4.5 Stars ⭐️ - Top Pick

A heroine who’s lost her inspiration, a hero in disguise, and a series of unfortunate accidents… it doesn’t get better than this.

The finale in Lorret’s Liar’s Club series is a perfect ending for the youngest of the Hartley sisters, Althea. Althea is the writer, and we last met her when she was still squirreling around with pockets in her dresses and jotting down notes for a play whenever she had a chance. Except that at the start of this book, Althea has lost her spark. She’s got no more joy in the well to write her stories and is desperately searching for a new muse. Add in that she’s given up on the possibility of love and adventure, determined to have one last season and try to find a husband. She’ll settle because it’s safe. At least until a highwayman comes along…

The highwayman is none other than a Viscount, Jasper Trueblood. Hiding his true intelligence and personality, Jasper has been masquerading as a highwayman, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor like Robin Hood. Though his purpose is to bring those to punishment who support his dastardly, evil uncle. When Althea meets Jasper, she becomes inspired and soon the highwayman isn’t just a piece of a written word, but a tale Althea spins at balls. Of course, Jasper can’t let that stand, not if he wants to protect himself and those he cares about. Each step he takes towards Althea only results in a clumsy mishap, which has him interacting far more with Althea than he wants – an absolutely delicious disaster.

There is so much more than what this poor recap includes. There are fights, escapes, midnight trysts, kidnapping, and a Hartley play on the London stage. This one was near perfection. The only part that held me up was that I felt the villain got off too easily in this story. The ending was wrapped up in a way that left me feeling somewhat dissatisfied. I longed to see a little more punishment and redemption for the hero. Although it was still a great wrap-up to the series.

Overall, Lorret is a great author to pick up while waiting for a future Tessa Dare book. The blend of humor, action, romance, and twists on tales that would usually be a bit dry is this author’s bread and butter. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

~ Landra

Miss Althea Hartley was really patient with the multiple gown ruiner, Jasper Trueblood, Viscount St. James in Vivienne Lorret’s “This Much is True” from The Liar’s Club series!

I enjoyed the dual identity aspect! We got a spectacle-wearing nobleman who turned into a mix of part super hero and part outlaw to benefit the needy. The brave hero identity was great however it was the flower maker that made me swoon.

I enjoyed Althea’s flair! She was a playwright that lost her inspiration and I loved her determination to find her source of tingles. Her character was more than a third season debutante, her dreams gave her depth and her daring made memorable scenes.

I loved Althea and Jasper together! He would pop out of nowhere and they were tethered closer together with each encounter through their wit. She would defend him and not back down. Then they had an entertaining reunion scene in front of an actual audience no less!

I highly recommend this theatrical and well-paced book containing dreams coming true for the individuals and of course a happily ever after!

Thank you to Net Galley, Avon Books, and Harper Voyager US for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I haven’t read the previous books in the series which I think put me at a disadvantage. I would like to go back and read the first books.
With that said, I enjoyed meeting Althea and Jasper. From their initial meeting onwards, this was a sweet, funny, regency read.
The chemistry between them builds up quite nicely. They both have their own personal struggles they are trying to deal with.
I do wish we were given an epilogue….it left us wondering how Jasper reacts(if you know, you know).

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thea and Jasper's story was a great addition to the Hartley's tales. I love getting to know this family. This story gives us intrigue and humor mixed in a steamy tale. Thea may have lost her writing spark, but the sparks sure fly with Jasper, even as he tries to stop her from telling stories that she doesn't know are about him. Jasper is a layered hero, pretending to be a dim-witted oaf, while masquerading as a highwayman at night. It's easy to understand his motivations. I'm not sure if any tales about the Hartley family remain, but if there are, I'll happily imbibe. If not, I'll revisit the past tales, like visiting old friends.

Althea Hartley is back in London for her third season on the marriage mart and she is not optimistic of his prospects given her failed attempt to bring the playwright she was courting up to scratch. All she got out of that relationship were doubts about her abilities as a playwright. She meets Jasper Trueblood, Viscount St. James at a soirée and he ends up spilling his drink on her favorite gown. Unbeknownst to Thea, Jasper is a highwayman who steals from the rich and distributes it to the poor and when he overhears her speaking about a robbery she learned from the owner of the bookstore, he has to stop her repeating her story. Unfortunately for Thea, the robbery story is the first opportunity she has received that rekindles her writing spirit. Later that night, Thea and her chaperone have to accept a ride home from Lord Abernathy, who is held up by the highwayman. Now Jasper has to invent further encounters with Thea to prevent her from sharing her stories of highwaymen amongst the ton. This Much is true is a fast paced, slow build adventure that ends in a HEA for Jasper and Thea. Another great story from Vivienne Lorret.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review

We meet Thea, who is entering her third season in the ton and is uninspired and disheartened after last season when she thought she had found a kindred spirit. Only to discover he was in fact a louse. Unable to write for over a year, she has little hope for her future but knows she must continue to seek a spouse.

