Unmasking Miss Appleby

Baleful Godmother #1

by Emily Larkin

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B01KBGITJQ


"She’s not who she seems…

On her 25th birthday, Charlotte Appleby receives a most unusual gift from the Faerie godmother she never knew she had: the ability to change shape.

Penniless and orphaned, she sets off for London to make her fortune as a man. But a position as secretary to Lord Cosgrove proves unexpectedly challenging. Someone is trying to destroy Cosgrove and his life is increasingly in jeopardy.

As Charlotte plunges into London’s backstreets and brothels at Cosgrove’s side, hunting his persecutor, she finds herself fighting for her life—and falling in love…

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Regency

393 pages, ebook

First published November 7, 2016

About the author

Emily Larkin is the USA Today bestselling author of the Baleful Godmother historical romance series, a series that readers are calling “sexy, unusual and vastly entertaining,” and "ridiculously wonderful."

When not reading or writing, Emily can be found hiking—preferably somewhere off the beaten track. She loves to travel, and has lived in Sweden, backpacked in Europe and North America, and traveled overland in the Middle East, China, and North Africa. Her varied career includes stints as a field assistant in Antarctica and a waitress on the Isle of Skye.

Emily writes fantasy novels as Emily Gee, and historical romance novels as Emily Larkin. She has been a finalist in the Romance Writers of America RITA award, as well as the National Readers Choice, Booksellers Best, Australian Romantic Book of the Year, Sir Julius Vogel, and Koru awards. Her websites are www.emilylarkin.com and www.emilygee.com.

** Join Emily’s Readers’ Group to get an email whenever she has a new release or discounts a book—plus get some FREE ebooks as well!**

Reviews

[Alexis Hall]

Well, this was a … very, very straight book. And I know that probably sounds like an odd thing to say, considering it’s m/f about two definitely straight people. But there’s, like, straight, which is just the way something happens to be. And there’s straight like a door being shut in your face. And, for me, this was the latter.

I picked it up without really paying much heed to what it was about because, back in the dim and distant past, the author wrote some romance-adjacent fantasy I can’t remember much about but definitely enjoyed at the time: The Laurentine Spy and The Thief With No Shadow. Anyway, when I realised Emily Larkin was Emily Gee getting her histrom on I was IN. So very in.

And. Well. I guess I’m out again? Or at least ambivalently hokey-cokeying.

I won’t deny there’s lots to like here: Emily Larkin-Gee is just incredibly readable and I did, in fact, read this in a single sitting. I just also ended up struggling a lot. I think, maybe, part of my problem is that I have fallen out of love hard with the Heroine Disguised As A Boy trope. I was always super drawn to it as a youngling but I increasingly suspect the reason I was drawn to it was because I was, err, looking for queerness. Looking for queerness in all the wrong places. Because, when you get right down to it, the Heroine Disguised As A Boy trope, however subversive it feels on the surface, often amounts to repudiation of queerness, rather than an embrace of it. After all, such stories always end with everyone safely returned to their biologically-determined gender identity, the social order of cisman-with-ciswoman restored, and the hero laughingly relieved that he’s not a big gayer after all.

So the deal with Unmasking Miss Appleby (and even the name gives me pause) is that the plain but intelligent (and naturally bespectacled) heroine is living with the evil side of the family following the tragic death of her parents. She is fading into miserable spinsterhood, dreaming of independence, when an obviously malignant fairy godmother (this is one of the “lots to like here” bits) turns up and grants her a superpower of her choice. She goes for, like, shapeshifting, transforms into a man, and uses her new being-a-manness to secure a position as secretary to Lord Cosgrove, a committed abolitionist who is currently under attack by enigmatic forces who seem to want to bring him to ruin. From here things go as you’d want: they do manly lord-and-secretary bonding (NOT GAY), she falls for him, but oh no she’s a boy, and there’s the whole mystery of who is fucking with Lord Cosgrove and why. I kind of enjoyed this mystery, it’s twisty and turny, and the heroine—by dint of being a man, and also occasionally, a dog and sparrow—is heavily involved in untangling it.

I mean, it’s slightly undermined by the heroine taking one look at the obvious villain, being like “oh, it’s this guy” and Lord Cosgrave spending the next three hundred pages being like “it’s definitely not that guy” only for it totally be that guy. Which makes Lord Cosgrave look kind of daft for no reason. But then, I wasn’t a huge fan of Lord Cosgrave. His terrible tragedy is that his now-dead wife was unfaithful, and he spends a lot of his time delivering lines like “she had the face of an angel, and the heart of a whore.” Which, y’know, sounds pretty cool if you ask me? I would love to have the face of an angel and the heart of a whore: I think it would mean I was very hot and ran my own business. But I’m just generally not into the whole, “this dead woman wasn’t exactly what I wanted her to be and now I have the sads” – and to be fair to the book we later learn there’s slightly more going on with his evil dead wife but it’s basically just spins the dial from “monster” to “victim.” Which I’m not sure is an improvement?

Anyway. There were a few elements of the book that brought me up short, many of which I think were more about, well, me? Than the book? But to start with the least personal … hm. How can I explain this.

Okay, loathe as I am to reference JKR with regard to anything but, like, you know Mad Eye Moody? How he spends the entirety of book 4 locked in his own trunk while Harry has a bunch of meaningful bonding experiences with … wossname … David Tennant. But then Mad Eye is released from the trunk, and David Tennant is arrested, and technically the real Mad Eye should be a stranger to Harry. Because they have no relationship whatsoever. But the books and the films just continue as if the relationship Harry developed with David Tennant was ACTUALLY developed with Mad Eye Moody.

Well, I think there’s something of that going on here. Because when Miss Appleby discovers she’s got the hots for Lord Cosgrave, to the extent that it’s making it difficult to pretend to be his male secretary around him, she comes to him as herself and trades information about whoever is trying to ruin his life for, err, sex with him. More on this later. This leads to Miss Appleby-as-herself developing a sexual relationship with Lord Cosgrave. Except he spends most of the book being paternalistically supportive of his naïve new secretary, and it feels like there’s no connection between these two relationships. He’s not allowed to experience anything other than mild affection for his secretary (because NOT GAY, did I say this was NOT GAY) but there’s also not much space for him to develop an emotional dynamic with Miss Appleby-as-herself.

Which means it’s sort of like he’s marrying Mad Eye Moody even though he was way closer to David Tennant. And I know, in this case, Mad Eye Moody and David Tennant are supposed to be the same person but Cosgrave treats his secretary like a secretary. And Miss Appleby is a woman he has sex with about three times?

Speaking of the whole sexing Miss Appleby thing, for me it raised some weird consent questions. Firstly because she literally trades sex with him for information which, I guess, is more prostitutiony? Than it is non-consensual? (Who has the heart of a whore now, Lord Cosgrave, eh? And maybe let’s not treat sex work like it’s shameful). But then there’s the whole … Miss Appleby knows Lord Cosgrave because she’s his secretary, so Lord Cosgrave thinks he’s having sex with a stranger, when actually he’s having sex with someone he already knows, albeit someone he knows when they’re literally transformed into a man by magic? Is that okay? Like can you meaningfully consent to bang someone when you don’t have a full understanding of who they are and who they are is kind of Mystique from X-Men but neither blue nor naked?

Which brings me to the really awkward bit which is that Cosgrave just kinda loses his shit when he finds out that his secretary and his bangee are the same person, assuming that (on the basis of zero evidence) the male secretary is Miss Appleby’s “true” self, and the woman he is sleeping with is a figment created by the man for the purpose of getting into Cosgrove’s pants. And the fact Cosgrave feels he has been TRICKED INTO GAY is kind of the whole dark moment—and he has to go punch a punching bag in his basement to unleash his rage and fury at having been TRICKED IN THE GAY. And, oh God, I don’t know. It’s just all really no homo and trans panicky and erk?

