An Intriguing Deception

Olivia Featherstone Adventures #1

by Terry Ann Taylor

***If you love Phryne Fisher, you’ll adore Olivia Featherstone!

Miss Olivia Featherstone, residing in late Regency 1820s London, is not your usual dutiful debutante. She much prefers adventure to balls and morning visits: riding at death-defying speeds, throwing daggers at villains and pitting her intelligence and careful training against scoundrels who seek to harm her family.

Enter society’s darling, Delavel Chêne-Craven, a mysterious aristocrat with unknowable ties to governments foreign and domestic: suave, rakish, skilled in dissimulation and manipulation.

Craven sees Olivia as a gorgeous but irritating amateur about to upset his carefully calibrated long con, while she considers herself his perfect working companion. They form an uneasy alliance, but the more she pushes her family’s agenda the more his mission — and their very lives — are endangered.

How can they each stay the course of their own scheme when they’re both so distracted by the growing companionship, mutual respect, and irresistible spark between them?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Romance

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2021

About the author

Regency and especially late Regency is a wonderful background for Fiction. A little shuffle from Regency and nearly tiptoeing into the Victorian period.
Fashions have changed...the lithe figure of the Regency lady has transformed into the corseted waist of pre Victorian ladies. Hats are spherical masterpieces and the gentleman have swapped breeches during the day for trousers and pantaloons.
Come immerse yourself in Late Regency in one of my Olivia Featherstone Regency Adventures. Olivia and Craven talk to me everyday, arguing, loving and creating havoc in the late regency city of London.

Terry Ann Taylor is a mother, wife, travel fiend and a cricket tragic.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Miss Olivia Featherstone, residing in late Regency 1820s London, is not your usual dutiful debutante. She much prefers adventure to balls and morning visits: riding at death-defying speeds, throwing daggers at villains and pitting her intelligence and careful training against scoundrels who seek to harm her family.

Enter society’s darling, Delavel Chêne-Craven, a mysterious aristocrat with unknowable ties to governments foreign and domestic: suave, rakish, skilled in dissimulation and manipulation.

Craven sees Olivia as a gorgeous but irritating amateur about to upset his carefully calibrated long con, while she considers herself his perfect working companion. They form an uneasy alliance, but the more she pushes her family’s agenda the more his mission — and their very lives — are endangered.

How can they each stay the course of their own scheme when they’re both so distracted by the growing companionship, mutual respect, and irresistible spark between them?'
__________________________________

4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars.

An Intiguing Deception is the first book in Terry Ann Taylor's new series, the Olivia Featherstone Adventures and is a historical mystery with a bit of romance and a healthy dose of adventure and danger.

I had a hard time initially getting into this book because the author was trying way too hard for a flowery and overly-descriptive writing style, in which a majority of sentences were weighed down by adjectives and adverbs. It made the sentences clunky and meandering, distracting from any plot that might have attempting to unfold. Truly it felt more like a Mad Lib than a book. I was not here for it and was frankly ready to give up on the book, I was not about to drag my way through nearly 400 pages of that nonsense. I was determined to read further before deciding to give up on it though and found that that clunkiness begin to fall away and turned into a more coherent and polished style. Maybe an editor just needs to take one more pass at the first ~10% of the book? I don't know, but I'm glad I didn't give up on it because I really loved reading about Olivia's exploits.

The characters take quite the beating during the course of their adventures, but I loved the fluctuating levels of danger. A healthy dose of danger is what I want when reading a historical adventure, even if it pushed the boundaries on what is believable in one book, I don't care as long as there is plenty and it's handled well. This book certainly did not disappoint in that regard, I loved it. I don't want to give anything away, but I thought it was very well done that the author didn't simply limit the danger to our main pair as that would have made the mission seem less pressing and realistic, instead there is a whole group that you are worried and rooting for that each have a role to play.

I rounded down to 4 stars because of the early clunky writing style and the author's axcessive use of exclamation marks, often in places where it didn't make sense for them to be and too often in dialogue. Are the characters overly-excitable or constantly shouting? There were truly hundreds and hundreds of exclamation marks within this nealry 400 page book. Too many.

