Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

Suitors and Sabotage

by Cindy Anstey

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. . . .

Reviewed by readingwithwrin on

3 of 5 stars

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3.5


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!

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  • Started reading
  • 30 March, 2018: Finished reading
  • 30 March, 2018: Reviewed