If you love smart, badass women, Indiana Jones-like adventures, and a touch of romance, I would highly recommend The Antiquity Affair! I was honestly blown away by how much I enjoyed this read. I went in not really knowing what the expect — historical fiction can be hit or miss for me at times, but I am so happy to have read this! It's so fun, and I loved Tess and Lila so much. It was so great to find an archeological adventure story that actually talks about colonialism and the harm that can be done when hunting for artifacts. The ending was pretty open-ended; if the authors decide to write more books following these characters I'd be eager to pick them up!

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, and Harper Muse in exchange for an honest review.

The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly, and Jennifer Thorne is an absolutely fantastic read. This story is perfect for those who loved Indiana Jones and the Mummy! I loved the two perspectives of the two sisters, the intellectual Lila, and the wild Tess. Together they are an unstoppable pair, and their different voices gave the story so much depth.

I can easily rate this a 4.5 and I am desperately hoping that we may see these characters again!

This book has just about everything a reader (or listener) could want: mystery, adventure (think Indiana Jones), romance, and history. It centers on a plot by a group of wealthy men to gain possession of an Egyptian artifact that supposedly gave them power to rule the world. They kidnap the daughter of an archaeologist (but get the wrong daughter) in an attempt to force her to decode the puzzle that reveals the location of the artifact. The adventures that ensue are engaging and reflect the historical era of Egyptology. The descriptions of the various settings, from New York City to Paris to Egypt, are vivid and made me feel as if I were watching this unfold. This would be a great plot for a film. Characters and narration were excellent. At times, the fiction doesn't match reality (no respected archaeologist would do research in all sorts of different cultures around the world--they would instead be an expert in one specific culture). But, this is fiction, so I will cut the authors some slack! I suspect there will be a sequel to this book, featuring the two sisters. I hope so. It was fun to listen to this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

New York knickerbockers meets Indiana Jones in this fast paced read about two sisters who make enemies of some very powerful men.

Lila is an intellectual at heart, very good with math and puzzles, but she is preparing to make her debut in New York high society to please her grandmother. Carefree younger sister Tess, is a student of Egyptology wants nothing but to get the full attention of their archeologist father Dr. Warren Ford. Both girls have been somewhat lost since the passing of their mother. Once super close, with their own secret language Fordish, Lila and Tess are now stiff and formal around each other.

On the night of Lila’s entrance into society Tess is kidnapped by a group that wants to lay claim to the infamous Serpent’s Crown. It’s not archeologist Dr. Ford that they want, but his daughters. When Lila and her father discover Tess is missing the transAtlantic race begins. Dr. Ford, Lila and his assistant Alex trek across the globe to get to Tess and the infamous relic before it falls in the wrong hands.

The Antiquity Affair was is a fast paced piece of historical fiction that is entertaining from the first page to the last. The story alternates between Lila and Tess’s points of view and their very different personalities make it all the more interesting as they try to reach the same conclusion. I could totally see this as a movie!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and of course the authors Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne for the advanced copy of the audiobook. The Antiquity Affair is out now. All opinions are my own.

The Antiquity Affair is a book that for me was just good fun. While it touched briefly on a couple of important topics (colonialism in North African countries, sexism, corruption, etc..), it wasn't a super deep, dig into your soul type story. Instead, this was an action packed adventure revolving around an Egyptian artifact that gives the beholder an inordinate amount of power. We have a clear delineation between the good guys and the bad guys. The bad guys are almost comical at some points in their fumblings, but in a way that was enjoyable.

I will say that this was much more romance heavy than I was expecting. As someone who isn't a big fan of romance, particularly love at first sight romance, I found it a bit too insta-love and the relationships resolved in a way that was too neat and tidy for me.

The audiobook narrator did a good job with this one. It was easy to follow the POV switches and what was happening.

If you want a book that you can just have fun with and not think deeply about, you may enjoy this book.

*Thank you to Netgalley, both authors, and Harper Muse for both an E-ARC and Audio-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

✨ Review ✨ The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly, Jennifer Thorne; Narrated by Brittany Pressley, Holly Linneman

Girl-power, anti-colonial Indiana Jones with some Parent Trap sister-reversal vibes!!!

This was a lot of fun to read and just what I needed! It's 1907 and Egyptology is erupting across the world. Tess and Lila, daughters of a famous archeologist are quickly launched into an adventure in this book with their roles reversed -- with Tess facing down marriage prospects and Lila on the run.

Both are posed with a decryption challenge, for which the future of the world is at stake. It has lots of big quest energy, alongside romance, family drama, and more -- all while the characters are traveling the world.