I don't want to give anything away so I'll simply say this book covers all the bases: adventure, danger, romance, mystery, spying, and all manner of sass and sarcasm. Olivia is stubborn and sometimes behaves recklessly, but she was the perfect heroine for this book and I adored her. Honestly, all the characters were great. I really enjoyed the plot and how everything gradually came together while the mystery was unravelled. But it ended on quite the cliffhanger! So now I am left wondering what is in store for them next and I am looking forward to the next book to find out what they will be facing.
_____

I would like to thank the author, Terry Ann Taylor and BookSirens for sharing an eARC of An Intriguing Deception with me. This is my honest review.

[Elodie’s Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

⚔️ An Intriguing Deception ⚔️
An Olivia Featherstone Regency Romance
An Olivia Featherstone Adventure Series #1
✒️ Terry Ann Taylor
https://instagram.com/terrywithay?utm...
Release Date 06/17/2021
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0946G8BYP/...

𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯

Miss Olivia Featherstone, residing in late Regency 1820s London, is not your usual dutiful debutante. She much prefers adventure to balls and morning visits: riding at death-defying speeds, throwing daggers at villains and pitting her intelligence and careful training against scoundrels who seek to harm her family.
Enter society’s darling, Delavel Chêne-Craven, a mysterious aristocrat with unknowable ties to governments foreign and domestic: suave, rakish, skilled in dissimulation and manipulation.
Craven sees Olivia as a gorgeous but irritating amateur about to upset his carefully calibrated long con, while she considers herself his perfect working companion. They form an uneasy alliance, but the more she pushes her family’s agenda the more his mission — and their very lives — are endangered.
How can they each stay the course of their own scheme when they’re both so distracted by the growing companionship, mutual respect, and irresistible spark between them?

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

Will she come unscathed from her first adventure...

An delightful cloak and dagger tale, as I have read few.
At first I struggled a bit to enter this book but it was not the story fault, but my agitated surrounding. So once I found a quiet place to read I was sucked into the book.
It was like landing in one of those non-stop actions spy series with lot of twists and turns. Everyone has a different agenda, there are betrayals, great revelations, fights, deadly threats, sensual moments and humor.
The narrative is told from in the first person, with the heroine speaking.
And what a warrior she is. She makes mistakes, falls into traps but she is not one to scream or cry, she returns blow for blow.
Olivia has as more abilities and talents than she has surname. She is the daughter of Batman and Lupin. A queen of disguise and an amazon.
Even beaten she rises again, bouncing from one threatening situation to another.
She is the D’Artagnan of this story, slowly learning to apply her teaching, a natural in fending for herself.
Craven her male counterpart, is the conundrum of the book, who is he, so many personality, the face of an Angel, a sinful past, yet he stands in her steps at every turn. Is he friend or foe.

I can’t say more without spoiling this book, and it is one to be savored, sampled one chapter after another.
Now I need to shout to the author, I WANT THE NEXT BOOK!
The last page left me on edge, I hate cliffhanger, and while I know /hope all will be well, I still wants to read what new threat are they facing.
4.75 rounded up 5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...

[SusieQ_Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Intriguing Deception by Terry Ann Taylor is the first installment in the Olivia Featherstone Adventure Series. This late Regency historical mystery filled with intrigue, danger and interesting multi-layered characters is admittedly a different style than I am used to. It did take me a bit to get into this story as it lacked flow for me in the beginning. I found the writing at times to be overly descriptive and confusing. In addition there was a lot of French language used that I did not understand. I’m also not sure what to make of the overabundance of exclamation point use.

Miss Olivia Featherstone is a force to be reckoned with and has many hidden talents. Mr. Chene-Craven is a mysterious person, that by the end of the book, I still could not figure out. These two took waaaay to long to explore their attraction in my opinion. I also was not expecting a cliff hanger at the end of the story. Now I’m dying to find out what happens in the next installment and I am not usually a fan of cliffhangers.

Those that speak and read French will have an easier time with this story. I would respectively suggest the author think about including interpretation for those of us that are clueless. Overall a great read with interesting historical tidbits and uniquely crafted characters.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this from BookSirens and this is my freely given opinion.

Olivia Featherstone is a young woman who is the niece and granddaughter of an Earl, and the daughter of a known antiquarian. She had an unusual education growing up, spending time with her widowed father at his warehouse near the docks, learning about antiques, and valuables around the world, and spending time with salty old sailors, and street children, and being taught unusual subjects such as defensive skills, languages, etc. Then he remarried, and she got some more typical education and experiences expected of a gently bred young lady, courtesy of her step mother. But then her father was accused of being engaged in treasonous actions. The Featherstones did not lose all their standing in society, but were definitely tainted by the scandal, and on the death of their father, Olivia and her brothers were working on trying to find papers that were stolen from their father's office, that would clear his name.