Jasper St. James is also in a bit of a strain. Living under his uncle, the Earl of Redcliffe’s boot, he plays the role his uncle has led the ton to believe. That he is a hapless, brainless, clumsy lout. However after a meeting with Thea at a party, despite ruining her dress she has her doubts of the authenticity of the rumors of his character and is feeling a familiar tingle of inspiration again.

This is a slow burn with some fantastic humor, wonderful banter, as well as steam that will make you need to clean your glasses. These two have a zing almost from the start, but it’s not like an insta-lust zing. It’s a connectivity of sameness that just draws them to each other to the point where they just need the other. It is so good and I liked it so very much.

A female playwriter getting over a mentally abusive relationship and an abused Viscount turned Highwayman fall in love and face their demons in this third installment of Lorret's Liars Club series.

Jasper is my favorite kind of hero - nerdy with a heart of gold. He's kind to everyone except his evil abusive uncle. He has eyes for only one woman - Althea, our heroine, and has been pining for her for years. He makes her paper flowers! He also moonlights as a Robin Hood highwayman taking down mean rich dudes while putting on an idiot act for society. The man is not what he seems and Althea sees right through him.

Althea is the youngest sister in the Hartley family (whom the series is based around) and is getting over a breakup when she meets and has great banter with Jasper. She hardly even minds when he ruins three of her dresses trying to stop her from spinning incriminating tales about a highwayman.

I did find it strange that Althea didn't visit Jasper in jail or try to contact him. I wanted her to make an impassioned "I'm going to fight for us" speech. I guess that made the ending more surprising. I also wanted that Kellum guy to get some kind of punishment. I loved the evolution of Jasper and Althea's relationship (all the cuddles!) and the open-door spice gave me goosebumps. Its's a solid addition to the series, but book 2 is still my fave.

I thought this was Althea and Jasper were completely adorable. Jasper has been playing the bumbling fool for a long time to protect himself from his uncle, but whenever he's around Althea, he can't help but let his true thoughts out. And they are usually something that makes Althea laugh. I loved that Althea saw Jasper from the beginning. While everyone else saw who they wanted him to see and kind of treated him like dirt, even when he went out of his way to do nice things for them, she treated him with respect and knew he was a good guy. In turn, Jasper has complete confidence in Thea and her writing, which was stomped on by a man in her past, who almost made her want to put her pen down for good.. It's a good thing a certain gentleman came around and gave her exactly what she needed to bring that spark back.
They have some VERY steamy chemistry going on, and I really just enjoy every scene they are in together. Along with some wonderful moments with both of their family members. minus the dastardly uncle.
This was a great addition to this series, and I can't wait to see if we're going to get more in this series or something new!

I love this series so much! This family is just great. I’m holding my breath and hoping we will get a Truman book. He’s so sweet and mysterious and he could become my everything with his own book. Just saying.

Althea has gone off to London for a 3rd season but her goal isn’t really to find a husband. Her goal is to get her play writing groove back. She finds her muse in Viscount St. James who is an interesting character. He’s so much more than he seems.

Everyone in society knows who St. James is but they tend to see him has a bumbling oaf because of his cruel uncle. St. James just accepts his uncle cruelty because he has the money and power and St. James is just trying to protect the who people in his life he loves.

One person not quite in his life is Althea who he has loved from afar for a long time. Now she is causing him some problems and he has to get in her way to stop her 😏

What I liked: I liked the gentleman highwayman concept. I wish it would have been a more involved part of the plot. The female main character was strong and resilient. I also enjoyed the forced proximity. There were some satisfying kisses and a good spicy scene.

What I didn’t like: I wasn’t sure how accurate the concept of a female playwright was to the time period. Of course, I couldn’t tell what time period the book was set in, and that annoyed me. The female main character struggles to trust seemed a bit over the top. And the ending and resolution happened much too fast.

Overall it was a mid-tier historical romance with some decent spice.

Thank you to @Netgalley @avonbooks and @harpervoyagerus for the chance to review this ARC.