This was full of puzzles and adventure in Indiana Jones / DaVinci Code style, but with a little more of a critical lens through which the characters questions the ethics of archaeology and the West's taking of goods from places like Egypt. I think it maybe could have gone a little further in asking these tough questions, but I appreciated it all the same. I also loved that it put women into daring and important roles in the story.

The audiobook was great -- the narrators brought a lot of personality to their characters which made Tess and Lila come to life. This book is guaranteed to put you on the edge of your seat!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4-4.5)
Genre: historical fiction, thriller/mystery, romance
Setting: Paris & Egypt
Reminds me of: a more feminist take on Indiana Jones
Pub Date: June 6 - out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ adventures and puzzles
⭕️ Egyptology and archaeology but with a more anti-colonial lens
⭕️ badass female leads
⭕️ a great blend of genres::: historical fiction, thriller/mystery, romance

Thanks to Harper Muse and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

I'm giving this book a 3. I nearly did not finish it. This book feels more of fantasy romance than historical fiction.

While set in upper-class society in 1907, the age of colonization, Lila is set for a society betrothal when her infamous, though unreliable, father shows up to save her life. Being mistaken for Lila, younger sister Tess is kidnapped and forced into an engagement with an attractive and morally grey society member. The sisters, with their very attractive, surly men, then search for the missing Serpents Crown before shady figures take it for their own means.

Besides its historical setting and on earth, UK, US and Egypt, this story is a fantasy romance novel. Set on a space ship, a pirate ship, or the moon, its the same. It is an approachable story, very engaging, but not what I'm looking for in a historical fiction book. I know there is an audience for this sort of read, I would rather read Dan Brown if I'm looking to mix historical fiction, romance and fantasy.

historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-romance, historical-setting, history-and-culture, mysteries, myths-legends, thriller, threats, adventure, sisters, family-dynamics, family-drama, travel, abduction, misconceptions, mistaken-identity, Egyptology, amateur-sleuth, snarky, witty*****

Great fun!
Two sisters who look nearly alike but have quite different personalities are caught up in a mess of conflicting goals and perspectives. Truly an exciting thrill ride. Expect mad twists and creative red herrings!
I requested and received a free temporary audio copy from Harper Muse via NetGalley. Narrated by voice artists Brittany Pressley and Holly Linneman have the kind of convincing delivery that encouraged me too keep reading far too late.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

First - loved the narrator. Loved that the book was set up with a dual perspective but also that each new chapter tells you who is narrating. This is super helpful as there is a case of mistaken identity woven through parts of the novel.

I adore books with multiple perspectives and really appreciate how they switched so frequently throughout. We can see both Tess and Lila's perspectives during the same event and that really adds to the overall development of characters. I haven't read many books with archaeology, Egypt, or treasure hunting but this one might just have changed my mind on that. I believe this is a stand alone novel, but boy oh boy would it make a great series with these sisters!

There were lots of things that attracted me to this book: Egyptology (which, fun fact, was the profession I initially wanted to pursue), historical fiction, the Mummy-esque + Indiana Jones vibe from the supernatural elements, the family dynamics, the secret society, and looming sense of doom. The summary promised a lot, and unfortunately, it didn't deliver.

I regretted to find that the novel moved rather slowly, especially for an action novel. Listening to the audiobook, I found it difficult to keep my mind from wandering. The romantic storylines were flat and predictable; the plot's tension was all over the place, rising and falling out of sync with the overall story.

The narrator was just alright; some of the accents were off (her Egyptian accents creeps towards Russian), and the inflections seemed artificial at times. My biggest complaint would be that the way she voiced Lilla didn't seem to do justice to the character. The airy tone the narrator affects when reading Lilla's perspective is at odds with the practical, selfless realities of why Lilla seeks entry into high society as well as the powerful mind concealed by fine clothes.

After fighting to get through this book for several weeks, I finally put aside at about 47%. Maybe I'll make another attempt in the future? Maybe.

I LOVED this novel! It's set in 1907 primarily in New York and Egypt. It is written in the voices of two estranged sisters who get tossed into a hunt for an ancient Egyptian artefact. Tess, the younger sister gets kidnapped and Lila joins her father, a renowned archaeologist, in the hunt to save her. There's history, adventure, puzzles, and even a little romance!

The story is all that I wish Indiana Jones would have been. I appreciate that through their characters, the authors address the very real problems with the boom in archaeology at the time; theft, damage to/loss of priceless artefacts, etc.

I received this in audiobook format. The narrators were amazing! They really brought the characters to life. I found it to be more immersive than a text copy would have been, given that they conveyed Tess and Lila's emotions through their narration.

Overall, I highly recommend this book! I hope to see more from these author's soon!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴!