That is the opening premise of the plot of this novel. Olivia is a guest of a house party of a French Comte who is in possession of a piece of antique furniture that may have been used as a hiding place for those papers and it is her job to find those. While at the party, she meets Delavel Chene-Craven, a French aristocrat who intrigues, disdains, and gets in her way. She cannot fathom why he behaves the way he does, and he is very suspicious of her actions and accosts her frequently to warn her off. They have a very contentious relationship.

The intrigue starts out small, with Olivia trying to find the papers to clear her father, but opens up into a larger intrigue involving the Foreign Office, and various undercover agents, including Craven, working to uncover an assassination attempt involving French aristocrats.

This started out with a lot of hostility between Olivia and Craven, likely because she was in his way and he felt that she was amateurish and through her bumbling will ruin his mission. She does not trust him, as he is obviously withholding information from her, and questions if he would hold up his end of the bargain, when he suggests she share her findings with him. She gains his grudging respect as the story goes on, and she proves herself to be quite capable when embroiled in the various dangers and adventures of the intrigue, but he works hard to hide his true feelings for her, including his attraction.

This was more a tale of intrigue and suspense than a romance, though their attraction for each other does become a stronger component to the story later on. I enjoyed the detailing of the Olivia's capabilities as a heroine and inadvertent spy, and some of the personality quirks that were shown (such at the counting thing). The author has a tendency to use incredibly descriptive prose, and while initially I found it a bit florid, I actually came to enjoy some the fulsome detailing as it set good atmosphere for the story, and at times quite amusing... example:

"his fair head bounced off Brandy's flank with an unsettling sound, reminding me of the noise that burst forth as one opened a jar of fresh, moist jam from Crosse and Blackwell".

Just an FYI - there is no grand resolution of a love story or anything like that for Olivia and Craven. There is a resolution to this particular adventure, but there is definitely a dramatic to be continued ending.

4 stars out of 5.

[Angela Cairns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of light-hearted fun and adventure with the daring Olivia.
As a Georgette Heyer fan from my youth I rather enjoyed stepping back into regency costume and romping through this well crafted story.
Recommended to me by Author Ian Hornett

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and adventurous. The characterization was great and the dialogue was witty and fresh. It moved at a fast pace and kept my interest throughout. I can’t wait for a sequel.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Ann Taylor is another new author for me, and she gives us an old-fashioned thriller containing mystery, intrigue, and romance. Set in the late Regency era, it features a heroine, Olivia Featherstone, who is very well trained in self-defense and horsemanship, among other skills. She goes on a mission to clear her father's name and gets entangled in another nefarious plot to assassinate a French prince. One of the British secret agents becomes her lover and guide, but she is the one who achieves the most feats of derring-do.

I loved the heroine and her quirks! She is almost, if not entirely, a parody of the traditional hero, saving herself and others time after time and thwarting the bad guys at every turn! The author gives us many fleshed-out secondary characters with mysterious stories. I hope there is a series ahead since this ends on a cliff-hanger.

