Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Jun 19, 2018
Shy aspiring artist Imogene feels conflicted about marrying the young man her father has chosen for her, but she is willing to at least give him a chance for her family's sake. That is, until she meets Ben, a charming architect's apprentice . . . and her suitor's younger brother.
Unbeknownst to Imogene, Ben feels the same way about her, but he can never let his true feelings be known without betraying his brother. So he resigns himself to merely a friendship with her, enlisting her to teach him how to draw.
But hiding their true feelings for each other becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of unfortunate 'accidents,' it becomes apparent that someone means Ben serious harm. And as their affection for each other grows, so does the danger . . .
- ISBN10 1250145651
- ISBN13 9781250145659
- Publish Date 1 May 2018
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 6 September 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint St Martin's Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 336
- Language English
Reviews
Sam@WLABB
Written on May 19, 2018
Last year, I read my first Cindy Anstey book, Duels and Deception. I found it so delightful, and can honestly say, that history repeated itself here with Suitors and Sabotage.
•Pro: Imogene played the part of the a lady, but she had dreams of doing her own thing and being more than just a wife and lady of the manor. Her passion and her conviction were fabulous, and I love that Anstey always gives us a somewhat feminist heroine in all her books.
•Pro: Ben was so charming, and I adored the way he subtly adored Imogene. For a man of that time, he showed a great support for her talent and dreams as well.
•Pro: Anstey always mixes romances with a little suspense, and I am a fan of this blend.
•Con: I understand the "sabotage" events were important, but I would have like more of the romance and less of the "sabotage".
•Pro: Emily and Imogene shared a wonderful friendship, to the point that Imogene was considered part of Emily's family and they were a huge source of love and support for her, which was missing in her own home.
•Pro: Anstey knows how to do this time period, and I don't know what it is, but I always find reading books set in the Regency time period so delightful. The propriety of the era makes every touch and glance that much more meaningful.
Overall: A charming period romance, with a hero and heroine, who won my heart, and a romance, which left me with a light heart.
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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lizarodz
Written on Apr 16, 2018
I was a bit scared going in because two brothers even liking the same woman can be very tricky, but fear not, Anstey did a wonderful job. Ernest Steeple is viewed by Imogene as a suitor, and the time they spend together as an investment to make a monumental decision to see if they could make a successful match and develop any feelings for each other. She always found Ernest to be a good friend and a good man, but not for her. On the other hand, Ben was the one that made her feel alive and brought he rout of her shyness, she could be herself with him. They fell for each other withing even meaning to.
Imogene, is a very talented artist, sweet, very shy, good to the core, but not insipid, silly or easy to fool. I really liked her, and being an introvert myself, I could identify with her quite well. Even though her family was very pushy, critical and non-supportive, she found comfort in her art and in Emily’s friendship. She’s willing to give Ernest a chance, that is, until Ben steals her heart.
Ben is Imogene’s opposite in any way, except in their love of buildings and art. He’s outgoing, easy to get along with, affectionate, and a loving brother. Ben, being the second son, is an apprentice to a famous architect, but even though he has a clear vision of design, he cannot draw it. Upon discovering Imogene’s talent, he asks her to be his teacher. This ensues a lot of opportunities for Ben, Ernest, Emily and Imogene to be together and country rules being much less strict that of London, they were able to share more time in each other’s company.
The host of characters is not big, but well developed. Emily is Imogene’s best friend and she’s more outgoing, but also very loving, practical, and a great friend. We also get to meet all the parents with their diverse quirks and personalities. I’m so happy that Emily’s family was so supportive of Imogene since she needed that parental approval from someone.
The setting of the story is in England, around Kent after Imogene and Emily’s first season in London. The summer is spent going from house to house of their closest friends and Ernest (and in turn Ben) is invited to court Imogene. The plot is simple and beside the budding romance, we have a set of incidents that take place and it seems like someone is trying to harm Ben. At first, the brothers try to think it’s all a coincidence, but Emily and Imogene know that something is very wrong. Of course, they were right at the end. I love Anstey’s writing. It’s fluid, immersed in the time period (early 1800’s), historically accurate, and so easy to read. Since I read a LOT of historical romance (specially regency), I’m quite use to the language and the pace of the story.
The only downside to the story that I can think of is that I wish for more Ben-Imogene time. To know what happened after the end. To get more romance, more conversations between them.
Overall, Suitors and Sabotage is a sweet historical romance, with a hint of mystery and a bit of tension just to keep things interesting. Cannot wait for Carols and Chaos later this year since it involves the Steeple brother indirectly 🙂
readingwithwrin
Written on Mar 30, 2018
Thank you to Xpressobooktours, the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review
Imogen is a young woman whose parents can't wait for her to get married and continue on with the family name. Having said that though they got about it in a very strange way at times, and aren't supportive at all of what Imogen wants. In fact, they are determined for her to marry a young man named Ernest who they think will be perfect for each other. Imogene, on the other hand, could care less. But now she has to court him, and hopefully marry him. The only way she can make it through all of this is with some help of her best friend and her favorite hobby.
Overall this book was okay/enjoyable at times for me. It sadly fell a little flat for me. I thought it was going to be YA historical fiction mystery. Instead, it was more focused on the romance part, and less on the mystery sadly. This was fully my fault for expecting certain things about this book.
Having said that I did like the friendship between Imogen and Emily. They don't have a lot of things in common when it comes to hobbies, but Emily and her family are very supportive of what Imogene wants to do and I loved that. Emily's family was the best and I loved them so much.
As for Ben and Ernest his brother, I was so afraid this was going to go into a really awkward love triangle and it almost did, but thankfully certain things happened that stopped that. I loved the banter between the two brothers, and how they were both very different, and not competitive!
Even with this book not being what I expected it was so close to being a four-star book. It could have been as well if more of the mystery had been talked about. I did figure out who was doing it as well before the end and while I got why it was just kind of meh.
Also please tell me Emily's getting her own novel, because I would love to learn more about her!