The first in the Improper Lords series does not disappoint. From the first page to the last you will be spellbound by The Duke's Masquerade. Maggi Andersen has given readers a book that is well-written, filled it with characters that come to life and you find yourself drawn into their story, subterfuge, mystery, with a suspenseful plot that bring this read together perfectly. I can't wait for the next in the series!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook, and this is my freely given opinion.

This is the first book in a new series by Maggi Andersen; a historical romance. Tarleton Fanshawe, the new Duke of Lindsey, ascended to the dukedom with the sudden, unexpected passing of his father when he died at his son's feet, trying to relay one last urgent message. As well as mourning the loss of his father, he finds out that his father recently suffered some great losses gambling, including their principle estate of Cloudhill. Because of the unexpected downturn in fortunes, Tate is afraid that he will be unable to pursue one of his greatest wishes, to wed his childhood love, the daughter of a neighbouring noble, Ianthe Granville. Her father, the Earl would no longer look upon his suit with favour.

But Tate is aware that there is something not right about his father's losses; he was not known for intemperate behaviours such as gambling for big stakes. Tate decides to look further into the conundrum. By chance, as he travels to London, he runs into a gentleman who bears a remarkable resemblance and hatches a plan, involving his twin, to take his place in Society as Duke briefly, so Tate himself can go undercover and investigate the gaming hell owner who appears to have won ownership of Cloudhill. If Tate can find proof that his father was cheated, as Tate suspects, he can gain back his estate, and wed Ianthe with her parents blessing.

Ianthe does not understand why her childhood love seems to suddenly no longer be interested in her, as she engages in the Season. But she soon realizes that the man she thinks is Tate is not really him, and when she finds out the truth, she inserts herself in the investigation because she wants to help him, for the two of them to have a future together. Otherwise her father would encourage the courtship of other suitors, and she is determined to have Tate.

Tate investigates the underbelly of the dangerous world of gambling hells, pretending to be a roguish gambler, and gains entry into the circle of the man behind his father's downfall, finding proof of more criminal dealings. He, and his allies face danger themselves as his nemesis is thwarted from his goals by Tate, but in the end, Tate and Ianthe manage to gain back Cloudhill and achieve what they both want most, a life together.

A story of childhood sweethearts overcoming obstacles to achieve their HEA. There is a pleasant level of tension and drama with his pursuit of truth and justice, uncovering criminal activity, and with her staving off unwanted suitors. There is a secondary love story and drama with Tate's look-alike as well that involve Ianthe and Tate working together to help them achieve an HEA. A generally pleasant story.

3.5 stars out of 5

tl;dr
A fairly fast-paced read featuring several interwoven plots and a lot of pining. The secondary couple is very endearing.

About
Duke Tarleton Fanshawe (Tate) is in trouble. His father gambled away the family estate right before his death - at least, that's what the debtors claim. Tate isn't so sure, but he has no way to prove it. Meanwhile, the love of his life, Ianthe, might be married to another if he can't get his estate back. A chance meeting with a lookalike gives Tate an opportunity: Send the lookalike to London in his stead while he goes undercover to learn the truth about his father's dying words.

Thoughts
One of my favorite tropes (swapping places) meets one of my least favorite tropes (lack of communication), which puts this book squarely down the middle for me. I don't mind a little pining, but the fact that Tate wouldn't explain to Ianthe what was going on is... a struggle. The story got much more interesting once she was actively involved in it. As for the story, there's a lot in here - more than you might expect in most regency romances. Several plot threads are moving at once, with interconnected complications and a handful of mysteries along the way, all pushed along at a brisk pace by straightforward writing. Aside from the main couple, there are a few other romances going on as well, all very sweet, so if you love a story with many happy endings, this will probably be a bonus.

This story has so many different facets to it. We have mystery, suspense, intrigue, romance, wonderful characters, and a villain. This story had it all. Tarleton (Tate) even met a man at an inn on his way to London that looked so much like himself that he asked him to impersonate him for awhile while he (Tate) tried to solve the mystery.
The story held my attention throughout, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Regency Romance with Mystery and Suspense

Tate must do everything he can to prove that his father's signature, giving the family estate to the owner of a gambling hell, was a sham. When he encountered a man who looked like him, he saw an opportunity. As his lookalike took his place among the ton, Tate went to the gaming den to see if he could find information about the criminal who intended to steal his family's inheritance. It was a dangerous quest, and it might even be deadly. A great deal was at stake, including the woman he loved. Ianthe was about to marry someone else, and he must find a way to stop that from happening. Unless he could find a way to get back his property, her father would refuse him.

This story takes us on a journey of romance, adventure, and danger. I recommend it to those who like Regency romance with mystery and suspense.