The style is different from most novels, making it sound more like the period it is supposed to depict. The writer makes you work a bit to keep everything sorted. The best sort of new writer to find!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One mission down and another on the horizon?
It started fast and kept on going till the end what a glorious book to spend time with. Our Miss Featherstone was a wonderful character a lady of strong will, nonsense, intelligent, and determined to get the answers she seeks. Right from the beginning you know she is on a mission. Oh, before I forget it is a cliffhanger as one story ends and another begins. Wonderful mystery Craven and Olivia were delightful with Bill, Frank, Herbert, Shaw, David, Beauchamp, and Mrs. Featherstone that were added in just for the fun of it. Twist and turns, danger and action, and so many bumps in the road this was a true gem of a book. Yes, yes, and yes again this is a book I highly recommend. I received this book for free from Booksiren. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Catherine McCullagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Intriguing Deception is a racy Regency romp, a dash through 1820s London and into the countryside beyond where one particular smug, scripted Regency house party is not as it seems. Dastardly deeds are planned and must be stopped, lest the French monarchy be placed in terrible peril. Enter the least predictable Regency heroine I have ever encountered, Miss Olivia Featherstone. Miss Featherstone is the first genteel Regency miss I have met who can capably defend herself, account for several hefty villains and a careering coach, all while remaining modestly attired (well, mostly). She is so far removed from the traditional blushing, bosomy Regency maidens I have come across that I had to stifle my astonishment. In my previous Regency readings, I had become accustomed to a raised eyebrow and a rapid flapping of a fan as a visible demonstration of displeasure. Elizabeth Bennett was wont to sigh heavily and glare across rooms, but that was the extent of her public outrage. Miss Featherstone, however, is the type of heroine who yells ‘yar boo sucks!’ to Regency rules and refuses to be defined by the rigid social norms of the time. Readers are truly in for a treat!
It may have struck you by now that this is not your average, common-garden Regency adventure. For a start, there is plenty that is tongue in cheek, poking fun at the strictures and patterned behaviours that predominated in the upper classes. Yet this is also a story with a well-paced plot, compelling characters and beautifully lavish backdrop. I enjoyed the layers, the fact that Miss Featherstone was demonstrably capable of defending herself, but spent the first part of the story working hard to persuade her male companions that she could do so. I was glad of that, it rings true of the period. At the same time, she is capable of conducting herself with dignity and decorum in the drawing room and this is also very necessary if the story is to retain credibility. Her background, the whys and wherefores of her acquisition of such unladylike skills are deftly explained, even as a quiet invitation is extended to the reader to willingly suspend disbelief. But, believe me, this story is far more credible than anything you will see in a certain popular Regency series currently dominating our screens.
Olivia Featherstone is just one of a number of engaging characters in this story, both major and minor, and some of the incidental personalities are particularly delightful, including Miss Featherstone’s long-suffering maid, Shaw. I took some time to warm to the romantic lead, he of the golden cupid curls and forget-me-not eyes — as did Miss Featherstone, I might add — and by the end of the story I still did not completely trust him. This is a very useful device to convey an enigmatic, ambiguous personality — I use it all the time in my books and love it dearly. It also keeps the reader guessing and rules out any predictability in the story line. Bravo, Terry Ann Taylor, this character succeeds admirably, flaws and all.
The setting of this novel also demands comment, primarily because the author’s descriptions are so richly detailed and lavish, an absolute pleasure to read. This is entirely appropriate as the upper circles of Regency society had money, generally in large quantities, and loved fine objects, fabrics and particularly furniture, French if they could acquire it. This novel is replete with extraordinary descriptions of houses and their contents, elegant escritoires, tables, chests, fine pieces and the furnishings that surround them. The elaborate portrayal of clothing is also a common feature, and Terry Ann Taylor describes in loving detail the luxurious fabrics, glittering jewellery and finely wrought embellishments that dominated the dress of both men and women. The reader becomes immersed in the sensual luxury of the time — and its bedraggled, pungent state when Miss Featherston’s adventures suffer some form of reversal.
This is a delightful book that engages the reader from start to finish, the extraordinary denouement sounding a particularly striking note which will have every reader reaching for the next volume in the series. An Intriguing Deception is excellent historical fiction. It takes the Regency period, gives it a good shake, and then creates a marvellous story from what falls out. The backdrop and historical reference points are meticulously researched, as are the other essential elements in which the plot is clad. This is a story to enjoy, characters to befriend or berate as the reader’s fancy dictates, and a lively play on history that will entertain and inform. As for the feisty Miss Featherstone, who can tell whether she has not been modelled on a real person? After all, fact is undoubtedly stranger than fiction …

Highly recommended

[Ceelee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession: I am not much of a reader of romance novels. I don't like poorly written, stereotypical stories where we already know in the end the male and female end up together to live happily ever after. Predictable and stereotypical in plot and character. I do like gothic novels which usually have romantic element but I read them for the mystery and the usual plucky heroine, although in romance she loses all sense of being an independent woman. For some reason, I enjoy Regency Romance becuase they are so hilarious and the pseudo Regency style of writing is spot on in the hands of an author who understands and uses the style to create authenticity in the romantic sub-genre.

The word is definitely "intrigued" when An Intriguing Deception popped up in my New ARCs available on Book Sirens. I simply had to read it. I thank Book Sirens and author Terry Ann Taylor for the opportunity to let this romance novel skeptic read this book. I was totally delighted by the novel and it was a welcome escape from the late summer blahs.

