I will be honest that I've never thought of acrobats in 1910s era, but the Circus has been around for a long while so it would make sense. It is an interesting angle to have our main character be an acrobat. I like the irony of using their skills that keep them in poverty to try and earn back that money.

Merritt is a good character, very swoon worthy. I like his and Marigold's chemistry. Book was a little slow at times, and a little weird but I loved the two siblings and would love to see more of them.

Lady Marigold Fairfax is the epitome of elegant, if not a bit eccentric fashion to London society. However, few know that she and her brother make their true living as private investigators for The Imposters. Their unique upbringing among circus performers and acrobats taught them many useful skills to "observe others" while also helping them to avoid detection. When they are hired by Sir Merritt Livingstone for an investigation, little did Marigold and Yates know they would be spying on their long-time neighbors and friends. While all involved are hoping to prove innocence, that goal is getting more difficult by the minute. Will Marigold and her brother be able to prove their innocence while also avoiding detection as The Imposters?

This was a really good book and I am very hopeful that it will become a series. There are just too many wonderful characters not to have their own stories told! Thank you LibraryThing Early Reviewers for the advanced copy of this book!

Yes - read it.

I enjoyed the variety of different ways this story didn't fit the mold. That was a very refreshing change of pace to see how the story came together bit by bit each chapter instead of in big lumps.

This is a great start to a series!

I received an ARC from Netgalley to help me prepare this honest review.

I enjoyed this book by Rosanna M. White. The book shows an interesting POV that I've never seen in historical fiction before. There was a lot of fun and interesting moments. I already am looking forward to more in this series.

Absolutely LOVED this book. This was my first Roseanne White book and now I need to read absolutely everything she's ever written. The writing is FANTASTIC. This was so unique - compelling characters, real faith interwoven throughout, plotlines that moved and weaved excellently. I just loved this.

This is a fun premise and I really enjoyed the hidden identity in the story. I can't wait to read book 2 in the series.

I love historical fiction, and this was definitely a book for me. The character dynamic along with their skills made it fun to read, and a bit more entertaining that your typical regency era book.

Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother Yates, an earl, may have inherited a grand estate, but their father left no money to keep it running. He blew it all on entertainment, which fortunately included circus acts that gave Marigold and Yates the training they needed to earn money as private investigators. When Sir Merritt Livingstone brings them a case involving possible espionage and treason, the investigation brings the Fairfaxes a little too close to home. Marigold's carefully cultivated disguise of wealthy, vapid noblewoman might just blow up in her face.

This book drew me in right away, and I loved it all the way to the end. The story alternates between 3 POVs—Marigold, Yates, and Merritt. I worried it might be too much at first, but I really appreciated all 3 of these perspectives. I enjoyed the balancing act that both Yates and Marigold had to perform as anonymous investigators hired by Merritt and as acquaintances in social settings. While there's a subplot of romance, it is not a focal point of the book, in my opinion. In fact, I feel like there's more of a friendship base before anything further develops than normally happens in a book where the romantic pair start off as strangers.

The mystery that Merritt brings to The Imposters, Ltd. is not super complex, yet was not easy for me to unravel on my own. It actually seemed a little too simplistic at first, but then it became more complex as it went. Overall, it kept me engaged, as did the unique lifestyle of the Fairfax siblings, living on their estate with circus performers, complete with a monkey, a peacock, and Marigold's lion friend.

It is never difficult for me to explain what I don't like about a book (and I'm usually the outlier, struggling with books that most others loved), but it is often difficult to put into words what I enjoy about a book. What I have expressed above doesn't adequately explain my love for this book, but I liked it so much, I'm going to immediately add previous books by this author to my TBR list, plus I'm so excited to see the next book in the series has already been announced! I highly recommend this book for fans of Christian historical mystery (this is set during the Edwardian era in London), but be aware the romance is a fairly slow burn.

Lions, a circus, and spies, oh my!

A Beautiful Disguise by Roseanna M. White is a fun, unique, and incredibly entertaining addition to the Regency Era world.

I'm a huge fan of mystery + romance, so this hit a lot of the right notes for me. I would have loved there to be more romance and wooing/ building of the primary relationship, but there were a lot of little moments that were darling.

The characters are all endearingly quirky, and kept me chuckling throughout the book.

Pacing on this one seemed a little inconsistent, and there were moments where I was a little bored.

Overall, though, I was entertained. I loved the unique bits with the circus and the mystery elements. The conclusion to the mystery was satisfying, and I look forward to more books from this author.