I found the story to be entertaining. I liked the book more so when the characters had dialogue among them. The narrative of the story I thought had a lot of details and descriptions compacted together. The story moved fast , which I thought that the book is a good page turner. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

A reasonable story but IMO less of a romance. Ianthe has loved Tate (Odd name) for a long time. The Duke realises that an unscrupulous gambling den owner appears to have a vowel showing he owns Tate's seat. Tate meets a doppelganger on his journey and realises that this man can help him solve the problem. Quite a complicated story but as I say a reasonable mystery but no romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tarleton (Tate) Fanshawe, the Duke of Lindsey, is on the verge of losing his family estate and the woman he loves. When he meets Bret Kilbridge, he comes up with a plan. A plan to find the vowel supposedly signed by his father. What it will take is a disguise to infiltrate the gambling den of the man who is stealing his life. Meanwhile, Lady Ianthe Granville is having her own problem trying to avoid marriage to anyone but Tate.
Open bedroom door.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This was a VERY slow book at the start. It took about 1/3 or 1/2 wat through for me to get really into the book. But once it started moving it was really good. The entire last chapter to get the steamy in. So if thats your preference skip you are not missing anything essential to the story. I enjoyed the epilogue as it presumably leads to the next two books.
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book

This book falls squarely in the "liked but didn't love" category for me. I liked the characters just fine, especially Ianthe, but I feel like there were missed opportunities to have Tate and Ianthe work as a team to solve the big mystery. I really thought once she found out about everything she would have become more involved in the plot. I also couldn't understand why he didn't just tell her why he was putting off a proposal to her. The biggest problem with the book is that the relationship between Bret and Lily was way more interesting and we didn't really get to know much about it. I would have happily read an entire book about them. As for the mystery regarding the former duke allegedly signing over his property I didn't get why he didn't bring his proof to the courts when the villain first made the claim. Or tell anyone about what had happened with his secretary. Seemed like that would have been a much easier solution rather than leaving it to his son to have to go to great lengths to discover the truth himself. I know I just mentioned a whole bunch of negatives, but there are positives too. The characters are interesting and there is a bit of danger involved that keeps the stakes somewhat high. It's an enjoyable book and am looking forward to reading more from the series and this author.

When Tarleton Fanshaw suddenly became the Duke of Lindsey he has a huge problem to solve. Unfortunately he can't let anyone know there is a problem. He faces losing everything he has ever wanted.
Lady Ianthe Granville has always believed she and her neighbour would marry. Now that the time seems right for her, he is pulling away and doesn't appear to want her.
This historical romance is a lot of fun . Our troubled hero needs to both hide, investigate and be seen as calm and confident. Impatient fathers and unscrupulous villains make life difficult for our characters. Lots of danger and problems to solve.
Good fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced and exciting novel, where nothing was as it seemed and it takes clever thinking to outsmart a criminal. When the Duke of Lindsey died in his son's arms, Tate knew that the facts presented to him could not be true and it was a fortuitous meeting that gives him the solution to the problems he has to resolve. Unfortunately, that means setting aside any hopes he had of a love match with Lady Ianthe Granville, at least until he had resolved the puzzle. The more Tate digs, the deeper the pit of deceit and lies becomes evident and it takes careful thought and planning to bring a heinous gangster to justice. Despite his well-thought-out plans, things do not go smoothly. Ianthe is also facing problems, but she is not without her own allies. Complicating matters further, Tate's doppelganger discovers a lady who needs his help, but his hands are tied until Tate has resolved his issues. The novel races to an exciting conclusion bringing answers to a number of problems. The novel is well written and kept me glued to my seat throughout. I received a copy of this dramatic romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I was a bit torn on how to review this book. It seemed to be more of a historical fiction than a romance. The romance was frequently on the backburner as most of the action related to Tate's struggle to secure the ownership of his estate after his father's sudden death. Ianthe, his childhood friend and secret love interest, was frequently stuck on the sidelines. Her parents, along with an unwanted suitor, kept her busy. I liked the character of Bret the doppelgänger, but I think that his pursuit of Lily distracted from the main story too much. Lily's troubles could easily become the subject of a future novel. Having many moving parts, this story didn't have much opportunity for private moments with the main couple. Except for one tastefully written scene occurring after marriage, this was a clean read. I think that this book would be a good recommendation for younger readers or for readers of historical fiction with romantic elements.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

The Duke’s Masquerade by Maggi Andersen was an exciting read with the new Duke of Lindsey, Tarleton (Tate) Fanshawe, whose father had died in his arms, was puzzling over why a gambling hell owner by the name of Bernard Donovan held a note, signed by his father, that would necessitate handing over the family estate, Cloudhill. Not only would it leave the family penniless, he would be unable to propose marriage to his neighbor, Ianthe. He had never spoken of his feelings, not had she, but they both knew. Noe her father was trying to obtain another offer for her hand. As luck would have it, at an inn on the way to London, he met a man, Bret Kilbridge, the son of a vicar who had died recently, who looked nearly identical to himself. He convinced the man to help him and they hid at his father’s hunting lodge while Tate educated Bret. This way, with Bret taking his place, he could adopt another identity and get close to Donovan’s office and possibly find the paper and figure out what was happening. As you can already tell, this has the potential to get hugely complicated. And, it does.