Our heroine is Olivia Featherstone, a very capable debutante with all the charms and skills to fit the atmosphere of a conte's house party I love her name and the fact that her contribution to the evening entertainment is she plays the harp instead of being a tepid singer or a boring pianist. Olivia also has been trained in the less feminine pursuits of weaponry, fighting and spying by her brothers and her father and it is these skills that Olivia will need to find some paperers that are hidden n a cabinet within the estate she is visiting. Also in attendance is Craven, a spy who is seeking papers that will help him save the life of a prince in France. Of course, there is the repel and attract element to the story. It is used in soap operas, rom coms and romance novels and is as predictable as the sun rising in the east. The thing I liked about the book is Olivia takes the plucky heroine to new heights and it is so refreshing to have a female character who does not follow the stereotype. I loved her immediately and enjoyed this book because of her. She is a "tough cookie" and knows what she is doing and didn't really need Craven and in fact, I thought he was rather annoying sometimes and useless most of the time. Olivia was taking care of business just fine, thank you very much sir. I loved how she was the one who was able to take care of the problem and saved the day and wasn't dependent on a man to help her or to act on his suggestions. (or commands as is the case with a lot of men) Ms Taylor is an excellent writer and created a cast of characters who were entertaining and seemed like real fleshed out people. The entire novel had a depth that is refreshing to read in the romance genre. Some reviews mentioned the writing was a little slow for them but I think it was appropriate for the time period and set the time and place of the novel. It does take some getting used to but I think it suited d the book well. I recently read an article about how people are using!!! too!!! many!!! exclamation!!! points!!! in!!! their!!! writing!!! I have become very sensitive myself about the practice and it was the only criticism I had on the writing. I am guilty of it too but I am trying to do better. It reminds me of the drum beat on TV shows when they want you to feel a reaction to something said by one of the cast. I dislike that and I can see how exclamation points are similar to that over-used device.
I assume with the excerpt at the end of the novel, there will be a second in the series. I will definitely read it when it is available. Midwinter would be good....

I received a free copy of the novel through Book Sirens and I leave this review voluntarily and with enthusiasm and pleasure. b

[Ана Хелс · Rating 5 out of 5]

Това не е обичайната романтична история, а истински приключенски роман със шпиони, заговори, злодеи и непредвидени обрати, случващи се на главата на госпожица Оливия Федърстоун, която е всичко друго, но не и мила и нежна млада дама от висшето общество, а истинска дивачка, умееща да язди, да плува, да стреля и да се дуелира не по-зле от който и да е мъж. А желаещи да я очистят от лицето на света има прекалено много, защото нашата протагонистка има ужасния късмет да попада в кошери с разярени оси на всеки метър. Споменах ли, че може и да отключва всяка ключалка, разбира от фалшификати и има идеален нюх към изнудване на правилните лошковци? Да, Оливия хич не е добро момиче, но пък те са най-интересните.

Романтична линия съществува, къде без нея, но тя е фон, а не основа и не пречи на приключението, на опасността или динамиката. Може би това е най-добрият пример за обърната история тип пени дредфулс или евтини трилъри с безупречни герои, спасяващи невинни девици. Тук героинята ни е напълно способна да се спаси сама, е, с изключение на някоя и друга ситуация, в която авторката не се свени да поступа главния си персонаж и да я принуди буквално да се облегне на нечие рамо, за да може да не издъхне преждевременно. Да, има книги, в които е просто видимо как създателите мразят дълбоко своите лични протагонисти, докато ги влачат из кал и екскременти тип всякакви злополучия идват към теб през всеизвестния вентилатор на живота, но Тери Ан Тейлър просто причинява на своята Оливия всичко, което един средностатистически Индиана Джоунс може да преодолее с една ръка, щото другата му е вързана. И Оливия оцелява, яху.

Чудесна приключенска поредица с една- единствена цел – да развлича и забавлява, комбинираща авантюристичен дух със задоволяваща и най-нежните души романтична нишка, поразнообразена с малко по-пиперливи моменти, но най-вече намеци за събития, които ще изкарат някое изчервено изкикотване от всеки. И не се страхувайте за нашата специална Лара Крофт с фусти и боне – тя ще се справи с всичко и всеки, ако и да е понасинена и поначупена – като истинска британка няма и да гъкне, ами ще си изпие чая в пет часа и внимателно ще застреля всеки зъл невъзпитаник, който ѝ се вясне пред погледа в този тъй важен час. Забавление без съ��нение.