Because the thing is, even though Miss Appleby is definitely a ciswoman who assumes other forms by magic, the book just seems to be (I think accidentally?) leaning hard into some really uncomfortable-making ideas. I mean, given I was asking questions about whether Cosgrove could have given meaningful consent above, I’m not saying he doesn’t have reason to feel betrayed or withheld from. But his whole deal is that Miss Appleby is “really” a man who has made him DO THE GAY. And I kind of lose myself in the gender dynamics here because while I know it’s literally shape-shifting faery magic there’s still context and implication and the real world to think about it.

Cosgrave finally reconciles with Miss Appleby because she literally saves his life but also because he recognises that she was “really” a woman all along. But why is Miss Appleby “really” a woman?
Because her body is biologically that of a woman? But her body is biologically that of a man when she transforms. Because she identifies as a woman? But she told him she was a woman when he realises who she is and he didn’t believe her (because, apparently, he gets to decide that somehow). Because she was in the body of a cis-gendered woman before she used faery magic to transform herself into a cis-gendered man? I’m not sure I like the implications of that AT ALL. It seems to be adding up to an idea of gender as biological, immutable and, err, instinctively recognisable from the outside. And. Um. Ow?

And probably I’m down a rabbit hole of over-thinking. Because maybe gender-flipping faery magic is just gender-flipping faery magic, and that should be okay. It’s just, right now, with the world as it is, I’m not sure it IS okay. I don’t know. I just don’t know.

(Also just to stray even further out of my lane, there's a lot of talk about the abolitionist movement in this book but not a single POC as far as the eye can see--which sort of transforms slavery into a moral problem for rich white men).

[K.J. Charles]

A brilliant idea--Regency romance with a smidge of magic, in this case the heroine having shapeshifting powers. She uses them to turn into a man and get a job as secretary to an aristo, you know the score. It works really well and is a very fun read, until we get to the massive outburst of homophobia on the part of the hero. He has sex with the heroine in her own shape, then learns that she's his secretary, and completely freaks out about having had sex with a man (believing her "true" gender to be male). I can't think this would come across well to a trans reader. I see no reason a world with magic couldn't also include non-toxic heterosexuality and, regrettably, this took away the pleasure of the book for me.

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've given this an A- at AAR, so that's 4.5 stars rounded up.

It’s no secret that my least favourite trope is the one in which the heroine passes herself off as a man. I find it too difficult to believe that nobody would notice she wasn’t one, even within the idealised setting of a romantic novel. That’s not to say that some authors haven’t managed to pull it off with a reasonable degree of success; most recently, Eva Leigh made a good job of it in Forever Your Earl , by having the heroine be as aware as the reader of the difficulty of a woman pretending to be a man and making others believe it and went on to use the premise to make some insightful social comment.

In Unmasking Miss Appleby, Emily Larkin goes one step further than disguising her heroine by the use of theatrical costume and make-up; she has her heroine able to actually transform herself into a man by virtue of a magical power bestowed upon her.

Okay, okay – I completely recognise the incongruity of saying I find it hard to believe in a woman simply dressing as a man, but I’ll go along with a woman who can turn into one. But it’s a very clever idea, because once that fantastical premise is accepted, Ms. Larkin is able to create the sort of easy friendship between her protagonists that would not have been at all possible between a man and a woman, and can allow her heroine to see and hear things and to go to places a female of the time would never have been allowed to see, hear or visit. Even with that said, though, had the story not been well-thought out and well-written I would probably not have been able to accept the magical element so readily, but as it stands, the plot is well-developed, the romance is delicious, and it all adds up to a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Charlotte Appleby was orphaned at twelve and taken in by relatives who proceeded to use her as an unpaid tutor and governess for their children and then as a general dogsbody. She is resigned to a future of drudgery because there is no other course open to her; the prospect of working as a governess or companion does not appeal, and the jobs which do, and which will provide a good income are those open only to men. She has no money and nowhere else to go, and at her age and with no dowry, marriage is extremely unlikely. But on the day of her twenty-fifth birthday all that changes when she returns to her room to discover a strange woman sitting there. The woman explains that she’s a Faerie and that, owing to a good deed performed by one of Charlotte’s ancestors for one of the Fey (as detailed in The Fey Quartet of prequel novellas), Charlotte is offered the choice of a number of different, fantastical gifts. She could have the ability to fly, to foretell the future or read minds, for instance – but after thinking it through quickly she opts for the ability to transform her appearance at will, assured that such metamorphosis applies only to her exterior and that she will remain herself inside.

Charlotte proceeds to turn herself into Mr. Christopher Albin and secures employment with Marcus Langford, the Earl of Cosgrove, whose secretary was badly injured when they were set upon in the street just days earlier. Cosgrove is a widower whose beautiful wife is known to have cuckolded him, and who continues to be the subject of gossip by those who suspect him of having mistreated her, and perhaps even of murdering her.  In the months since her death, he has been the subject of an anonymous hate campaign; the windows of his London home are repeatedly smashed, piles of excrement are deposited on his doorstep, and now it seems as though someone is out to do him bodily harm, as the attack on him and his secretary was not simply the work of opportunist footpads.

Cosgrove is also an active member of parliament who takes his responsibilities very seriously and who is an avid and vocal supporter of the abolitionist movement.  Thus, the field of suspects as to who could be behind the attacks upon him is fairly large – is it political opponents or his late wife’s brother, who has never scrupled to make clear his intense dislike?  Or could it be his dissolute cousin and heir, a young man who lives well beyond his means and expects Marcus to fund his gambling, drinking and whoring habits?

The relationship that develops between the earl and his young secretary is rather delightful.  Marcus takes Albin under his wing in an older brother-ish kind of way, and their burgeoning friendship allows Charlotte an insight into the male mind in a way she could never have gained as a woman.   Marcus talks to Albin frankly about sex, takes him to a brothel (not as a patron, I hasten to add!), says what he thinks, swears and generally behaves as he would with any male acquaintance, which is all very liberating for Charlotte.  And she gets to see how the other half lives, to experience the freedom and confidence afforded simply by virtue of possessing a penis.

The problem, of course, is that that particular appendage starts to sit up and take notice whenever her handsome employer is around, and Charlotte is terrified that he’ll notice and throw her out on her ear.  She’s never before experienced feelings of arousal or desire and isn’t sure what to do – all she knows is that she has to find a way to conquer them. Remembering an offhand remark Cosgrove made about a man’s need to sometimes scratch an itch, she embarks upon a bold course of action in an attempt to get him out of her system so that she can continue to work alongside him.   I don’t want to give too much away, but the romance works beautifully, and Ms. Larkin does a terrific job of showing (not just telling) Marcus gradually falling for Charlotte (in her true form) through a series of meetings that begin as one thing and end as another.  Marcus is a gorgeous, sexy hero who positively shines throughout the story as a man of action, intelligence and principle, and Charlotte plays her dual role admirably; an excellent foil, friend and sounding board as Albin, and the woman with whom Marcus seeks comfort, tenderness and pleasure as herself.

The two main plotlines – the romance and the search for who is seeking to destroy Marcus – are very well integrated, with no sudden shifts in tone or strained contrivances.  And while the fantasy element to the story is fairly low key, the author doesn’t just forget it once she’s embedded Charlotte as Albin; the ability to transform her appearance plays an important part in the search for Cosgrove’s enemies.  The one thing I’d take issue with is how easily Cosgrove accepts Albin’s ability to turn into various animals, but given everything that’s happened up to that point and how much stress he’s under, I guess he can be allowed a metaphorical shrug and to accept the help that his secretary’s strange gift allows.