What an exciting read; two sisters, a treasure hunt, great characters and full of twists and turns.

Thank you TLC Book Tours and Harper Muse Books for this tour invite.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 by Lee Kelly and Jenn Marie Thorne released June 6, 2023.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

I found this book highly entertaining. The narrators were great and the storyline kept me hooked from beginning to end. Great read / listen for fans of Indiana Jones - lots of archeology, puzzles and intrigue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aleksandra/ Ola S
21:00 (0 minutes ago)
to me

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for providing me with an e-arc of "The Antiquity Affair" by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorn, in exchange for an honest review.

"The Antiquity Affair" is an engaging historical fiction mystery that has garnered comparisons to a women-centered Indiana Jones adventure. Following the enthralling journey of two sisters, Lila and Tess, as they embark to obtain the Serpent's Crown, the novel takes readers on a thrilling expedition. While this book deviates from my typical reading preferences, I found the steady pacing and the ongoing adventure to be a pleasant surprise.

“The Antiquity Affair” possesses a certain charm, yet it remains somewhat predictable, particularly in terms of its romantic elements. One aspect that grew tiresome was the persisting rift in the sisters' relationship, which endured throughout the entirety of the narrative. At times, the dialogue came across as a tad immature and geared towards a younger audience. Nevertheless, it would be well-suited for those seeking an exciting summer beach read infused with a touch of romance.

Furthermore, I'd like to highlight the exceptional narration by Brittany Pressley (whose voice I recognized from "The Address") and Holly Linneman, who lent their voices to the characters of Lila and Tess, respectively. Both narrators delivered an outstanding performance, enhancing the overall listening experience.

In conclusion, "The Antiquity Affair" offers an enjoyable escapade for readers who relish historical fiction mysteries. While it may have its predictable moments and a protracted discord between the sisters, the book's charm, steady pacing, and the talented narrators make it a suitable choice for those seeking an exciting and slightly romantic summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance audio version of The Antiquity Affair. I really enjoyed this book! Told from the viewpoint of 2 sisters who are poised to enter adulthood in 1907, this book explores all sorts of experiences, relationships and mindsets with an energizing and exciting backdrop of New York, Paris and Egypt! There were most definitely some very enjoyable made for the big screen moments of excitement, romance, and adventure! On the surface it may initially seem to be a “Harrison Ford- but female!” Book, but the authors are able to weave in lots to think about when it comes to relationships, expectations, life choices and family as the two sisters chase down an ancient mystery successfully.
For readers who are very strict about historical fiction characters being completely of the era, this may not be the novel for you, as both protagonists Tess and Lila accept and promote ideas that are modern, and also distinctly in vogue in this time. I found I was able to recognize it but dismiss it simply because the rest of the story was so engaging and fun! Highly recommend!

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure
Length: 416 pages
First published: 2023
Setting: 1907, Manhattan, Egypt

This is the story of two sisters who are torn from their lives in Manhattan and thrown into an adventure mystery involving kidnapping, fake engagements, code breaking, mythology, action, and archaeological artefacts. Set during the dawn of Egytology, the sisters are daughters of an esteemed archaologist, and I have seen many people compare this book to Indiana Jones.

The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspective of each of the sisters. They each have very distinct voices and are very different individuals. It’s told in the first person past tense. They are both very educated, intellectual, confident individuals who actually seem to cope very well in the bizarre and unnerving situations they suddenly find themselves in. Romance is a light theme throughout the book.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of The Antiquity affair. I listed to it on audio and it was a fast paced book that I couldn't stop listening. It was reminiscent of Indiana Jones movies, which I grew up watching. If you like puzzles, adventures, and bad ass women.

I takes place in 1907. A secret organization is looking to find the Serpent's crown, an Egyptian relic. They believe the daughters of renown archeologist Warren Ford can solve the puzzle to locate it. His daughter, Tess is kidnapped, so Dr. Ford and his daughter Lila race to save her and the artifact.

I was attracted to the story ever since I saw the blurb. I like this kind of story where archeology, adventure, and mystery takes us on a ride where we sit on the edge of our seat and can't read fast enough just to see what will happen next. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, the narrator did an excellent job here. I hope that I will read another installment if this evolves into a series.

I found the audiobook very entertaining, it was enthusiastically read by the authors. They said in their author’s note that they wanted to write a female Indiana Jones type adventure and that is what this book is. Two sisters and their archaeologist father go to Egypt in 1907 on a wild adventure full of action, puzzles, suspense, bad guys and a little romance.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Muse for an audio copy of The Antiquity Affair for an honest review.

This is an ambitious novel with an Indiana Jones vibe. I really liked this one, as I dreamt of archeology as a young adult.