[Auriette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "An Intriguing Deception." I selected the book because I like my historical romances with a bit of mystery, and the cover design was a little different. The story inside was a lot different than what I expected.

There is a bit of a love story, just a smidge, but it's not central to the plot. The book is definitely more of what they'd call a 'romance' back in the olden days. It has action, adventure, and characters you can't quite figure out. You will not know who our heroine Olivia Featherstone can and can't trust. It kept me wondering until the end.

I enjoyed the descriptiveness of Terry Ann Taylor's writing. For the most part, it was easy to keep the large cast of characters straight, because of how each one spoke, although I did have a little difficulty with a couple of them. There's where a hard copy would have been a bit friendlier to read than an e-book.

Olivia finds herself in a series of scrapes - to put it mildly - that would leave many others incapable of functioning. There was one moment, a rare snippet of the love story, that made me scoff; the physical circumstances were not conducive to the passion, but let that go, and on all other occasions of injury, remind yourself that Olivia is made of sterner stuff, and you'll get past it. It's like those movies where you know if it was real life, the main characters would be in the hospital with a concussion and recovering from surgery.

Warning: "An Intriguing Deception" ends on a cliffhanger. As I write this, I have already begun reading book two, "A Perilous Liaison" and it picks up right where the first book left off. Do bear that in mind when you're planning your book purchases.

I am grateful to have received advance reader copies of both titles; opinions expressed here are based solely on my own reading experience.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Intriguing Deception: An Olivia Featherstone Regency Adventure was a refreshing read with both a strong female and male lead. One did not overpower the other as happens so many times when a reader tries to show a strong or skilled female. I loved the balance between these two. Both the leads were believable, consistent and well-written. The secondary characters added much to the story and I look forward to more on their stories in this series. This is the first in a new series and quite pulls the reader in to the action. Although I see it as necessary evil of such tales, there is a bit of cliffhanger which makes the reader hunger for more. Upon finishing the book, I wanted to start the next one immediately but alas it has not been written yet. I am not a patient reader, more of a series binge reader, so I am anxiously awaiting the next installment. The plot moves along well and keeps the reader enthralled. It has an interesting mystery for this kind of romp. It stays true to the time period with few of the anachronisms often found in these tales. I would say if you enjoyed Willig's Pink Carnation Series or Deanna Rayburn"s Veronica Speedwell Series or just a darn good Regency adventure that is more nuanced than a Regency Romance , this is for you. I thoroughly got caught up in the tale ,unfortunately finishing it too soon and must wait for the next part of Olivia's and Craven's Foreign Office adventures. I highly recommend it for the fun and for the wordplay. I needed my dictionary a few times and not embarrassed about it- quite impressed with the writing skills of Ms Terry Ann Taylor.

I received a free ARC of this book .

[Melissa Acquaviva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

An Intriguing Deception was just a FUN read! This book made me laugh out loud, made my heart race with excitement and challenged my French vocabulary! Seriously though, I really enjoyed the storyline of spies upon spies, double dealing from English country house parties. The heroine of the story being so well trained that she could ride a horse hanging sideways and throw a dagger on pointe from horseback just tickled my fancy, as historically unlikely as it might have been. The repartee was quite good, sarcasm and wit always being entertaining and leads to the best love stories in the end. I’m quite looking forward to the next romp with these characters, especially as the ending was such a cliffhanger.

This wasn’t a book for everyone, of that I’m sure, but in this current time of uncertain easing of pandemic restrictions and future unknowns, reading something with the ability to make me forget all of that for a few hours and immerse in a truly different world gives it 4 stars from me! The only suggestion I have for the author is possibly a little less French. Not everyone has a background and carries their google translate. It’s less distracting of a read without it. Otherwise, great fun!

[Dearbhla She-Her · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded down.
I really struggled to get into this, only somewhat appreciating the action sequences that happen 2/3rds into the book. I never clicked with either of the main characters. I liked the more prominent secondary characters but there were just too many of them and most were forgettable and unnecessary.
I'm rounding down on the star rating (I usually round-up for ARCs) for the questionable sex scene that the FMC is barely awake before the dick is slipped in. In this day and age (cough-post-Assange-cough) we understand representing enthusiastic and repeatedly affirmed consent, right? I mean, at the very least it was a missed opportunity for on-page fore-play.
No doubt in my mind, the author thoroughly researched the political background and history surrounding the story. However, the author didn't always bring me along with her and I was frequently lost or pulled out of the story by misused words. I don't know if these were errors by the author or deliberately done as characterisation of the narrator/FMC.
I received the ARC from BookSirens in exchange for my honest review, which I'm leaving voluntarily.

