A Delicate Deception

So - a bi (or pan?) sexual woman (Amelia) with social anxiety and a bisexual Quaker civil engineer (Sydney) meet randomly while out walking in Derbyshire; complications ensue when each finds out the other has been unreasonably vague about who they are. Also here are his ex-lover/best friend Lex (a duke, who is gay and blind and gets all the best lines) and her friend/ex-governess Georgiana (who might be asexual? maybe aromantic?). Keating, from Unmasked by the Marquess, is here as Amelia’s groom/handyman and apparently making the rounds of the local gay men. AND ROBIN POPS UP RIGHT AT THE VERY END. This has to be the queerest historical I’ve ever read - all the straight people are either deceased (Syd’s brother/SIL), in America (his parents), or very minor characters (the vicar and his wife, Lady Stafford, etc). Sebastian seeds in bits from beloved English canon novels (you’ll know them when you read them) and also gives Amelia some really lovely things to say about how we view virginity and the position of children born to unmarried parents. Although I would have loved a few more scenes between Amelia and Syd “falling in love” - I didn’t quite feel them connect like Robin/Alistair and Verity/Ash did. <br /><br />But PLEASE can we have the Perkin Warbeck slash-fic novel? Will read, I promise ?

A lovely bi-for-bi romance about two oddballs with social anxiety finding each other and making a little found family for themselves, their queer (ace and gay, respectively) best friends, a couple dogs, and a quirky little French kid. Just so lovely, there's no other way to describe it. I really liked how this switched up the usual third act breakup structure.

Funny, quirky, inclusive regency MF romp. <br /><br />Female MC:<br />Bi/Pansexual<br />Severe social anxiety<br />Socially awkward<br />Writer<br />Removed herself from society<br /><br />Male MC:<br />Bisexual <br />Socially awkward <br />Grieving for his brother<br />Quaker<br />Engineer<br /><br />They meet<br />They meet<br />They meet<br />They have sex<br />Conflict<br />They come together again<br />HEA<br /><br />GREAT narration by Joel Leslie. <br />

This was a bit rough, but charming in its roughness. It's my favorite of Sebastian's Regency Imposters books. At the beginning of the book especially when the lovers are in the "enemies" phase of "enemies to lovers," the banter and the narration both are very biting and witty, but in a gentle, non-threatening way for my emotions. <br /><br />Amelia is our heroine, and I will admit it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize she was in both prior books in the series. She has retreated to the countryside to a life of solitude with her former governess. She has decided it is ultimately futile to try and participate in a society that doesn't want her, at the expense of her identity. The mental and emotional toll trying to fit in was too high. This is where our hero, Sydney, finds her. Through a series of tragic, flukish circumstances, he has found himself the owner of an estate, the ancestral lands of his friend, the Duke. It is to these lands that Amelia has fled, renting a cottage near the edge of the grounds. She has no idea he owns the land when they meet. And they have a truly delightful antagonism between them at first, which melts gradually into companionship, and then love.<br /><br />The secondary characters are also quite lovely. There's a blind duke, an illegitimate daughter, dogs, the aforementioned governess (who is asexual, though they didn't have the words for it). Our hero and heroine are both bisexual. And the Duke is quite gay. I think this book pulls off LGBTQIA people living in Regency England in maybe a slightly more believable fashion than the first one did. I also liked that Sydney was a Quaker, and the way his family was used was something I haven't seen in a romance before.<br /><br />This book also fixed the complaints I had with the first two books in the series. I thought the first book skipped my favorite part of romance, which is the characters getting to know each other. I don't think it's fun to read about characters who just fall in love instantly (other people feel similarly to me, which is why "instalove" is a much-despised trope). Here, you see them get to know each other, and it's great. My complaint with the second book is that it wasn't long enough, developed enough. It felt like she just skipped from place to place in that book to get it over and done with. She skipped the fun transitions, the scenes of characters actually doing and experiencing things. This book was the longest book I've read from her in some time, and no transitions were skipped. We're with them every step of the way that we should be.<br /><br />Anyway, all this to say, <i>A Delicate Deception</i> was a fine closer to this series, but I really am very excited for her to finally continue the Seducing the Sedgwicks series in a couple of months, and the next book has an actual good cover! I almost fell over from shock when I saw it.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 since I love the author. <br />This was ok. It’s the story of two people finding love and family. Sydney is a grumpy guy who lost his brother in a fire. He is sent a letter from his ex-lover to meet him at the house that burnt down killing his brother and sister in law. Sydney now owns the house but wants nothing to do with it. Amelia we have met in the series before, she is the illegitimate sister of Alistair in book one of the series. She living in a home on the property of Sydney’s house with her old governess. Amelia has an anxiety disorder and doesn’t like to be around people. The two keep bumping into one another on their walks and start a friendship that quickly escalates. I didn’t feel them falling in love. I generally like this author and her characters who are outside the norm but these two didn’t quite do it for me.

I liked the non-cliche characters and storyline. The writing was inclusive and the varied characters were able to find happiness in their lives in different ways from the usual HR HEA type scenario. Amelia and Sydney were very nice together. Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as #1, Unmasked By The Marquess, it was still worth a read.

The third book in this series has Amelia Allenby retired to the country with her companion Georgiana. Amelia suffers from social anxiety and at times considers the quiet countryside where she currently is not secluded enough. The two ladies are renting a cottage on the lands of Pelham Hall, a manor house that was partially destroyed in a tragic fire that killed the Duke of Hereford's sister and her husband. The Duke of Hereford, "Lex" has invited his friend, brother-in-law and former lover Sydney Goddard to meet him at Pelham Hall, but ends up being delayed on the road. Sydney and Amelia meet each other while out walking and strike up a friendship which turns into something more.<br /><br />This is great, on par with the second book, but I felt it was a little let down by the conclusion (I won't spoil it, and I think it makes sense, but I think other actions would have made better sense). I also think the story ends rather abruptly, particularly when I feel that the accommodation that Amelia and Sydney come to has plenty of story left in it. <br /><br />While the central romance here is a traditional hetero one, the story itself is very queer-friendly. Both our leads are bi and Amelia's friend Georgiana is ace (although obviously without the terminology for it). Georgiana and Lex are one of the best things about this story. It's also worth pointing out that Amelia's anxiety is treated with respect and it's interesting seeing a mental health issue like this dealt with in this historical setting in a positive way.

I recently finished reading an ARC of Cat Sebastian’s A Delicate Deception which features two disarmingly lovely and grumpy people falling head over heels for each other, slowly but surely, after they keep running into each other on their morning jaunts.<br /><br />Extremely tall Sydney with his stern eyebrows but kissable mouth and reclusive Lady Amelia Allenby living her best life free of the ballrooms and anxieties that plagued her in London society are an absolute treat.<br /><br />I always adore how Cat Sebastian handles and subverts romance tropes. Lady Amelia's nonchalance about her "deflowering" yet her supreme happiness with being with Sydney was just *chef's kiss* lovely. This story also is absolutely queer, and I loved how the happily ever after worked out for both characters.<br /><br />If you can’t wait for A Delicate Deception, Cat Sebastian has a wonderful back list of amazing titles you can jump in to right away!<br /><br />I reviewed from a free copy downloaded from Edelweiss+

This is such a terrific series! Each one better than the last (as if that were even possible lol). A lovely romance, with pan or bisexual characters, and a <i>very</i> creative meet-cute. Simply wonderful!

I'm around about 25% but it's due in 3 days and stressing me out bc I don't feel like reading this one. So, it gets the shelf for now. I know CS magic exists. Hello, Turners....but I'm not feeling it here