The Art of Love and Lies by Rebecca Anderson

Set in Manchester the summer of 1857, Rosanna Hawkins is an artist making perfect reproductions of famous artist works as seen in the Art Treasures Expedition. When Inspector Martin Harrison literally runs into her, sparks fly as they walk through the galleries. When the main art piece is stolen, will Martin and Rosanna be able to find it before it's too late?

I loved the witty banter between Rosanna and Martin and the build up to their relationship. I really liked the characters and the growth that occured through the story. Definitely recommend this cute story!
#TheArtofLoveandLies #NetGalley

The art of Love and Lies is a cute story set in the Victorian era. This is my first time reading this author, but the description of the book sounded interesting so I thought I would give it a try.. Overall I enjoyed the book and it was an okay one time read. It was a fun story with a good plot. I just had a hard time really getting into the book. It is pretty slow moving. I also had a hard time relating to the main characters, or even liking them.

I did enjoy the book and am glad I gave it a try. It is just not one I wil be adding to my favorites or buying for my library.

Hm. I couldnt get with this book. Both main characters were extremely painfully akward and annoying also the weird instalove too. The whole painting thing was weird (oil takes bout 3 weeks to dry at least) & the perfect recreations... maybe a little unbelievable? Also I really was hoping for some mystery... Also I hate when the h is naive.

Rosanna and Martin really pulled me into this story. I love the context of an independent female artist during the reign of Queen Victoria, so appropriate. The banter and often misunderstandings between Martin and Roseanna were engaging. I loved watching their relationship grow. Marin is the perfect hero in every way. Watching Rosanna one-up him time and time again was fun though. They are delightful and I hope to get to know her sisters better in future books!

We need more Victorian era romances! This was delightful. Here's what I loved...
-A strong/witty female protagonist
-A smitten male protagonist
-A truly dastardly villain
-A peak into the Victorian era art world
-The cover
If you like clean historical romance, I think you'll like this one. 3.5 stars

I received an ARC from Net Galley and Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange of an honest review.

Okay, this book was so fun! I felt like the writing was unique and the characters were lovely. And of course the mystery!

Rosanna is an artist and she re-creates famous paintings. She is witty, charming, and brave. I loved that she was willing to do all she could to put things to right.

Martin is charming. I want to find someone who just adores me as much as Martin adores Rosanna. I loved his character and his desire to do what was right.

Martin and Rosanna are so cute together! I loved their tours through the gallery and all their kisses! And of course the teasing. So good.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the historical details were also just so good!

I received and ARC from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

This is the second book I have read from this author. I really had a hard time connecting with Rosanna as a character. I did feel the storyline took a long to really develop and once you get to the heart of the story you are almost done with the book. I decided to stick with it but found myself losing interest in the story. When I don’t connect with the characters, I find a hard time engaging with the story. Plus. Martin as a character was pretty cool.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. All thoughts are my own opinions.

A touch slow but overall an excellent story with fun, flirtations and a bit of love. I really enjoyed reading this book especially about the art and the depth of knowledge regarding art and the process of creating it.

The Art of Love and Lies by Rebecca Anderson is cute story of finding love where you least expect it. It is mostly lighthearted with a touch of mystery that brings just the right balance. Rosanna is talented artist who just wants to paint and create. And she does; just not in the way she ever hoped or expected. Then she meets Martin and begins to realize what she’s been missing. No longer content with the status quo, she begins to ask questions. Martin is convinced Rosanna is perfect. Until he finds out she is not. He is not sure how to reconcile what he thought with reality. But he does know he cares about her and sometimes, you must stand up for love. I really do love the playful banter and the friendship that develops between Rosanna and Martin. Both learn that things are not always what they seem and that sometimes, the risk is totally worth it.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

TheArtofLoveandLies #NetGalley

Rosanna Hawkins is a,n artist who paints replicas and sells them through an art dealer. Things start to get complicated, when Rosanna believes she is becoming a pawn in a game she doesn't want to play.
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This book was a fascinating look into the world of art, from the perspective of the artist and the viewer. Rosanna works creating reproductions of famous masterpieces while fighting against her own creative urges. The way the author describes her process and how she views art really drew me into her world. When Rosanna meets Martin Harrison, head of security at the art gallery housing the originals, her perspective changes when he listens to her impressions of the paintings instead of the "popular" interpretations.

I really enjoyed their developing relationship, as well as the adventures they get up to.

The premise of this book was so promising, and it delivered a bit of everything. A bit of romance; plenty of art, art history, and even interpretation; mystery and intrigue, and a glimpse into historical Manchester. I appreciated the effort to include so many elements, but I think the overall narrative might have benefited by trimming the focus just a little? The love story element was certainly the strongest part of the story, fairly well developed and captivating. The mystery was intriguing but played out so quickly in the story, and there were a few historical inconsistencies that kept me from fully loving this book.

I struggled to reconcile the time period with the abnormally independent lives of the MC and her sisters. It seemed hard to believe they would have lived away from home without any compelling reason, especially when they could have easily lived in their spacious home and still accomplished their work, for the intents of the author. Their weekly Sunday dinners seemed very reminiscent of Gilmore Girls?