[Chevy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Just too much.
I love a regency romance, and a food regency noir but this one was too much a mix of too many genres for me. It was regency noir(ish) with some historical fiction but there was several things throughout the book that took away from it.
1. The mixture of languages
2. The detailed accounts of craftmaship, topography, classic novels, and Miss Featherstone’s counting nuances. (Although I understand this was for character build up and yes I feel I completely understand who Olivia is)
3. Too many characters going by multiple names
4. A lot of twists and turns and action for a short period of time.
5. Vastly unbelievable

I feel like a lot of the language and historical portions ie. local, dress/style for the time period, French history were way over my head

The action was too fast paced and over the top for me and not because she’s a woman. Think Marvel comic movies unrealistic.

I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea-monsters, and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer and didn’t really enjoy them and I’d liken this book to those.

[Jessica Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a slow start for me getting into An Intriguing Deception as I found some of the writing, sentence structure to be clunky, intriguing plot to be lacking, and inappropriate exclamation marks found to be screaming off nearly every page! I am thrilled to have persisted and completed the book as I found the writing seemed to greatly improve, the plot became much more intriguing, and the excessive exclamation marks (mostly) decreased. I enjoyed not only the main characters, but many of the supporting characters as well and am eagerly awaiting the sequel, especially since An Intriguing Deception ends with a surprise cliffhanger. The bones of the story are solid and the characters are very enjoyable. I am in for the whole series and can recommend it to readers who enjoy intrigue, adventure, spying, romance, and a tough and likable heroine who doesn’t sit back and wait for a savior to come to her rescue.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ian Hornett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the reasons I am enjoying my reading so much these days and why we should all consider stepping out of our usually favoured genres to jump into ones we would not usually try. Regency Romance is a new experience for me, but with writing this good, action and adventure this exciting, and romance this tantalising, I will certainly be back to enjoy the further adventures of Olivia Featherstone.

The settings, dress, food, music, everything, in fact, is described in exquisite detail, a real education as well as a delight to read. The interactions between characters on a social level are so entertaining, with Olivia at the heart of everything. Dialogue is handled with deftness and no little humour as we gallivant from room to room, house to house, location to location, perfectly placed in the period. I was 100% with the feisty Olivia as she sought to protect her family’s honour, only to find herself embroiled in something even more intriguing. Great fun!

[CMM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters in this book and look forward to the next book. I did not care for some of the use of words that needed to be looked up to find the meaning of or the use of another language that wasn't easy to figure out what the meaning of it was. I want to be able to stay in the zone when reading and this was quite frustrating for me. I liked that it had a good build up to the suspense scenes and the action scenes were easy to imagine them happening. However some of the descriptions were overdone for me, I did not need to know the steps taken for tasks or what a specific room or wardrobe looked like in so much detail. I skipped over quite a bit of the internal dialog sections. It was a bit slow to start for me and I kept putting it down after a page or two, but it did get better for me and I was able to get into it and finish it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Inishowen Cailín · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I found it difficult to get into this book. It felt like the story had somehow started without me and there were a lot of characters and descriptions to wade through. However, the story proved to be exciting and entertaining with plenty of humorous banter and dramatic fight scenes. I loved Olivia. She was determined not to let the men do all the adventuring and she proved to be as good if not better at it than they were. I liked Craven too. He was grumpy, jealous and a flirt. I loved the banter between him and Olivia.
Most of the story arc is resolved by the end but it does end in a little cliffhanger which makes me want to jump right into the next book without delay.

The repeated incorrect use of the word span for spun was one of the proofreading errors that stood out for me and I'm hoping the final version had these little errors ironed out.

[Cajsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️💫 So I had to wait a day before reviewing this and I debated between a 2 or 3 star review because I just wasn’t quite sure exactly how I felt. So pros, good story line, characters were good-ish. I actually liked a couple of the secondary characters better. Cons, too many conversations in French… like full sentences where you sort of got the gist of what they were saying, but then again not. If I only spoke French… Second con, it was just too descriptive in areas and didn’t really matter to the plot. Ugh!