Emily Larkin (who has also written as Emily May and Emily Gee) writes with a great deal of elegance and perception, and has crafted an unusual and charming story to kick off her new Baleful Godmother series.  If you’re looking for a high-concept fantasy romance, then pass on by, because this isn’t it.  But if you’re after an emotionally satisfying, quirky and sensual romance, then I’d say this is definitely worth your time.  I’m certainly going to be looking out for the next book in the series, and Unmasking Miss Appleby is now securely tucked onto my keeper shelf.

[Bubu · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Free on Amazon

On Charlotte Christina Albinia Appleby’s 25th birthday, she is visited by a rather unwilling Faerie Godmother and informed that the women in her line get a special kind of birthday present. She can choose: levitation, translocation, longevity, reading people’s minds….or how about metamorphosis? Change into anything and anyone with a beating heart. Man, woman, animal? That ability in particular, is a like a present sent from heaven. Become a man, find herself a job and escape her rather unpleasant uncle and aunt who barely treat her better than one of her servants.

Marcus Langford, ninth Earl of Cosgrove, is many things. Rich, a passionate abolitionist, a widower, and most importantly, an enemy to quite a few men who’d rather see him dead. There are his political opponents who try to undermine him with the fact that he was about to divorce his unfaithful wife, Lavinia, who offed herself accidentally in one of her highly dramatic moments (read: temper tantrums) and fell from the tower of their country estate. ‘Cuckold Cosgrove’ they call him. These ‘gentleman’ profit greatly from the slave trade and wouldn’t mind shutting Cosgrove up.

But he has his personal enemies, too. There’s Lavinia’s brother and then her ex-lover who used to be his best friend. And there is his beard splitter of an heir, Philipp Langford, who openly wishes Marcus dead.

It’s been going on for months: broken windows, shit on the steps of his townhouse. But it’s getting worse. One night, he and his secretary are set upon by footpads. A random attack seemingly, which leaves his secretary seriously injured.

Enter Christopher Albin, former secretary to the late Mr. Charles Appleby, Esq., who applies for the job as Cosgrove’s new secretary. A 25-year-old, rather shy young man, bright and eager.

Let the giggle and snigger fest begin.

I had just finished The Duchess War earlier that day and had remarked how Courtney Milan actually shows what it’s like when a man is dictated by his dick and is intellectually aware of it. And then I go and choose - unconsciously - my next read about a woman who shapeshifts into a man and has no idea how to hit the chamber pot with her penis without making a mess, a phenomenon that still seems to be relevant over 200 years later when I think of some men I’ve come across. But let’s go back to Charlotte’s/Christopher’s use of the proper terminology: his/her ‘pego’.

What an utterly delightful, what a fabulously charming book Unmasking Miss Appleby is. And it has nothing to do with the fact that I had had a few duds and some okay-ish books. I would have loved this book no matter what.

Miss Larkin’s writing is compellingly effortless. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down; when I did put it down, I wanted to get back to it as fast as possible. And there, she even used a trope I whole-heartedly dislike: fake identity.

But she made it easy. The mystery surrounding Marcus’s enemies is expertly handled. No drawn-out secrets that Marcus hides. On the contrary, as the story moves along and he and his new secretary, Charlotte - or Albin, as he calls her - go through the list of possible perpetrators, Marcus reveals willingly his political motivations as well as the catastrophic mistake he made by marrying Lavinia. It would have been so convenient to portray yet another tortured hero, but for all his anger, Marcus is a man who can see the ridiculousness of some of the situations he and Albin find themselves in and make fun of it. And that, more than anything, endeared him to me. That Charlotte/Albin seems to have no clue about the ‘finer’ aspects of the male nature, turned some scenes almost into a screwball comedy.

“The woman kneeling between Mr. Langford’s legs. What was she doing?”
Marcus lowered his hands and sat up straight. “Uh . . . she was . . . er, she was playing his pipe.”
Albin’s face creased with confusion. “What?” “Playing his pipe. His silent flute.” And then, since the lad clearly didn’t understand, he gestured to his own groin. “His virile member.”

Two pages later:

Albin said: “So what was she doing, sir? The whore? Was she trying to play music on Langford’s cock?”
His brain gave him a ludicrous image of the whore blowing on Phillip’s penis and producing a tune. Marcus blinked. Albin didn’t really think—
He turned his head and stared at Albin.
Albin stared earnestly back at him.
He did think it.
Laughter bubbled up from Marcus’s chest and spilled out of his mouth. He tried to gulp it back, but it was unstoppable.

Not long ago I criticised Elizabeth Hoyt’s Duke of Pleasure for letting the disguise going on for too long, thus hampering the romance, making it hard to believe that the hero could develop feelings. And although I stand by my dislike of the fake-identity-trope for that very reason, Unmasking Miss Appleby handled it more eloquently, drawing Charlotte’s – quite literally – growing attraction for Marcus into the equation, and letting Marcus meet the real Charlotte.

If there were any plot holes – apart from the obvious ones that always come with a PNR novel (metamorphosis) – I couldn’t find them. Even the reason why Charlotte would start an affair with Marcus made sense which led to some awkward but realistic moments. And this baffled me the most. I’ve become quite used to suspending my disbelief in non-paranormal romances, even more so in PNR’s. But even if I don’t take the pnr elements out, Marcus and Charlotte’s relationship developed organically. That Marcus has doubts over the kind of status Charlotte could take up in his life, once the danger was overcome, felt real, his hesitation natural. Charlotte, who falls for him much earlier, also sees the realistic course of events, which would be that the relationship will end.

This book took me on an extremely enjoyable journey. And I’ll forever think of Charlotte’s attempts to control her growing hard-ons and laugh.

Cosgrove reached out and tugged the knot, straightening it, tightening it. His knuckles brushed the underside of her chin. The blush flamed hotter in Charlotte’s cheeks. Alarm lurched through her. Was it going to stiffen? Now, of all times?
I wish to have a soft pego, she said frantically in her head.
Magic itched at her groin. Her pego stopped stirring.

And how will I ever forget 'beard splitter'?

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a nice surprise!!!
The story is not a comedy, but it’s full of funny moments regarding the Charlotte’s awkwardness with her changed sex!

“She wished Swiffen’s Cyclopaedia had an entry on the pego, explaining its peculiarities. Why was it so stiff when she woke in the mornings? How could something so soft become so hard? And what did one do to control it? Using her Faerie gift to wish it limp again worked, but she’d never seen a man walking around with his pego tenting his breeches, so there must be a way of controlling it that didn’t involve magic.
Unless there was something wrong with hers?”

Poor Charlotte... such a dilemma! LOL

”…Albin said: “So what was she doing, sir? The whore? Was she trying to play music on Langford’s cock?”
His brain gave him a ludicrous image of the whore blowing on Phillip’s penis and producing a tune. Marcus blinked. Albin didn’t really think—
He turned his head and stared at Albin.
Albin stared earnestly back at him.
He did think it.”

“...A sheath? Dried sheep’s intestines? Charlotte managed not to pull a face.”

It’s historically correct, but I didn’t know that they’re still in commerce!!! O_O

But apart the funny scenes where Charlotte (as Albin) blunders about how to act/think/speak about sexually related matters, there’s some interesting things happening. Like discovering what happened to Marcus wife, who and why wants Markus dead, why Marcus is against slavery…

Also, for all her cleverness to hide her metamorphic powers, Charlotte exposes them accidentally while saving Marcus’s life. So we have some interesting transformations that are done quite well. It’s not just puff and Charlotte knows how to fly, run on four legs, etc… No, it is really explained how awkward she felt, how afraid she was, how difficult it was!