Shorthand notes:
– My Rating: 3.75 rounded to 4
– Genre: Historical mystery romance
– Romance: Just kisses (though I would have liked a few more!)
– Language: None
– Violence: Mild

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Bethany House for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm just going to be honest with you...I wasn't so sure that I would love this book. There are various reasons for my skepticism, but suffice it to say, I went into this novel with no small amount of hesitation.

And then fell HEAD-OVER-HEELS for it!!

Guys. I can't even begin to tell you how stinkin' incredible this book is. First, Marigold is brilliant. Absolutely, hands-down brilliant. She is an incredible character while still being hopelessly human. I loved her instantly and know that she will forever be one of my favorite Book BFF's. Then the author throws in Merritt (stop, these names are amazing), Yates and Lavinia. Y'all, these characters will stay with you long after you close the pages. The plot itself is fast-paced and woven together smoothly, and the whole story is beautifully done! I love, love, love it so!!

Dear Roseanna,

May I please read everything you have ever written? Forever?

Love Your New Fan,

Stacie

A Beautiful Disguise
by Roseanna M. White
Pub Date 22 Aug 2023
Bethany House, Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance


I am reviewing a copy of A Beautiful Disguise through Bethany House and Netgalley:

Bethany House and Netgalley provided me with a copy of A Beautiful Disguise for review:

An intelligence officer and a lady are on a secret mission in Edwardian London, from the city's dazzling ballrooms to its covert offices.

In the midst of creating a new secret intelligence branch, Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the field, but pneumonia places him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division. He suspects an aristocrat of leaking information to Germany, but he needs someone to prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are astounding.

After their father's death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm for the elite to spy on the elite. With their anonymous group, The Imposters, Ltd., the crème of society soon looks to them for surreptitious answers. While Marigold learns many secrets about her peers, she is shocked when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend's father.

For her friend's sake, Lady Marigold is determined to find the truth, and she is even more determined not to fall in love with this mysterious new client . . . he surely cannot be as good as he appears to be.



I give A Beautiful Disguise five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

I adored Roseanna M. White’s last book, ‘Yesterday’s Tides’, so I was excited to read her newest release.

Set in Edwardian England, this book is part mystery, part romance, and brimming with unique details like a circus complete with a trained lion and the wildest fashions for FMC Lady Marigold Fairfax!

This is the first book in a series, and it felt like it. There was a lot of world building and character introductions, and because of this it took me a while to get into. I’m sure with all these introductions out of the way the pace will pick up for the rest of the series.

Thanks to @bethanyhousefiction for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. (And kudos, once again, on a stunning cover design!)

This is a fun, whimsical story in a historical setting. It’s not likely to have happened, so the true history buffs need to approach this story as complete fiction. That being said, it was fun to imagine that this story could actually have happened. Fantastic costumes, espionage, circus animals, and gypsies abound! I truly enjoyed this story.

This book is so much fun! I love the concept of a pair of Elite siblings having to make their own way, but secretly, by spying on others in their class. The characters are so fun! I also loved the historical aspect, with this being set during the Edwardian time. I didn't realize tensions were high between England and Germany at that time. There are some fun twists to this story. I can't wait for the next story!
I received this book from Bethany House. This is my honest review.

A great start to the series!

I loved the idea of a brother/sister team.

The story has mystery and a nice slow burn romance. Horrah for no love at first sight! It always makes it a bit more believable when they have to slowly fall for each other.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Roseanna M. White’s A Beautiful Disguise was a perfect beginning to “The Imposters” series. It was a story of deception with a purpose: finding truth in order to help others. Spies for a noble cause. Everything that happened between the pages of this story had a purpose, and it was a joy to read. It was a clean romance, it was comical, sweet, heartbreaking, and even held a bit of suspense.

The inception of the Imposters, Ltd came from a need Marigold and Yates Fairfax had to keep them housed and fed after their father passed away and left them penniless. They had enjoyed a life of wonder as children, bringing in and befriending various acts from the circus to the theater, but all of that came at a cost. And now they had to be creative to survive.

I found it interesting how truth was a huge theme in this story given the occupation of the brother and sister team (as well as a few friends). I thought it played well to the first book and appreciated how truth was shown not to always be glorious. Sometimes the truth they found was not what they wanted. But as Yates told Marigold, “The truth isn’t always pretty. But I like to think it’s always beautiful.” I loved the outlook the siblings had on life and on this particular topic.

White also did a brilliant job showing the tug-of-war between truth versus lies. It was a dance, in a way, only showing the cards they were willing to show, and making up an entire persona for Marigold. Even Yates adopted a plethora of accents to use when meeting with clients to keep them from finding out who he was.