I wish I remembered the earlier books in this series in greater detail because I think it would have helped my appreciation of this story. The main characters are Thea and Jasper. Thea was a frustrated playwright and Jasper was the misunderstood heir to an earldom. Their romance was fun and exciting but the overall plot of the book moved slowly. It felt like the author tried to squeeze lots of things in at the end of the book which caused me to lose sight of the main storyline. Nevertheless, the writing was often humorous and the characters were endearing. The books written by this author are always enjoyable. I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Everyone is lying here and it’s kinda sorta confusing til we figure it out. Althea is in her third season following a toxic courtship with a playwright last year and in massive writers’ block for her own plays. And for some wild reason, she makes up stories about encountering a highwayman when she’s out in society, mostly because she’s a storyteller and partly because she wants to attention. Unfortunately, Jasper is an actual highwayman and worries he’ll be found out, so he keeps clumsily ruining her gowns to distract from her stories. Jasper has his own problems with an abusive uncle, so he pretends to be a clumsy oaf in public, even though he’s a clever highwayman who’s protecting his family. Oh, and these those are pretty much attracted to each other at first sight. Their relationship is messy and chaotic and loads of fun to read.

Thea and Jasper both have both faced abuse—Thea’s a romance the season before that has cut her self-esteem and frozen her creative inspiration, Jasper's a life living under his Uncle’s thumb. In wake of this, both of them face self-esteem issues. Thea and Jasper have to overcome societies’ limitations in order to find their HEA—but they also have to overcome the emotional guards they’ve put in place that make them think they have to face off against their challenges alone. It is about two love interests who can see through the ideas that society-at-large may have to the truth of a person. And it deals with very real stakes in both of their lives.

Thea is a fun and spunky heroine, even if I would have loved a hair more of the playwriting aspect beyond talk of her writing. I especially appreciated the moments of emotional vulnerability from her, like explorations of her feeling like the odd-man-out amidst her loving family, sensing that they don’t truly see her and that constantly relive memories she plays no part in, even if they still love her. And Jasper was a particularly compelling hero as he is not held in high esteem by society. Feeling a little bit Percy Blakeney inspired, yes, the secret identity as a highwayman is interesting, but it doesn’t come as much into play beyond Thea discovering his identity—until it is suddently *very* important. I think there were opportunities to more actively explore both of these aspects of both characters.

However, it is about Thea helping Jasper find the courage to fight for himself in society as hard as he has fought for others in the dark. At the same time, Jasper’s obstacles are very real. For instance, he initially tells Thea he cannot marry her if her reputation is compromised (purposefully this time to help protect his identity) as his uncle controls his entire estate, in essentially a conseravatorship.

“He’d been on the receiving end of his attacks for so long that all he’d known was the necessity to shield and protect. In fact, that was still his first impulse.”

The book explores how narcissists impact the lives of both Thea and Jasper (at one point even being named as such in a way that did have me googling if this was anachronistic). But also the more general havoc that narcissists in power—both in the arts and politics-- can wreak. And the idea that Jasper seeks vigilante justice in the first place because he knows the systems as they stand will continue to protect men like his uncle.

And still, this is balanced by, at times ridiculous (including frequent references to Thea’s mother’s birds and the bees puppet show, that has haunted Thea) humor and heart (Jasper leaving Thea paper flowers, his mother’s favorite). The first half feels like it leans into the humor and hijinks and secret identities a little more in order to really explore the emotional and societal stakes and angst of the second half. I have been known to critique a book, romances especially, when it feels like it avoids real emotional messiness, and, while I do think there were opportunities to dive even deeper in places here, I don’t think this book suffers from that problem, and Thea’s revelations at the end of the book, in particular, were cathartic.

The structure and third-person dual-POV of this was familiar and comforting. I do think there were places the pacing could have been slightly tightened, which may have also made room for some of those more active character explorations previously mentioned. I was a little sad there was no epilogue, but I’ll get over it.

Having missed the first titles in the series, this reads fine on its own, but I will definitely be swinging back. It is romances like this that made Avon historicals my go-to. Please keep publishing them and showing your long-term readers you see them.

Why was there no epilogue? I need an epilogue. There better be more because I need more from this couple.

I really enjoyed this one. I haven’t been pulled into a book in awhile the way I was pulled into this one. I’ve always loved Vivienne Lorret’s writing style, and this book was no exception. She’s an amazing writer for historical romances and one I can always count on. I thought the plot was very interesting. And the character development and background’s of both were well done. I loved how they both had something from their past that made them think they weren’t good enough, but were able to overcome that in the end. Overall this book is perfect for any Vivienne Lorret fans, or those who love historical romances with kidnapping, Robin Hood vibes, and playwriting.

A dangerous game!

