Duels and Deception

 Synopsis

Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father's choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan.

Until the day Lydia is kidnapped- and Robert along with her. Someone is after her fortune and won't hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert's help, Lydia strives to keep her family's good name unsullied and expose whoever is behind this devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is what she actually wants . . . 

Loved

• Robert. Ah, Robert is just perfect. He maintains a facetious sense of humor and spunky flare of spontaneity while being the picture of gentlemanly propriety. His blatant adoration for Lydia is endearing and I loved getting his thoughts since the story switches perspectives frequently. His sharp wit, quick thinking, genuine sincerity, and mischievous sense of humor had me in love with him from the first chapter.

• Lydia. Here is a refreshing Regency heroine- the heiress and oldest daughter, and she takes her role seriously. She is very well-informed of their family's financial situation and is not afraid to take matters into her own hands in managing everything since her father died. I love her pragmatic confidence, down-to-earth personality, and her quick-witted conversation that is complemented adorably by Robert.

• The romance. This is the cutest romance. As I said above, we get both perspectives multiple times per chapter, which is so fun because we get to hear each characters' thoughts about the other. I love their banter and the way their senses of humor and quick wit play off each other. And of course, their being kidnapped together is the perfect trope for their falling in love ;)

• The writing. I am such a sucker for Cindy Anstey's writing. She is the master of witty conversation and clever wording. I found myself laughing out loud frequently at her descriptions and thought processes of their characters- making them so relatable with their awkwardness and uncertainty. She could write anything and it would be entertaining and refreshing- I definitely plan on reading everything she writes!

• The mystery. Sometimes you just need a lighter mystery where the highest stakes are a character's reputation ;) Although this is very light-hearted, I was surprised by the villain behind the kidnapping and I enjoyed speculating who it could be throughout the story. It was also fun to have some action scenes- but again, very mellow and non-threatening. I found this to be a breath of fresh air after reading so many hefty fantasies where the action is intense and violent. It was nice to have the worst injury be a tiny cut on the neck and injured pride :)

• The ending. I won't spoil- but the ending is just perfect and I'm still smiling about it as I'm writing now. It was hilarious, genius, and extremely witty- which fit the rest of the story flawlessly :)

Didn't Love

• I just ate up every word of this and I wouldn't change a single thing about it except that I'm dying for more of Robert and Lydia :)

Content

• Language: 
• One or two uses of "damn" and "hell."

• Sexual content: 
• You have to love Regencies- the most scandalous thing that happens in this story is that Lydia and Robert spend the night unchaperoned- due to their being kidnapped and having to figure out an escape. (And he sees her ankle once- *gasp*).

• Violence:
• There is a kidnapping where two characters are abducted. One character has a knife to his neck for a whole carriage ride, but is not hurt besides a small cut on his neck.
• Mentions of duels, but no injuries.
• Mention of a past duel where a character's brother was shot and killed.

Overall Thoughts

Ah, Cindy Anstey nails it on the head every time. Her books are like candy- just pure joy and pleasure that keeps you smiling throughout the entire story. Robert and Lydia are simply adorable and their romance is fun, sweet, and refreshing. I loved both of them and their constantly inventing obscure reasons to visit each other. This story is exactly what I was hoping for- a light-hearted cute romance laced with amusing conversation, awkward moments, some non-intense action, and a dash of mystery. I can't recommend this enough if you are in the mood for a cute, clever feel-good read- Cindy Anstey delivers on this every time!