Title: Suitors and Sabotage
Author: Cindy Anstey
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 336 (Paperback - ARC)
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication date: April 17th, 2018
Synopsis from Suitors and Sabotage's Goodreads page
Shy aspiring artist Imogene Chively has just had a successful Season in London, complete with a suitor of her father's approval. Imogene is ambivalent about the young gentleman until he comes to visit her at the Chively estate with his younger brother in tow. When her interest is piqued, however, it is for the wrong brother.
Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother's intended.
But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of "accidents," it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger. . .
Charming Ben Steeple has a secret: despite being an architectural apprentice, he has no drawing aptitude. When Imogene offers to teach him, Ben is soon smitten by the young lady he considers his brother's intended.
But hiding their true feelings becomes the least of their problems when, after a series of "accidents," it becomes apparent that someone means Ben harm. And as their affection for each other grows—despite their efforts to remain just friends—so does the danger. . .
THOUGHTS
I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review -- Thank you Raincoast Books!!
I had never seen or heard about this book before, until I was perusing through the the publishers catalogue, and came across this beautiful cover, and I was immediately interested. I absolutely love cute contemporary books, especially ones that take place in the 1800s. I immediately wanted to read it, and I'm glad I did!
This book is about a young woman in the 1817s who is courting a young man...but somehow begins to fall in love with his younger brother, and the problems that ensue because of it. It's a sweet, beautiful contemporary book with a bit of a mysterious twist to it!
I'm going to start off by saying that I adored the writing style of this book. It was heartfelt and sweet, and it was beautifully written. I found a few small things about this book that bothered me a little bit, but overall I enjoyed it and I'm happy I read it.
I find that sometimes the romance between two characters can be forced in some ways, but this is definitely not the case here! I loved how Imogene and Ben were falling in love slowly, even though they try everything in their power not to. They fall for each other without any warning, and I enjoyed how it didn't feel forced in any way. It felt like they had no control over it, and it was just the way that it was supposed to be. And the ending!! Oh, the ending crushed me in the best way possible.
I also enjoyed how this book was a cute romance story, instead of a steamy one. It was cute and sweet and funny and awkward, which is exactly how young love is supposed to be. I loved how the characters were embarrassed by the little things they did awkwardly, as well as how they were flirting and the build up to the ending. The love story felt real and not forced, and the characters seemed to be the ones controlling the story.
With that said, I found the book to be a bit slow at the beginning, and that there was quite a gap between the actual beginning of the book and the beginning of the story itself. The beginning was a bit difficult to get into, as the action didn't really start until about 50-60 pages in. However, once I hit that point, I flew through the book and read the rest in one sitting.
The book also has a bit of a mysterious aspect to it, as there are "accidents" that keep happening and keep either getting Ben into trouble, or almost killing him. I really enjoyed how the characters reacted to these "accidents" and how the girls were doing everything in their power to try and get to the bottom of them. The only problem I had was that I think that the way the person who was causing these accidents was found out was a bit unrealistic - with them just outright saying that it was them. With the mystery that was being built up through the entire book about these "accidents", I would have enjoyed it better and found it more realistic if one of the main characters had found out who it was and confronted them, or found evidence to prove it, instead of the person doing it out and out saying that it was them.
I did thoroughly enjoy the book with that being said, and I found the characters to be well developed, the conversations to be awkward and sweet, and I loved every single character (even the bad person), and the writing was a perfect fit for the story that was being told. Be sure to check this book out when it comes out in April!
Overall - ★★★☆☆.5
I had never seen or heard about this book before, until I was perusing through the the publishers catalogue, and came across this beautiful cover, and I was immediately interested. I absolutely love cute contemporary books, especially ones that take place in the 1800s. I immediately wanted to read it, and I'm glad I did!
This book is about a young woman in the 1817s who is courting a young man...but somehow begins to fall in love with his younger brother, and the problems that ensue because of it. It's a sweet, beautiful contemporary book with a bit of a mysterious twist to it!
I'm going to start off by saying that I adored the writing style of this book. It was heartfelt and sweet, and it was beautifully written. I found a few small things about this book that bothered me a little bit, but overall I enjoyed it and I'm happy I read it.
I find that sometimes the romance between two characters can be forced in some ways, but this is definitely not the case here! I loved how Imogene and Ben were falling in love slowly, even though they try everything in their power not to. They fall for each other without any warning, and I enjoyed how it didn't feel forced in any way. It felt like they had no control over it, and it was just the way that it was supposed to be. And the ending!! Oh, the ending crushed me in the best way possible.
I also enjoyed how this book was a cute romance story, instead of a steamy one. It was cute and sweet and funny and awkward, which is exactly how young love is supposed to be. I loved how the characters were embarrassed by the little things they did awkwardly, as well as how they were flirting and the build up to the ending. The love story felt real and not forced, and the characters seemed to be the ones controlling the story.
With that said, I found the book to be a bit slow at the beginning, and that there was quite a gap between the actual beginning of the book and the beginning of the story itself. The beginning was a bit difficult to get into, as the action didn't really start until about 50-60 pages in. However, once I hit that point, I flew through the book and read the rest in one sitting.
The book also has a bit of a mysterious aspect to it, as there are "accidents" that keep happening and keep either getting Ben into trouble, or almost killing him. I really enjoyed how the characters reacted to these "accidents" and how the girls were doing everything in their power to try and get to the bottom of them. The only problem I had was that I think that the way the person who was causing these accidents was found out was a bit unrealistic - with them just outright saying that it was them. With the mystery that was being built up through the entire book about these "accidents", I would have enjoyed it better and found it more realistic if one of the main characters had found out who it was and confronted them, or found evidence to prove it, instead of the person doing it out and out saying that it was them.
I did thoroughly enjoy the book with that being said, and I found the characters to be well developed, the conversations to be awkward and sweet, and I loved every single character (even the bad person), and the writing was a perfect fit for the story that was being told. Be sure to check this book out when it comes out in April!
Overall - ★★★☆☆.5
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