I also had a hard time with the antagonist. His relationship with Rosanna is so odd, and he’s so blatantly unlikeable. I wish he would have been more of a character than a caricature. There’s so much promise in the characters and book, and while I enjoyed the read, it feel a little flat overall.

I’m always happy to dive into a Victorian era novel. I was intrigued by the plot of this book, promising art theft and romance! This book was heavily descriptive art pieces and the artistic methods used to created replicas of famous masterpiece paintings. While I appreciated the authors attention to detail, it was at times distracting from the plot. I struggled to like the characters in this book. I felt like Rosanna was naive and a little overconfident, which did allow for some growth for her character by the end of this book. I was really surprised that Martin seemed to not take his job very seriously. He spend a good deal of time just wandering around and talking with Rosanna and I made me lose a lot of respect for him and his position dealing with security at the exhibit. Apart from that these two characters simply did not communicate. It was a fanciful daydreams, and leaping to assumptions, simple conversations could have really made a world of difference and it was just frustrating to read. This book was not a favorite, but each book hits readers differently and I would encourage readers to check it out if the plot sounds intriguing!

Manchester, England 1857

Rosanna Hawkins is one of Manchester’s finest artists though no one knows her name because she reproduces “parlor versions” of classics to near perfection to which her employer, Anton Greystone then sells them to the emerging upper-middle class.

The Art of Love and Lies is slow. The relationship between Rosanna Hawkins and Martin Harrison though necessary seemed forced to me, and when the robbery did occur halfway through the story, I wasn’t really enamored of it. Both Rosanna and Martin are kind of stuck in their trajectories in life; Rosanna realizes that she wants more than to just sell her reproductions to Anton, she wants more control to create what she wants to; and Martin wants to escape the fact that his father is a convicted felon and that he can stand on his own as a successful policeman aside from the unfortunate history of his father. They both want more than life has shown them so far. 3.5 stars

My gratitude to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain. All opinions expressed are mine.

I wanted to like it because the premise sounded so good. It wasn't just my cup of tea. I hated the villain, and I guess it was intentional. I didn't connect on a deeper level with the main characters. However, I appreciated the plot of the story. I recommend this to people interested in the Clean Romance set in the Victorian era.

My Rating Scale
⭐️⭐️: Okay, but not my cup of tea
⭐️⭐️⭐️: I liked it, but some were so-so
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: I loved it, but I will not reread
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Favorite and will reread

Rosanna Hawkins has an exceptional gift of painting that her work looks identical to that of the original. She receives commissions for her work that gives her the independence she wants, and she feels her artwork will bring pleasure to those patrons who would like them for their home collections. When Rosanna discovers that her artwork is ultimately serving a very different purpose, she turns to her new boyfriend and security officer of the museum, Martin Harrison, for help.

The train scenes and chasing after Rosanna’s former business associate, Anton Greystone, made for exciting reading. The way they thwarted him was clever and my favorite part of the story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required.

Rosanna is an artist, working at creating reproductions of famous artwork for a middleman who sells them for her. Martin is a security officer, tasked with keeping the art exhibit in Manchester safe. Together, they discover an art heist. Rosanna knows who did it, but Martin sees her as the first and only suspect. Such a fun story of how they team up to solve the art crime, but even more importantly, how Martin helps Rosanna to see that echoing the work of other artists is not all that she was made to do!

The story moves quickly, and Rosanna and Martin are likable characters. Though she seems a bit too gullible, blindly trusting the man who claims to be selling her artwork for her.

Nothing earth shattering in the realm of fiction, but this book was highly enjoyable!

I received an arc from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own!

VERDICT Anderson’s (Isabelle and Alexander) latest stand-alone features a tender love story between a gentlewoman painter and a detective trying to rise above his difficult childhood.

Rosanna is in a position I'm sure a lot of us have found ourselves in: she's good at something that can make someone else money, and so they do their level best to quash all of her other ambitions, gaslighting her to the point where she believes her only talent is in reproducing other people's art. As the title of the book might suggest, the lies of her artwork end up getting in the way of her love with a policeman, who is predisposed not to trust thieves and crooks. And my, is he all too ready to believe the worst of Rosanna.

Although this sounds like a set up for a very frustrating novel, it surprisingly isn't. Rosanna and her beau Martin both have very believable backstories, and that he can't understand her position - and that it takes her so long to recognize that she's being used - makes a lot of sense in context. Anderson's writing is smooth and comfortable to read as well, which definitely helps. Her words are sufficiently old fashioned to make it clear that this takes place in 1857 without being self-righteously archaic, a difficult balance to achieve. There's also a clear love for and appreciation of art, which is charming. On the whole, this is simply a nice book, and hopefully Rosanna's sisters will get their own stories.

I really enjoyed reading The Art of Love and Lies. I liked the characters, enjoyed their mix of flaws and strengths. I liked that it didn't go too deep in the "damsel in distress" vibe. There was conflict, there were highs, there were lows -- but nothing was so dramatic that you found yourself rolling your eyes. The ending got a bit rushed, but by the time you got there you didn't mind too much. Overall, it was a good read.