Tate was incredibly smarter and braver than his father had ever given him credit. He was the spare. His brother, Edward, had died last year of a fever and it devastated his father. He slowly unraveled the mess that had been left been left when his father died, at some personal risk to himself. Ianthe was a strong and clever young woman and she knew there was no other man for her. She sought the help of her paternal grandmother to scuttle her father’s attempts to betroth her before Tate was able to put everything to rights. It was a well plotted, and well told story, making even the most seasoned reader anxious several times. The pacing was perfect, with close calls narrowly missed and guns pointed at him. All’s well that ends well, and this story did. I was a good book, better than many. I enjoyed it.

I was invited to read The Duke’s Masquerade by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #MaggiAndersen #TheDukesMasquerade

GREAT!!!! The Duke's Masquerade by Maggi Andersen is the first in the Improper Lords series and what a great way too start off a series. What I liked about this book was that there was 2 love stories in one. Both matches having a very difficult time being together for different reasons. The first romance, Tate and Ianthe is a romance that can not happened and the second romance, Bret and Lily is a romance of rescue. I found this book to be easy to read, had wonderful characters, vivid descriptions, had the real feel of the regency era, very well written and just a joy to read. Maggi has become a new favorite author of mine and her stories just so good. This story had a Duke that was a second son, a promise to a dying father, a lady that was a childhood friend but is now more, a scheme by a ruthless gaming hell owner, finding their doppelgänger and needing him to act like him, trying to find the truth, a father trying to force an engagement, a mother and stepfather forcing an engagement, running away, evil, and falling in love. I am highly recommending you read this book.

***This book was gifted to me and I am voluntarily reviewing.

3.25 Stars
When his father suddenly dies Tarleton Fanshawe, becomes the Duke of Lindsey & his safe world, turns upside down. His historic estate, Cloudhill, is soon to be snatched away. Tate must go undercover to discover why his father, who never gambled, lost the family fortune, and he has little time to do it. And worse, he must face the possibility the woman he loves will marry another man before the spring Season has ended. But when Tate’s carriage stops in a village on the way to London, he meets a man with a remarkable likeness to him, and an idea is formed. Lady Ianthe Granville has loved Tate since she was in the schoolroom, and believed they would someday marry. I have mixed feelings about this series starter, there are factual inaccuracies for instance Tate's father dies in February then six weeks later Tate talks to Bret about the victory at Waterloo, also was Cloudhill not entailed? I really debated whether I should continue but it's been a very long time since I read a swapping identities trope so I continued & I found I enjoyed the story. I liked both Tate & Ianthe but felt their romance played second fiddle to whether the estate would be lost & would the other romances find happiness. I would have liked more page time for the couple, so I’m a bit on the fence with this book
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Tate, the duke of Lindsey, switches places with lookalike Brett to find the vowel with his late father’s signature on it where he declares ownership of the family estate to gaming hell and criminal Donovan. Tate cannot believe his father would ever gamble away their family fortune, but he must find out secretly, to avoid a scandal. Since his family is destitute, he doesn’t dare to declare his true feelings for Ianthe, whom he loves. Ianthe in the meantime has trouble fending off the unwanted advances of Ormond. I found it very frustrating that Ianthe couldn’t put in words to her parents that her unwanted suitor was a total creep! I wouldn’t stop until my parents knew exactly why I loathed that man, whereas Ianthe just gave up when her father didn’t agree with her right away. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story, and every time you get one step further, another development pops up and the story continues. I felt that both Ianthe and Tate both had their own battle to fight, much of the time apart form each other. I was disappointed they didn’t share much of their feelings with each other, both too afraid to show their true colors due of a sense of honor or social standing, even doubting each other’s feelings. So I missed much of the romance, it was more of a mystery book. A lot happened, it seemed the drama would continue endlessly before they solved all of the problems and could finally fall in each other’s arms and even then there was stress and tension about things that could ruin the happiness of the people involved.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am grateful for this opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Can love conquer all?
An intricate plot, that resonates with a Prince and the Pauper masquerade, that plunges our hero, Tate, into a high stakes race against time adventure, to ensure not just his future happiness but his family's too.
Wanting nothing more that to finally declare his true, well-deep, feelings for his childhood friend, Ianthe - a sentiment she ardently returns in secret - a road of twists and jeopardy thwarted hoops lay before him. Dashing his hopes and forcing him to stepback and uncover the plots and schemes, he has inherited upon his father's death, to prevent disaster falling and with it any hopes of her father giving his blessing. 
Making this a fun, highly enjoyable adventure, full of thrilling twists and turns, revelations and uncertainities that I devoured in one day. With leads that pull you in with their likability as much as you want to see them untangle each obstacle and finally have the freedom to confess their mutual desire.  As a nefarious gaming house owner, financial ruin, sly odious suitors, an overprotective father, secrets, scandal and misunderstandings stand in their way before he can allow himself to honourably claim the woman he loves. Making this an intriguing and satisfying tale come series starter, with a host of subcharacters to saviour and hope will appear again. Looking forward to the next one.

Tate must not let his estate be stolen from him. His childhood neighbor and friend Ianthe has loved him since she was a child. As Tate puts off declaring himself, Ianthe fends off beaus waiting for him. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for my honest review.

This was exactly what I needed! The author takes you into the setting of the historical London Social Season with ease and beauty. I love the romance, the scandal, the plot… Awesome book!