While Charlotte’s falling in love with Marcus was well done, I found that Marcus’ was not. Marcus, being the stupid man of his time, ask her to be his mistress because she’s not high-born enough to be his wife! And, while I get that was the way of the Ton, I still hate when that happen in my romance! Uff!!

But, at the same time, I appreciated Marcus as a man who didn’t abuse women, children, or those weaker either physically and in rank. He was always courteous and even when angry he didn’t just react by venting his anger, but restrained himself and thought things through before acting. This I liked! :)

Still the absolute star was Charlotte! One just must love her and her personality both as herself and as Albin! :)

So, if you want to laugh and do not have triggers about mistress role, I’ll tell you to read this book! :)

[Lyuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most original historical romances I read in a long-long time. And just to think how many times this book was on-and-off my tbr… Even after seeing high ratings and wonderful reviews from my GR friends, I was still on a fence. I don’t care for plots with mistaken identity, especially the ones where a woman masquerading as a man because let’s face it, it’s rarely done to be believable. But add to this paranormal elements? No, this was definitely a fence too high for me to jump or, so I thought, until Bubu's fantastic review finally gave me the needed push. Thank you, my friend!

Once started, I couldn’t put the book down. The story is perfect balance of laugh-out-loud funny and dramatic moments. The mystery part for me was not the actual mystery the two protagonists were trying to solve. I figured out the culprit and even their motivations early one. The real mystery was how the author would turn the story into f/m romance without too many pnr elements. And she did it brilliantly.

While it's not a perfect 5-star story (still don’t care about paranormal), I rounded up because it’s truly exceeded my expectations.

[Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review from 2019

I've given this an A+ for narration and an A for content at AudioGals.

Emily Larkin’s <Unmasking Miss Appleby was one of my favourite books of 2016. It’s the first in the author’s  Baleful Godmother  series of historical romances with a magical twist – which is very cleverly incorporated into the story. If you’re looking for a high-concept paranormal romance, then you’ll need to look elsewhere, because that’s not what this is. What it IS, however, is a well-written, strongly characterised and thoroughly enjoyable historical romance set very firmly in the Regency London with which fans of historicals are familiar. And added to all that, the cherry on top of the icing on the cake is the extremely accomplished performance by Rosalyn Landor (actually, does she ever give anything other than an extremely accomplished performance?!) – who once again demonstrates why she’s Numero Uno when it comes to narration in historical romance.

After the death of her parents, Charlotte Appleby was – very begrudgingly – taken in by relatives who treat her little better than a servant, and while she longs for independence, she knows that a life of drudgery awaits her. But on the evening of her twenty-fifth birthday, she receives an unexpected visitor in the form of a woman who introduces herself as her Faerie Godmother and tells Charlotte that she has come to bestow a magical gift upon her, a gift earned by an ancestress centuries ago as payment for a valuable service rendered. Charlotte at first can’t believe her ears – there are no such things as faeries, after all – but when the woman reveals that Charlotte’s mother had received a gift on her twenty-fifth birthday, and tells her more about the sorts of powers she can grant, Charlotte starts to think that perhaps there’s something in her talk of magical abilities and gives some thought as to what gift she wants. She realises that this could be her chance for independence and decides on the ability of transformation, reasoning that as a man, there will be many, many more opportunities open to her than there will as a woman. With this in mind, she sets out to secure employment, and applies for a position as a secretary in London.

Her application is successful, mostly because there are no other applicants for the position of secretary to the Earl of Cosgrove following a violent attack a few nights earlier, which left his previous secretary badly injured. For some time now, the earl – a widower – has been the subject of an anonymous campaign of victimisation; vicious rumours circulate that accuse him of mistreating his late wife, and there are even whispers he murdered her; his house is being vandalised almost nightly, piles of shit are regularly left on the doorstep and now, whoever is behind all these outrages seems to have stepped up their campaign against him by resorting to violence. Cosgrove is a high-profile and very vocal abolitionist and thinks it most likely that his political opponents are responsible for both the vandalism and the attack, although his good-for-nothing heir – who hates him – and his late wife’s brother – who hates him – also have reason to want to do him harm.

Chicks-in-strides is probably my least-favourite trope of them all because I find it really difficult to believe that nobody is able to tell that the heroine isn’t a man. Here, however, Charlotte is able to become a man, so there’s none of that breast-binding or learning how to walk with a manful stride that so often crops up in those stories where the heroine disguises herself as a chap. Charlotte’s transformation into Christopher Albin also affords the author a fantastic opportunity to develop a real friendship between her hero and heroine, and also to make some nicely-judged social observations, not only about the limited options open to women at the time, but also on the way the sexes interacted.

The relationship that develops between Cosgrove and Charlotte – as Albin – is delightful. The earl takes the younger man under his wing in the manner of an older brother and talks frankly to her about various matters – including women and sex – which affords Charlotte a glimpse into the male psyche she could never have gained as a woman. She also gets to experience the confidence and freedom conferred on half of the population simply because they were born with a penis.

But of course, that appendage eventually proves problematic when it starts to sit up and take notice whenever Charlotte’s handsome employer is around. She’s never experienced feelings of attraction or desire before and doesn’t know what to do with them; she fears that if she can’t conquer them, Cosgrove will notice her reaction to him and dismiss her. Then she remembers something he once said about the need men often feel to scratch an itch – and what to do about it. So she conceives a bold plan designed to get him out of her system so she can continue to work alongside him.

The romance is beautifully developed, and Ms. Larkin does a splendid job of showing Cosgrove and Charlotte – as herself – falling in love through a series of meetings that begin as one thing and slowly morph into another. Cosgrove is a gorgeous hero – sexy, intelligent and honourable – and Charlotte plays her dual roles wonderfully; as Albin, she’s a truly supportive friend and confidante, and as Charlotte, she’s the woman with whom Cosgrove shares tenderness and pleasure.

The two plotlines – the romance and the story surrounding the identity of those out to destroy Cosgrove – are superbly woven together, and while the magical element is fairly low key, the author doesn’t just forget about it once she’s inserted Charlotte into Cosgrove’s life, and her transformative abilities play a key role in the search for his enemies. My one niggle about the story is to do with the ease with which Cosgrove accepts Charlotte’s ability to transform herself, but that’s really my only criticism.

I can’t level any criticisms at the narration however, because Rosalyn Landor delivers a(nother) flawless performance. Every single character, from the principals down to the smallest of bit parts, is voiced appropriately according to gender, age and station, and there is never any confusion as to who is speaking during multi-character conversations, or as to whether she is reading narrative or dialogue. Her portrayals of the principals – Charlotte, Albin and Cosgrove – are all excellent; I was particularly interested to hear how she would voice Albin, as it was important for him to sound masculine but to somehow be recognisably Charlotte, and she achieves this perfectly, varying tone and timbre to create the image of a slightly naïve yet determined and fiercely loyal young man. Ms. Landor is particularly adept at portraying aristocratic heroes, giving them just the right amount of hauteur while at the same time imbuing them with those qualities we all look for in a romantic hero, and her portrayal of Cosgrove is particularly good. There’s real warmth and affection coming through in his scenes with Albin and Charlotte, which contrasts strongly with the steely implacability he displays when confronting his enemies. It’s an accomplished, nuanced, emotionally resonant performance, and I honestly can’t fault it.