Into her third season, Althea Hartley, from an eccentric creative family is not looking forward to this latest round in London. Last season she had her playwriting hopes shot down by her romantic hope, playwrite and swine, Sir Kellum Archer. Althea has lost her mojo!
Jasper Trueblood, Viscount St. James is playing the long game. He’s his despicable uncle’s heir. His unrepentant uncle punishes anyone involved with Jasper. Society however accepts Silas, the Earl of Redcliffe. They only see his perfect presentation, not his victims, not his venal attude, not those he’s sucked the life from.
Cohesive Control is Redcliffe’s game, his imperious disregard for all is hidden from his acquaintances, including the Prince Regent. Jasper plays the game by presenting himself as a bumbling awkward oaf.
Ahh! But by night Jasper is a highwayman robbing from those like his uncle to give to the needy.
When Jasper holds up the coach Althea finds herself in, Jasper doesn’t realize he’s met his match. Althea however feels the tingling that is a precursor to her mojo bursting forth. She was trying to climb up Jasper at that moment. Hmmm!
The attraction between the two is explosive. Jasper has to carefully negotiate his swinish uncle to obtain his inheritance. Redcliffe will not allow this. So it’s imperative no-one understands the true strength that is Jasper. (Slow down Althea!)
Of course Althea’s brilliant family lends a hand.
Meanwhile Althea’s storytelling does throw some boulders into Jasper’s path.
Fun, passionate, with a truly hateful villain, this tale is just what I wanted.

An Avon & Harper Voyager ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Book three of this series takes us on the ride with Jasper and Althea. Althea is a writer who creates a highwayman story. Jasper, a Viscount and highwayman must stop the story before he is discovered. There is a villain who adds moral complexity to the story. Overall, interesting, and noteworthy. A great series to join. Well paced.

I generally adore Vivienne Lorret's books, but "This Much is True" is not the best example of her work. While main couple Althea and Jasper were fairly appealing and had a good connection, the overall pacing was off and some of the plot devices just didn't work for me. That said, the Hartley family is still entertaining and the book a decent way to pass a few hours in the historical romance genre.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

This was an entertaining, well-written historical romance. It was fun, steamy and kept me reading. I enjoyed this historical romance and will continue to look for more books by this author.

Tropes: MMC with a secret identity and a dark past; MFC wants to be a playwright
Steam level: 2-3
Part of a series, and although it works on its own, previous characters are mentioned and are part of the action, so best if the 1st 2 books are read first.

3.5 stars squeaked up for the premise and a few scenes in the early chapters that made me LOL. The writing is strong and sharp, as always. I like the cat-and-mouse games that ensue when a MC is putting on an act to totally mislead others but the other MC sees through it. And, as usual, this author's sense of humor almost made the book for me--until it became OTT and didn't mesh well with the seriousness of MMC Jasper's dark storyline.

My quibbles in a bit more detail:
--Pacing can be an issue. At times the ideas are repetitive and lead to the plot dragging in the first third (yes, Jasper is seen as less-than by the Ton; yes, MFC Thea is insecure due to a toxic relationship, let's move on, shall we?).
--Plot elements that don't make a lot of sense. POSSIBLE SPOILERS..............For example, if Jasper wants the Ton to continue to see only him as a bumbling fool and he wants Thea to lose interest in him, why does he continue to find ways to ruin her gown in public and embarrass her, but then pursue her at the theater? And if he's actually a crafty fellow, why a silly kidnap plot with no real justification?
--The uncle is a flat character with way too much control over Jasper's behavior.

I get that a lot of this is supposed to be OTT; Thea is theatrical and comes from a theatrical family, but the comical, outlandish elements don't lead to much time for the MC's to relate on a down-to-earth level. For me, the romance is in all in the way characters get to know each other. But beyond giving Thea paper flowers, Jasper didn't convince me that he loved Thea, while Thea seems to fall in love with him quite quickly. I wanted her to be more assertive and for take-control Jasper to really meet his match. I think this must be an issue I have with most of this writer's MMC's in this series; they could be more cinnamon roll-ish or fall first. They always have issues that keep them from being full-fledged nice guys.

The angst kicks up toward the end, with the plot becoming rather head-scratchingly dark and then loopy, and I felt that the author just tried to do too much. An epilogue, at least, was in order, because everything happens super fast.

I did like this book, there's plenty of humor in the set-up and some well-written scenes, but it didn't quite proceed the way I'd hoped.

This book was terrific and written by one of my favorite authors. Ms Lorret gives the readers a spectacular historical romance. Even though it's #3 of the Liars Club, it can be read as a stand alone. I felt the characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own. I really enjoyed the joy and sorrow of Theo and Jasper. She was in a difficult breakup with a abusive boyfriend who always put her down with hurtful words. Thea is a woman who has tried to be what she thought her ex wanted.
Jasper, the Viscount St. James, is a man who is a protector of the innocent. He meets Thea and there is a connection between them. He is a large man, who acts like the bumbling persona around his awful uncle. Jasper is a highwayman who helps people like a Robin Hood character.
Jasper and Thea begin to let their guard down towards each other. They begin to fall in love which makes for a happy ever after.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.