So to sum it all up, if none of the cons aren’t something that bother you and you like historical fiction mysteries, then this is for you. Also, there are a couple spicy scenes FYI.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craved💕 by Craven🐺👊💪🔪🔫

ADULT Late Regency Romance💕 and Adventure

Miss Olivia Featherstone seeks papers to clear her Father's name. Mr Craven 🐺🍆⛲🔪🔫seeks papers to prove someone's guilt. Both of them are trained in the art of spying and lock picking, but they meet for the first time at the estate of a Comte during a house party.
Lots of fun, games, and innuendos ensue!

ARC Provided by Book 📚Sirens💃
I also got this ebook with KU.

Loved the book!, but not the first person narrative! UnFortunately, the book is not written from dual points of View, and we don't know what the tall handsome and virile Craven is ever really thinking.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for readers who like a LOT of meat on the bone…Taylor is clearly a very talented scribe and weaves a very intricate and adventurous tale.

Personally I prefer a faster read, less exposition…and while I found it a little over-written, I have at least 100 friends that would gnaw hungrily at all the glorious prose.

This book is a stunner for the right reader, and while I don’t think I’ll read the follow-up, I would recommend this to anyone who craves a fabulous adventure with a fantastic heroine.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read, set in late Regency 1820s London.

Enter Miss Olivia Featherstone, who is smart, adventurous, and skilled at throwing daggers at villians. When she seeks to right a slur on her family’s name, Delavel Chêne-Craven, a mysterious aristocrat with mysterious ties to both foreign and domestic governments, crosses her path. Soon they become unwilling collaborators, each with their own agendas.

I do like to read stories with a feisty heroine. Olivia certainly fears no one and firmly believes she has the knowledge and skills to make her way through dubious situations. She is confident – a little too confident sometimes – but is admired by those who know her well. Does that include Craven? You’ll need to read the story to find out.

I confess I glossed over the conversations that were in French and would have liked fewer of them. I don’t feel they added to the story.

Just when I thought the story had reached its natural conclusion, it ended with a massive cliffhanger in the last sentence. Bring on book 2 in the series, A Perilous Liaison, which will be released on 11 April.

[Carol P · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Intriguing Deception is about the Featherstone family’s daughter Olivia, and her adventures as a guest at a dinner party. Olivia controls her emotions by counting everything she sees, a habit I found distracting. Olivia was well trained by her father and older brothers in arcane skills and instruments that came in quite handy when she found herself in the midst of a spy nest and unsure who she could trust. I enjoyed having a constantly underestimated female heroine. I thank the author for an advance review copy and I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read! Filled with adventure, mystery, deception and romance ❤️ I loved the lively banter between Miss Featherstone and Carven and the feeling of anticipation of discovering “who did it? But my absolutely favourite aspect was Miss Featherstone’s defiance to fall into the trap of male dominance. Terry Ann Taylor’s captivating Miss Featherstone carries the story through every obstacle as a lady who is not afraid to deviate from the status quo and is proud to be strong and fearless.

I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel!!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel. That said, the writing was rather florid. The book was reminiscent of Deanna Raybourn but could have been stronger with less complex descriptions and fewer excalamtions. The exclamation marks distracted from the substance of the story. The book began slowly but once it picked up pace the story moved quickly. The main character was very fun and relatable.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Carol P - H · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Intriguing Deception is about the Featherstone family’s daughter Olivia, and her adventures as a guest at a dinner party. Olivia controls her emotions by counting everything she sees, a habit I found distracting. Olivia was well trained by her father and older brothers in arcane skills and instruments that came in quite handy when she found herself in the midst of a spy nest and unsure who she could trust. I enjoyed having a constantly underestimated female heroine. I thank the author for an advance review copy and I am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

[Janis Lauzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was simply perfect! It holds just the right amount of romance, intrigue and danger. It kept me hooked until the last page. I love that the main character was no simpering miss. She definitely thinks outside the box and I found that super appealing. It does end in a cliffhanger so hurry up with the next in line, please! The first problem is solved though, It's the danger that continues. I received an ARC in return for an honest review. I loved it and highly recommend reading it!

[Rosario Barrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Intriguing Deception it is! I was thoroughly enchanted by Olivia Featherstone and her adventures! The book had a very light and airy feel about it, which belied all the intrigue and other goings on. Secondary characters were definitely as intriguing. Olivia is indeed very witty, and I loved all the descriptions of furniture , clothing and her surroundings. Kudos!