In Unmasking Miss Appleby, Emily Larkin takes an unusual premise and skilfully combines it with a well-thought out plot and a deliciously sensual romance to create a compelling, quirky and charming story. Rosalyn Landor’s expert narration brings the tale vividly to life and I really hope that the rest of the Baleful Godmother series will eventually be released in audio format.

[Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a little nervous when I saw the synopsis for this book as I’m not a big lover of historical romance with paranormal elements. However, having read a number of excellent reviews from trusted friends, I decided to take the plunge and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved this imaginative, intelligently written and delightful romance.


The Story

It’s the day of Charlotte Appleby’s 25th birthday, but her life is not the one she had dreamed of. Orphaned when her father died, she has lived with her uncle and aunt for the past 8 years. Treated as little more than a servant, Charlotte longs to be independent and earn her way in life, but her uncle has made it clear that, if she leaves, she can never return. Charlotte appreciates that at least she has a home, safety and security and has resigned herself to a life of drudgery. However, her life changes that evening when a strange and slightly scary woman appears, claiming to be a faerie and offers her the choice of one magical gift. After considering the various gifts offered, Charlotte chooses the ability to transform herself into any human or animal but still retaining her own mind.

Now, as Christopher Albin, she secures the position of secretary to Marcus Langford, the Earl of Cosgrove.

Someone is waging a hate campaign against the Earl of Cosgrove – his windows have been repeatedly broken and night soil left on his doorstep. Now he has suffered a physical attack in which his secretary, Lionel, has been badly injured and is recuperating in the country. Marcus knows it could be politically or personally motivated and there are plenty of potential suspects. As an active supporter of the abolition of the slave trade, Marcus has political enemies among the Anti-abolitionists. In his private life, his beautiful wife was known to be an adulteress and there are rumours that Marcus’s ill-treatment of her may have driven her to commit suicide or he may even have murdered her. His brother-in-law makes no bones about the fact that he hates Marcus, blaming him for his sister’s death. Then there’s his spineless, drunken heir who expects Marcus to pay his debts and fund his profligate lifestyle. Marcus needs a new secretary to help him uncover who is responsible and, although Christopher Albin isn’t the ideal candidate, he is the only one who doesn’t balk when warned of the potential danger.


My Thoughts

I have read books where the heroine dresses as a man but I have never read a book where the heroine actually becomes a man. I feel Charlotte’s reactions to adjusting to the physical aspects of being a man are realistically portrayed by Ms. Larkin. I could imagine having difficulty tying a cravat properly like Christopher or finding it strange to write with overlarge hands.

She watched her fingers wield the quill—large, blunt-tipped, male—and the dizzying sense of wrongness came again: her hand was too large, the quill too small. The letters came out lopsided and awkward, like a child learning to write.

As would be the case for most unmarried ladies of that era, Charlotte knows virtually nothing about men and her ignorance of how a man’s body works and her naivety about sexual matters provide for some humorous moments, especially in relation to one particular appendage or “pego” as Charlotte calls it, and in the brothel scene.

In her role as a man, Charlotte has independence and the freedom to do things and go to places that would have been forbidden to her as a woman. I like it when authors make subtle social comments within a story.

She could do things she’d never been able to do, go places that had been forbidden, grab opportunities no one would ever offer a woman.

A genuine friendship develops between Marcus and Christopher and I love how Marcus feels a genuine sense of responsibility and protectiveness towards Christopher whom he sees as ‘green as an unbreeched babe’. As Christopher, Charlotte gets a real insight into Marcus’s character. He seems to have everything – looks, wealth and a title – but his life is far from a happy one. I admire Marcus for his stance against the slave trade, not only in words but also in deeds.

I was glad that Charlotte only uses her gift to aid Marcus in his search or when they are threatened with violence. I also like the fact that when she changes, it takes time for her to adapt and it isn’t all plain sailing or flying in this case.

Charlotte veered away in a wild swoop, losing height. The floor lunged up at her. She cheeped in terror, clawed at the air with her wings, found herself plunging upwards.
It took two lurching circuits of the bedchamber before she found her balance in the air. Dip of wing, flap of wing, became natural and effortless.

The ability to become any animal she wishes enables Charlotte to search for evidence in circumstances which would prove impossible for humans, and is therefore an important element in the plot. I thought Marcus’s response to discovering Christopher’s magic ability was realistic given the circumstances. He couldn’t deny what he had seen with his own eyes.

Faerie magic. It was ludicrous. Preposterous. Impossible. And yet I see it with my own eyes.

I like how Ms. Larkin explores Charlotte’s growing attraction for Marcus (which causes some problems when a certain part of her anatomy insists on standing to attention) and how she creates a believable way for Marcus to meet Charlotte as herself. Their romance develops during a series of meetings, awkward at first, but gradually with a growing sense of warmth, tenderness and intimacy.

I understood Marcus’s initial angry reaction when he discovers Charlotte’s deception, because he sees it as yet another betrayal by someone he trusted. It takes a life-threatening situation, a letter and a journey to bring him to his senses and make him realise that he loves Charlotte.

I found the plot kept my interest throughout and the denouement was quite shocking, not at all what I expected.


MY VERDICT: A charming romance with a touch of magic and an intriguing mystery. Highly recommended and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.


Baleful Godmother series (click on the link for more details):

https://www.goodreads.com/series/1857...


This review is also posted on my Rakes and Rascals Blog:

https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the hero and the heroine but the paranormal aspect of shapeshifting kept them from building a romantic relationship together. I know they spend time together but hero doesn't know it's her and they never bond that way.
The trying to murder mystery was loose end, red-herring, and fractured for me; didn't flow or provide entertainment for me to follow along with.
I may be too square for this story, lol. Like I said in a update, there was more intimacy between the heroine and her "pego" for most of the story than between her and the hero. I'd be interested in reading this author if she didn't include paranormal elements because I liked the hero and heroine's character.

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was fun. May write a review later.

[Crystal's Bookish Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will be in my next vlog

[Ira · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

I love it, never read something like this before.
If you read PNR, this should be an excellent read for you but if you aren't, you still can love this well written HR, as long as you can suspend your disbelief:)
Come on, we are all read Cinderella, aren't we? Lol.

It was funny but the seriousness of the story is there and the characters were awesome.
The mystery was good and you got a little bit action in here too.

If there is one concern I had, that was the dead wife, she was there poisoning the whole story, no, not because he still in love with her though, but because it's necessary, and I just feel a little bit too much!:(
You will understand after you read this book.

However, this is a very unusual story and you probably will love it too, I'm!:)

The quill between her fingers, the ledger open on the desk, Christopher Albin’s clothes, the neckcloth she’d labored over this morning—all were part of her new life. I am a man. I am earning my living. I am independent.





This wasn’t a choice between mistress or secretary; it was a choice between mistress for a short time, or secretary for a long time.




“My name is Marcus, not sir.” The earl reached out and gently pinched her chin, his eyes smiling. “Say it.” “Marcus.” The world settled into place again, firmly, solidly, with a sense of permanence...

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite couples, with a very real heroine with an exceptional gift. She decides to make her way in life and uses her gift to make certain things happen. The angry H is being harassed and the h helps him. Wonderful tricksy plot and great characters.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte Appleby had lost her parent at an early age and was then sent to live with her aunt and uncle where instead of feeling like family she had felt more of a servant. On Charlotte's 25th birthday she receives a strange visitor in her room, a faerie that tells Charlotte that she is allowed to make one wish. The only thing that Charlotte has ever wanted is the ability to support herself and not rely on her aunt and uncle so Charlotte debates carefully and decides to wish for the ability of metamorphosis.

