 19 April 2016
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 4 November 2022
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
leahrosereads
Written on Feb 9, 2019
I was eye rolling pretty much the entire time. The romance moments felt forced and awkward and the time period was unrelatable (obviously).
And then my other complaint is spoilery, so I'll avoid stating it here.
Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Mar 4, 2017
The "spies" part of the title could certainly have been played up more. Northam, to be sure, is working on an important case involving treason for the War Office, but the author took the route of constantly mentioning small details about the case without actually giving an overview of the thing until about page 230. (Seriously, I looked at the page number to confirm exactly how long it took me to figure out what Northam was trying to do because I spent most of the book confused.) And in the end, I didn't find it that interesting. It seemed like a small case and lots of watching and waiting. I'm sure a lot of cases are like that, but it doesn't necessarily make for exciting writing.
The focus of the novel is primarily on the romance, and I think that if you go in with that expectation, you'll enjoy the book. It's very episodic with lots of wondering of "When shall the protagonist 'casually' run into the love interest next?" Lots of scenes of small talk and subtle flirtations, lots of looking forward to and planning the next meeting. Northam is, indeed, quite romantic and gallant, so watching the romance unfold is likely to be as fun for the readers as it is for Juliana. There's some social mingling and commentary as well, but don't hope for it to be quite on the level of the Jane Austen novels that inspired the story.
The prose is inconsistent and alternately struck me as a good imitation of the Regency period and just off. When Anstey nails it, she nails it, but Juliana frequently comes across as a simpering little fool based on her awkward dialogue, muttering things like "Oh dear! Oh dear!" and things that sound too stilted for anyone to actually think or say. The opening chapter may be one of the best examples of this, as it's amusing and engaging while just seeming wrong. I laughed while also thinking Juliana absolutely ridiculous and just a little bit...not bright. She shows her intelligence later in the story, particularly in the area of careful observation, but the things she says often made me question her.
I enjoyed Love, Lies and Spies. It's light and entertaining and frequently made me smile. It's certainly not the best book of intrigue I've read, but it's a cute romance. Readers who like Regency-era romances will probably want to pick it up.
Note: There is a glossary in the back to help clarify some of the Regency-era expressions. I found most of them self-evident through context clues, but it drives me nuts to struggle through a whole book and only learn there's a glossary after I've finished reading the entire thing, so I thought I'd point it out to other readers. So few books have glossaries that it never occurs to me to check for them before I begin reading, so they tend to be wasted on me.
ross91
Written on Feb 15, 2017
I wasn't invested in the story and, even though I liked the main protagonist, I didn't care about what was happening to her at all.
MurderByDeath
Written on Jun 6, 2016
I feel like I'm not going to do this book justice. It's marketed as a YA, but I'd happily hand this over to a middle school reader who wants to tackle something different.
The writing is really, really good, but it's written on a slightly more juvenile level than the YA I normally dip into. So we have a well plotted story, very solid characters, a well-researched setting and time period, and characters that come to life on the page. Once I got past the opening scene's silliness, the story moved along for me at a reasonable clip. But instead of wanting to rate it 4-4.5 stars at the end, I was just left trying not to use the word "cute", and I think that's a reflection of the reading level the book is written in.
Overall, I thought it was good, definitely not a waste of time or money, but I'm just *sniffle* a little too old to give it the kudos it deserves.
(Summer Book Bingo for either YA or Romance; I haven't decided which yet.)
Amanda
Written on May 23, 2016
Spencer and Juliana both struggle with finding their places within society. Spencer is attempting to be a spy (and not really doing well, if you ask me), and Juliana uses the excuse of a season to go to London to see if she can get hers and her father's research on insects published.
Juliana isn't anything like the typical debutante in her time, and that's a big point in her favor. But other than trying to find a publisher for research, she seemed to spend more time meeting or thinking about Spencer than focusing on her bluestocking tendencies that make her so different. Her family (aunt, uncle, cousin) were an interesting collection of characters that mostly faded in the background unless they were needed.