Trust was also big in this story, which made sense as the two tend to go hand-in-hand. Merritt Livingstone, who had hired the Imposters to find a missing person, struggled with whom he could trust. “…it seemed every person he’d assumed he could trust had something to hide. Made a man wonder how he could ever be certain his friends were truly his friends.” This was a fun quote because the author set it up so perfectly. As the reader, I knew something would happen later on, the truth revealed, and then the decision of trust would need to be made.

When reading a Christian novel, I always keep an eye out for the God aspect, and White did a beautiful job weaving Him into the story. What I appreciated most about it was the fact that God was not alluded to but rather right there. And it was obvious that He was revered and loved.

This novel is one I would highly recommend, and I can’t wait to read the next installment which the author gave glimpses of throughout this story. If you love a clean romance, strong family values, suspense, and a story that’s not afraid to put God front and center, then this book is for you.

🦁🦁🦁🦁/5

Lady Marigold and her brother have started their own detective agency for high status society clientele and yet no one knows who the Imposters truly are. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of this book, even if I guessed who the main villain was, and it was full of twists, turns and lots of hijinks.

I loved how they kept taking up cases by several people and yet they were all the same case in the end. I found the case to be riveting and full of depth, and the way all the piece came together was intriguing.

I do wish there was a bit more romance in this one. I saw the attraction and chemistry between Marigold and Merritt. But I felt like even by the end they were more friendly than romantic. It didn’t feel forced in any way, I just perhaps would have liked it to be more influential to the story rather than a subplot. But that’s just personal preference.

This story was full of humor and fun conversations, domestic wild animals, acrobatics, mystery, romance, tension, espionage, family secrets, high society at the turn of the century, crazy hijinks to obtain information, and extraordinary adventures and fashion. If any of this sounds interesting to you, than this is definitely a story you do not want to miss.

Thank you so much @roseannamwhite and @bethanyhousefiction for the arc copy and the opportunity to fall in love with this world 💜

This is an interesting and twisty Edwardian historical fiction romance/mystery. Lady Marigold and her younger brother Yates inherited a fun, albeit bankrupt, estate from their father. To pay the bills, they formed an anonymous exclusive detective agency serving the elite of England. Sir Merritt is working in the War Office precursor to MI5 when an agent goes missing after leaving a one word missive - the name of a connected nobleman. He retains Marigold and Yates' agency to find out information he's not able to discover on his own. Will the trio uncover a traitorous plot that threatens England in time?

I really loved Marigold and Yates. The family they've built together with the retired circus families and animals is so unique and I got a kick reading about all of the animals, especially the lion and monkey. The way they use the skills they learned from the circus in performing their investigation was unique and fun to read.

I could sympathize with Merritt's health concerns and feeling like less of a soldier because he still needed to heal. I feel like his friend Xavier and Marigold handled this well and kept his spirits up without letting him feel as though he's being pitied. While I liked he and Marigold's budding romance, it seemed a bit spotty on details and so when they got together it seemed a bit rushed. But, that's a minor detail. One thing that I'm not used to reading in mysteries is so many references to religion and praying. It isn't heavy-handed or off-putting, it was just a surprise.

This is a slow burn mystery, but I didn't mind because it's the first book in a series, so the author needed to do a lot of worldbuilding. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books in the series.

To stave off financial ruin, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother launch The Imposters, Ltd., a discreet investigative firm for the elite. However, their world of secrets takes a shocking turn when they're hired to investigate her best friend's father as a potential traitor. Meanwhile, Sir Merritt Livingstone, a dedicated soldier, suspects espionage and turns to The Imposters to help prove it. It takes skill from them both to untangle the treachery at play.

This was such a fun read! I loved how the author wove the story together, drawing from real life and putting it together with fiction in a fun way. I loved both main characters. Marigold was a sympathetic character, and her decisions made sense. I liked how Merritt wasn’t immediately attracted to her, didn’t immediately see behind her mask. It took time and that was realistic to me.

The plot moved at a good pace, and all of the supporting characters were well-rounded. I’m intrigued to see what happens next. If I were to criticize anything, it would be the random bits of religion. They always caught me off-guard, and didn’t quite feel like they fit with the rest of the story.

Overall, this was a fun read and I would recommend it to readers looking for historical fiction with mystery and romance.

Love, love, loved this book! This was my first book by this author, and it definitely won't be my last! She delivers funny and relatable characters that deal beautifully with their life problems and situations instead of whining about them. A very enjoyable book that I definitely recommend! Thank you the publisher for the complimentary e-book I received through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts above are my own.