With Charlotte's new ability she leaves her home and sets off to London to find a job now that she has the ability to mask herself as a man since a woman wouldn't be able to obtain work. Answering an ad for a position as a gentlemen's secretary Charlotte finds herself working for Lord Cosgrove but the Lord has his share of problems that Charlotte quickly becomes involved in. Someone had attacked Lord Cosgrove and he feels that his life might be threatened as more events happen.

Unmasking Miss Appleby is the first book in the Baleful Godmother series by Emily Larkin. However, the Fey Quartet series by Emily Larkin is a series of novella prequels that give a look into the ancestors of the characters that we find in the Baleful Godmother series. It wouldn't be completely necessary to read the prequels to understand this series but it was nice to have read more depth into how Charlotte came about receiving her birthday wish from a faerie.

Unmasking Miss Appleby is one of those books that was easy for me to become completely engaged in reading as it crosses so many genres and categories and has a life all of it's own. This is a mix of a historical, romance, paranormal, mystery with a lot of action and adventure thrown into the mix to keep the story flowing. Charlotte's ability to change shapes adds so much into the book as far as helping her progress in her life and then helping her to help her new boss to solve his problems so it all wraps in quite nicely to make one fun story to follow.

My only warning with this one would be to those that do not prefer sexual content. There is quite a bit of it in here with Charlotte not knowing anything about sex with this set in the early 1800's she finds herself tossed into things she had no knowledge of in her new position as a man and the sexual discovery is a big part of the story.

Overall, looking forward to the rest of this series, a great start with a historical romance with a touch of paranormal and mystery in the mix.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[E.G. Manetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The premise seems silly - a fairy godmother in Regency England gives a downtrodden governess the ability to change shape. Charlotte, being a woman of her time, promptly chooses to be a man in order to get a decent job. And there's a handsome nobleman. It should have been cliché. Instead it was fun, suspenseful, funny, and steamy by turns with enough historical accuracy on the darker side of nineteenth century England to give it real depth. I will definitely be reading more by Emily Larkin.

[Luana ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am definitely reading different HR lately. This book was a historical fantasy where there's a "fairytale godmother" that grants one ability to the heroine and she choose the ability to shapeshift. She's been treated horribly and just want to be able to work and earn a good living for herself. So she changes into a man.

It was hilarious seeing her discover the male body, seeing her navigate through the male world, having the funniest sex conversation ever. At this point I was laughing out loud. It was truly a funny thing.

But the book also addresses some issues and even some taboo.

This book was well done, the romance was also nice but not well developed. I think the hero didn't have enough opportunity out of the bedroom to get to know the heroine better but he's aware of that. I would definitely recommend this book if you want to have some laughs and also try to puzzle out who is going after the hero.

I will definitely be continuing the series though I don't think this kind of books are for everyone.

[Ela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am sorry to say that this was not my cup of tea. I thought that the premise sounded amazing – a girl becoming a shapeshifter in a historical romance set at the dawn of 19th century – but the reality didn't meet my expectations.

On her 25th birthday, Charlotte Appleby receives a gift of shapeshifting from her somewhat sketchy fairy godmother and decides to use it to escape her abusive relations. She has like dozens of options how to use her gift and become independent – some of them even legal. She could become a super spy with "a knack for disguises", she could work as a double/decoy/stand-in for important people (think Sabé in Star Wars), she could travel the world, taking an animal-shape when necessary. But no, Charlotte wants to be a man 24/7. Ok. Posing as a young man she takes a job as a secretary for Lord Cosgrove, a politician who advocates for abolishing slavery. Someone is after his life so he hires a young, inexperienced man with no fighting skills whatsover and questionable recommendations (aka Charlotte) because the young man in question tells him he hates slavery too. Ok. Once they become friends, does Charlotte tell him about her shapeshifting? No, she doesn't want Cosgrove to fire her. But why would he do that? A person who can transform into a bird and spy on his enemies, change into a bear and defend him or become his decoy in order to catch the culprit is invaluable! But ok, plot reasons. Their relationship? One day Charlotte/Albin keeps her distance and apologizes for crossing boundaries and the second day she is asking her employer about sex. Gods, that made me really uncomfortable. All the sex scenes, numerous sex-ed talks, the way Charlotte's male parts react to Cosgrove's proximity (like, she could literally wish to be a man only from waist up and put a sock in her pants and hey, no problemo). Charlotte also manipulates Cosgrove into meeting her as her real self and then exchanges information about the people who are after him for sex because she doesn't want to be a virgin anymore. Girl, I don't know, is there really no other man than a guy who calls his dead wife "whore" and "adultress"? I get it, it was a shitty marriage but last I checked you were part of it, Cosgrove, and it's hardly fair to call such things a woman who isn't here anymore to defend herself. The whole detective subplot is transparent from the beginning. I wish I could praise at least the side characters, but alas, there were none of importance. Charlotte has no friends and not even one scene with a kind housekeeper who helps her. Cosgrove has no friends either, only servants whose role is a minor one and they are not really fleshed-out characters.

I don't like giving such a low rating, but I had serious trouble finishing the book. Not recommended.

[Umaiya ❄️Ramblings of a Scattered Mind❄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Boy was this a terrifically unusual read! xD

In all my years, in all the books I've read, I have never read something quite like this. Goes to show life still has some surprises left. ;)

This was a right out hoot! It wasn't laugh out loud funny, more of a "I can't pinpoint it but boy am I giddy!" type funny.... *shrugs* Yeah that's all I've got.

To sum up, I can't wait to get my hands all over this series. :P

[Gilgamesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was full of icky moments....very uncomfortable and bizzare...then there was a few really glaring inconsistencies in the plot...for example the hired guys were flush with money...which was mentioned several times yet the earl thought his broke and drug-sex-alcohol addict of a heir was doing the plotting....also the scene with his heir in a room full of vomit and refuse was really disgusting which apparently is the hero of the next story...not going to be reading that one.

[Ann Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a FUN read. This book is one big adventure. First, I'd like to say thank you to Ira for bringing this book to my attention. I saw this in her shelf. She rated it high and it got me curious.

Charlotte has been given a gift on her 25th birthday. She gets to choose from invisibility, healing, levitation, metamorphosis and more. It's a gift from a faerie as payment for the service her ancestors did. Charlotte chose the ability to change shape. A person or animal (exciting!) She decided to become a man and work as a secretary to an Earl. I was laughing so hard when she first tranformed. She named her penis pego and wondered how does one urinate with it. I love Charlotte. This is set in 1805 by the way. All she wants is to be independent but society doesn't allow that at the time.

So, she starts working for Marcus (the Earl) as Albin (secretary). Albin/Charlotte admire him for his political views, abolishing the use of slaves. Some people are unhappy with his campaign resulting in broken windows of his house, tarneshing his reputation and so on.

This conversation with Albin/Charlotte and Marcus is really hilarious. They went to visit a whorehouse one night due to the investigation. One of the suspects is there.

"The woman kneeling between Mr. Langford's legs. What was she doing?

"Uh... she was... er, she was playing his pipe."

"So what was she doing sir? Was she trying to play music on Langford's cock?.

Oh, and I've learned other words for cock. There's Man Thomas, hair splitter and arbor vitae.

I really really enjoyed this and I love Charlotte. But I have to admit, when Marcus remembers or compares his dead wife to Charlotte, it bothered the hell out of me.

I would have loved to read more about them getting to know each other but overall, I truly had a good time reading about Charlotte.

[Corduroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN THIS IS SO FUN.

I really enjoyed this. I've been on a string of "blah" books, so this was a delightful change. The whole book is delightful. I want to grab people on the street and make them read it! (You should read it, if you like historical romances, excellent writing, and things that are funny.)