Spencer seems to be a pretty typical hero of his time, although it's hard to judge without a lot of information about his past. (Which either I missed or there wasn't any.) Despite his thinking that to work for the War Office, he must remain single, he can't help his growing attraction to Juliana.
If you're looking for a standalone YA historical romance (so yes, people, that means it's a clean romance), Love, Lies and Spies is a fun romp that won't pull the angst strings.
Bianca
Written on Apr 29, 2016
Leigha
Written on Apr 20, 2016
A man and woman, each with their own ambitions, discover love may have more in store for them than they ever bargained for in this young adult historical romance.
I really and truly wanted to love this book, but I didn't. The start of the novel was promising. It introduced a sweet romance between two wonderful characters in one of the most memorable meet-cute scenes ever. However, the reason this book interested me was the two characters each had their own drive and ambitions outside of the developing romance. And yet half way through the novel the romance seemed to eclipse their individual ambitions. Their goals became a plot device instead of integral to their characterization, which disappointed me greatly.
Granted, I'm not the target audience for this book. I rarely read historical novels as they tend to either bore me (the etiquette! the fashion! the ton!) or infuriate me (the customs! the snobbery! the ton!). Perhaps readers of historical fiction would enjoy this book far more than me.
tl;dr While the book did have some wonderful moments and characters, the romance ended up taking over the narrative.
lizarodz
Written on Apr 15, 2016
Juliana was raised in the country with his widower father. Free of the restrictions of city life they both found common ground in the study of the ladybug and other insects. The need to see their research published drives Juliana to ask her Aunt to sponsor her on one London season. However, Juliana couldn’t foresee the many etiquette lessons and lectures that she had to endure, all the constraints on her times and liberties. Or in meeting a particular fascinating and mysterious gentleman. Juliana is clumsy, nice, loyal, smart, a good friend and daughter, with a whole lot of common sense and great taste.
Spencer is a spy for the War Office meets Juliana while in the middle of an investigation. Using his best friend as an excuse, he asks Juliana to pretend to fall for each other in order to give him easy access to the family. Spencer is a handsome gentleman of means that was searching for meaning in his life and found it by doing something for his country. I love how his priorities shifted to make room for Juliana at the top. The relationship grows slowly, until they have to admit their feelings for each other. This is a sweet romance and I adored both characters!
I’ve read a lot of historical fiction and I can tell that Anstey’s did her research. I liked the attention to every detail, from the setting, to the costumes, to titles, and everything else. Even though some of the elements of the plot are not completely original, they are very well done. I really liked the twists and turns and I didn’t see some of them coming. I hoped this wasn’t a stand alone since I feel there is room for a lot more of Juliana and Spencer’s adventures. The ending is satisfying, no cliffhangers!
Cindy Anstey’s writing reminds me of Gail Carriger in it’s playfulness, funny notes and off-handed observations of the customs of the times, especially the restrictions and expectations placed by society on women.
Overall, Love, Lies and Spies is a solid debut novel that will appeal to the YA, romance and historical reader looking for a fun read that will leave you craving for more. I can’t wait for Anstey’s next novel
bookishzelda
Written on Mar 18, 2016
I could gush forever about my love of Juliana and Spencer for hours. Every second they were on the page together it made my heart happy. They are such a great and adorable couple. Both are involved in the “season” yet neither has any intentions of finding someone to marry. The way they cross paths accidentally originally and then start to cross paths conveniently is just adorable.
Juliana has a tendency to get herself into trouble. She is also extremely intelligent and strong willed. I loved how she knew how to act her place but can find ways to get around formalities to get what she wants.
Spencer is his own brand of swoony. He is a spy for the war office and is very focused on his work. He also isn’t sucked into scheming mommies, trying to pair him off. I loved that besides his work he only cares about Juliana. The other ladies never hold any of his interest.
The plot of the book is so much fun. With the spy work and trying to find who is the traitor among them. I liked how the story ends up coming out in the end.
There are also many wonderful side characters. From Julianna's cousin and Uncle to Spencer’s best friend. They had so many different layers to the plot.
If you want a fun historical fiction. This is definitely on my favorites list. I can’t gush enough about this book.