Premise: Charlotte Appleby, who is about to turn 25, is a poor, well-born spinster/orphan who lives with her lousy relatives. On the night of her birthday, a scary faerie godmother appears to offer her her choice of magical gifts. Charlotte, realizing that she has to get out of her uncle's house if she's to survive, and also realizing that circa 1807 it is much easier and more lucrative for young men to make their way in the world, chooses the power of metamorphosis. She transforms herself into a young man - "Christopher Albin" - and seeks a job as a secretary to an earl.

The earl in question is Marcus, Lord Cosgrove - "Cuckcold Cosgrove", living under a cloud of suspicion that his beautiful-but-tortured young wife had affairs and then killed herself to get away from him. Marcus is not having a good year: people are also vandalizing his house and attacking him. In fact he needs a new secretary because his previous one is recuperating from a violent assault.

SO normally I think we can all agree that those "ladies disguise themselves as men" historicals are hard to take seriously. I've only seen one or two that actually made me believe that the heroine was passing as male. This book neatly sidesteps that whole thing by giving Charlotte magical powers. IT IS SO FUN YOU GUYS. The trope of Charlotte looking on the outside like a pleasant young gentleman means that the book can explore the different spheres of men and women at this time and have a lot of fun with scenes that made me laugh out loud - including one where Charlotte gravely asks the earl if the prostitute they burst in on with the earl's heir was really trying to play a tune on the heir's masculine organ. It's just very very funny. And Charlotte's confusion and panic about what she realizes is feelings of physical attraction to the earl (while still in her male form) is also pretty glorious.

I really liked this so much. I've enjoyed previous books by Emily Larkin - this one is GREAT. Read it!

(Aside, I really loved that a significant backdrop element of this book is the earl's fight against slavery in the British Empire. For me, it struck exactly the right balance of acknowledging the horror of slavery and having the earl have the exact period objections to it that people who were abolitionists did indeed have - without doing that thing that drives me bananas, where a modern author plasters modern social justice ideas over people living 200 years ago who didn't even believe in universal male suffrage or that everyone should learn to read. You know what I mean? I just found it very, very well done. It's what I always hope for when I see that an author has decided to tackle a social struggle in her work, and very rarely find. Excellently done, Ms. Larkin.)

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Undoubtedly cute and funny, as long as one doesn't look too keenly on details. :)

Two awkward moments lost this book 4 star: the beginning of the story (that splash a fantasy element into a historical romance with no follow up) and the beginning of the sexual relationship. But otherwise I really enjoyed it.

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5; 4 stars; A-

Despite the premise of the fairy godmother being a bit of a stretch, this was a pretty solid historical romance. I really enjoyed both the humour in this story as well as the more serious underlying issues surrounding abolition and the degenerate aristocracy.

[romancelibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

On her 25th birthday, Charlotte Appleby meets her fairy godmother who grants her the wish of metamorphosis AKA shapeshfiting. Armed with her new gift, Charlotte leaves her horrible aunt and uncle and goes job hunting in London as a man. That's how she ends up working as a secretary for Marcus, Lord Cosgrove. But her new job quickly becomes dangerous as someone is trying to kill Marcus.

Unmasking Miss Appleby was such an entertaining book. It was hilarious watching Charlotte adapt to life as a man. It was also a lot fun whenever Charlotte decided to shapeshift.

Despite the entertaining scenes, I slowly started losing interest in the story during the second half. The mystery plotline was boring and dumb (why didn't the hero hire bow street runners or private detectives?!). There was an interesting twist during the final act, but it was something I had predicted earlier on. Most importantly, the heroine's deception lasted too long, which is why I wasn't 100% invested in the romance.

Rosalyn Landor's excellent narration kept me going though and she's the reason I'm giving this book 3 stars.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Charlotte Appleby's 25th Birthday she is visited by A Fairie. The Fairie tells her she can choose any gift she wants from translocation, Invisibility, Levitation/Flying and Metamorphosis the ability to change shape. She chooses Metamorphosis because being female in 1805 will be difficult if not impossible to find a job with the same salary as a man would recieve. She has seen an ad for Secretary to the Earl of Cosgrove, Marcus Langford.

Marcus Langford the Earl of Cosgrove is called cockled Cosgrove because his deceased wife Lavinia was having sexual affairs with any man she could even his best friend. Marcus hires Christopher Albin AKA Charlotte Appleby after him and his long time secretary Lionel are attacked by 3 men. Lionel is serverly hurt and might never work again.

Someone is trying to kill Marcus he tells Albin/Charlotte who he thinks might be the culprit. The rest of the story is a hunt to find out who is breaking all of the glass windows every few days in Marcus's home and who keeps attacking him and putting piles of S h i t on his doorsteps. This is were the story looses some of its strength. You could hire enough bow street runners or guards to surround your property. Instead they go on a constant hunt that seems to lead nowhere until Albin/Charlotte changes shapes and follows after the scent of the culprit.

Eventually Marcus meets the real Charlotte and they start having sex. It felt so impersonal and sterile. There love making had no romance or passion. Just sex. About 80% into the story Marcus finds out what Albin is and then he connects him to being Charlotte. He is furious because he thinks he has been having sex with a Man!!

The story was well written Its just that Charlotte stays in Male form "Albin" way to much and to
long. It started to feel weird to me. I wish there had been more encounters with Charlotte as she truly was. A female! The story didn't really feel like it was taking place in 1805 it had more of a modern today feel to it. EXCELLANT NARRATION BY ROSALYN LANDOR!

[Juliana Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Setting. London, England (short period of time in the countryside), October 1805. Story takes place over the course of 2-3 weeks.

Main Characters.
Our Heroine. Miss Charlotte Christina Albinia Appleby (25)
Our Hero. Marcus Langford, 9th Earl of Cosgrove (31)

My Review. This is my first book by Emily Larkin. I wasn't really sure what to expect, especially given the paranormal aspect. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit though and am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

The mystery aspect is decent; it's not one where we're given the clues to have been able to figure it out ourselves had we known those were clues, but it's interesting and keeps the story progressing.

I liked both Marcus and Charlotte, but I would have to say my main complaint was the development of the relationship between them and the lack of chemistry. Given this though, the following must be pointed out: for the majority of the book, Charlotte's interactions with Marcus are when she's metamorphosized (word?) into Christopher Albin. This allows Charlotte's feelings to develop for Marcus in a romantic way, and for her to feel attracted to him, but not the reverse (not that there would be anything wrong with that, but Marcus isn't either homosexual or bisexual).

Now, Marcus does enjoy Albin's company and they have some great conversations, which in many ways I love—I hate it when the relationships are based on instalust—and for this reason, I kind of felt like I was in a Catch-22. I want the relationships to also be a meeting of the minds ... but now I'm complaining that that's all it is? Way to go with consistency! Obviously, there is a middle road, where the attraction arises from the meeting of the minds, and that's what happens on Charlotte's side.

Chemistry-wise though, I didn't really feel it even when Charlotte was herself (i.e. a woman) with Marcus. I couldn't really put my finger on it, because there are some hot scenes and they're well-written, but they only ever got to the simmering point for me. I did appreciate that Larkin made these encounters realistic though; always annoys me when they have sex for the first time and despite there being no real foreplay and the heroine being a virgin, there's no pain and she comes in a hot second. Umm, really? I don't think so.

The build-up and suspense of when the game is going to be up, and either Charlotte is going to slip-up or Marcus is going to see through everything, is fun and keeps you on your toes.

Bottom Line. I am glad I read it, but I'm also glad I got it free on Kindle, as it won't be a reread for me. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and seeing whether the fact that the heroine can be a heroine throughout makes the development of the relationship and the chemistry better.

Recommendations
Here are some recommendations based on different components of the book (order is rating-based)

Heroine Takes on Another Identity to Work with/for Hero
• The Rake by Mary Jo Putney — ??
• Unveiled by Courtney Milan — ④.75 review
• Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas — ④½
• Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran — ③½
• In Total Surrender by Anne Mallory

Mistaken Identity or Impersonation by Heroine to Hero
• One Kiss From You by Christina Dodd — ⑤ review
• The Wedding Game by Jane Feather — ⑤
• Ruthless Heart by Emma Lang — ⑤ review
• Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath — ⑤ review
• Married By Morning by Lisa Kleypas — ??
• A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran — ④½ review
• Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel by Lorraine Heath — ④ review

Mistaken Identity or Impersonation by Hero to Heroine
• Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas — ⑤
• Wed Him Before You Bed Him by Sabrina Jeffries — ⑤ review
• Irresistible by Karen Robards — ⑤
• The Wild Child by Mary Jo Putney — ④½
• Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt — ④½
• The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan — ④ review
• Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare — ④ review
• Seven Secrets of Seduction by Anne Mallory — ④ review
• The Least Likely Bride by Jane Feather — ④
• Red Roses Mean Love by Jacquie D'Alessandro — ④

Funny Excerpt.I'm only putting the spoiler tags because the excerpt is a bit long.

"The woman kneeling between Mr. Langford's legs. What was she doing?"

Marcus lowered his hands and sat up straight. "Uh ... she was ... er, she was playing his pipe."

Albin's face creased with confusion. "What?"

"Playing his pipe. His silent flute." And then, since the lad clearly didn't understand, he gestured to his own groin. "His virile member."

"Oh." Understanding dawned on Albin's face. He reddened. "I beg your pardon, sir. I haven't heard it called those names before."

Marcus bit the inside of his cheek. "There are lots of different words for it," he said, once he'd quelled the urge to laugh.

"There are, sir?" Curiosity was bright in Albin's eyes. "What are they?"

[...]

Marcus turned back to Albin. "Other names? Let's see ... There's prick and cock and Man Thomas and ..." He racked his brain. "Hair splitter and arbor vitae."

Albin nodded, his expression serious. His lips moved slightly, as if he was repeating the words.

[...]

Marcus crossed his legs and looked out the window, signaling the conversation was over, but Albin said: "So what was she doing, sir? The whore? Was she trying to play music on Langford's cock?"

His brain gave him a ludicrous image of the whore blowing on Phillip's penis and producing a tune. Marcus blinked. Albin didn't really think—

He turned his head and stared at Albin.

Albin stared earnestly back at him.

He did think it.

Laughter bubbled up from Marcus's chest and spilled out of his mouth. He tried to gulp it back, but it was unstoppable.

Albin flushed scarlet, not just his cheeks, but his forehead and throat and even his ears.

It was a full minute before Marcus mastered his amusement. "I beg your pardon," he said, when he finally caught his breath. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes. "That was extremely ill-mannered of me."

Albin shook his head. His cheeks were still deep pink with embarrassment.

"To answer your question, no, she was not trying to play music. She was ... er, she was ..." The last of his amusement drained away. How to explain this?

[Mary - Buried Under Romance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brief summary of issues: Earl is under *constant* assassination attempts and his home windows are broken into on a nightly basis along with shit left at his doorsteps, for MONTHS, and he doesn’t involve the authorities or do a thing about it. Instead he constantly endangers his new secretary and himself by virtue (does he want to die? I find myself asking that question) simply responding to the attacks and again not hiring any additional help against these issues, even though he has a list of suspects who clearly hate him.

The romance is weird due to the whole gender identity and the Earl not accepting of males, but my biggest issue with this is why on earth didn’t the Earl hire bow street runners and/or private investigators and bodyguards around the clock since his windows kept being broken in and shit left plus all the murder attempts? Instead he doesn’t even really investigate and just sorta does thing with his secretary to resolve things. This whole mystery annoys me because it’s simply the height of idiocy to not take preventive measures when he’s already died 5+ times and has a list of likely culprits that he could have asked to be tailed. For that reason I’m giving it a lower score because it just doesn’t make sense.

This is my first romance novel in a while. The premise is quite fun. The hero in particular has a fleshed out past, and it’s so refreshing to read about a female masquerading as a man believably, despite her extreme naivety around “male pursuits” such as fighting and brothels.

However, I think she should have tried harder to blend in, so to speak, and not reveal himself like someone kind of virgin alien who doesn’t follow any sports.

[Phoenix77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love when authors successfully merge two romantic subgenres without losing the tone a reader expects from each. Emily Larkin carefully folds supernatural elements into her Baleful Godmothers series so that the world building doesn’t get lost in the historical setting. The first book Unmasking Miss Appleby balances the magic and the romance perfectly into a story that I highly recommend.

Charlotte Appleby’s life has not turned out exactly as she had hoped. While she is grateful to her father’s sister for providing her a home after his death, she is far from a welcome member of the household. Suffering the family’s constant disrespect wears on Charlotte to the point that she dreams of finding a way to be independent but is unhappy with the options afforded an unmarried woman. Working as a governess or school teacher has no appeal and positions that offer the most income are only open to men. On her twenty-fifth birthday Charlotte is mulling over her future when a dark fairy arrives in her room claiming to owe her one wish as part of a centuries-old pact with the female members of Charlotte’s mother’s family. Wary of the woman and the magic she offers, Charlotte is careful to learn about the gifts the fairy can bestow. With the fairy quickly losing patience Charlotte chooses the power of metamorphosis. Charlotte can now become anyone or anything she wishes.

Please read the full review at Romantic Historical Reviews

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love reading Unmasking Miss Appleby! So entertaining if you are looking for something cute and fun to read with a magic twist.

Emily Larkin says she created this series because she wanted her heroines to have more agency and see more of Regency England. Larkin certainly succeeded with Charlotte Appleby. One of Charlotte's ancestors did a service for a faerie who now must grant a wish to the daughters in their line.

Charlotte wishes for the gift of metamorphosis so she can change into a man and make her own living. She is hired by Marcus, the Earl of Cosgrove, as Marcus is without a secretary, after being the target of footpad attacks, and domestic break-ins.

The mystery was fun - Marcus' life is so messy, I love it - and the humourous scenes hit its mark. When Charlotte as Christopher Albin goes into the bawdy house with Marcus, how she had to force herself not to grab onto his coat was hilarious. Whenever Charlotte thinks about her pego or whenever she changes shapes. She is so cute in her earnestness. Charlotte is a dead-ringer for a Georgette Heyer heroine, and reminds me a lot of Leonie from These Old Shades. I also loved that Charlotte asks Marcus for sex and she gets it. I think it's such an amazing scene.

Marcus is transphobic, however, when he thinks Christopher turns into Charlotte. Honestly, who care if Christopher is Charlotte or Charlotte is Christopher??

[Maqluba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly entertaining. I’m super thankful for my GR friends Lyuda and BuBu who turned my head to this, I’m really glad I found this author.

I loved the paranormal twist to it. I love that the author was smart about it. She really gave us realism of an otherwise fantastical setting. The little things like learning how to pee as a man and how to fly as a bird... those little details I appreciated so much because it just made me feel like “if in an alternate universe this power was real, this is exactly how someone would act using it”. It’s hard to explain but basically it was written well in that regard.

I also loved how real the hero/heroines feelings and emotions were. It wasn’t overly dramatic lusty thoughts and bombastic lamentations we get so often in historicals. They felt normal. Like real people in a fantasy world (I really connected with this heroine!)

Can’t wait to read more from this author!