The Impostor (The Liars Club, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Celeste Bradley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2008

It isn't easy moving about Society dressed like a dandy-especially when one is a ruthless spy. But that's precisely the latest mission for Liar's Club agent Dalton Montmorecy. Dalton is posing as Sir Thorogood, the elusive cartoonist whose scathing political caricatures have all of London abuzz. The true identity of Sir Thorogood is a mystery, and Dalton hopes that impersonating him will flush out the real menace before his cartoons do further damage to the Crown. Now, if Dalton could only find a way to get the irksome, yet oddly appealing widow, Clara Simpson, off his trail...

When Clara meets Sir Thorogood at a ball, she's certain he is an impostor-because she's the true Sir Thorogood. Secretly penning the cartoons under the frothy nom de plume, Clara hopes to save enough money so that she can leave her in-laws and find a new residence. Now she is determined to reveal an imposter's identity-and that means doing some undercover work herself. But pretending to be someone you're not has a funny way of making a woman do things she wouldn't ordinarily dream of-even if it drives her straight into the arms of her devilishly handsome adversary!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bradley's Regency-era Liar's Club series (The Pretender, etc.) is based on a trite premise that a band of aristocratic gentlemen are really "ruthless" covert operatives for the Crown but this fast, frothy second installment proves that even old formulas can yield surprising results. When young widow Clara Simpson inadvertently rouses the Crown's ire with her reformist cartoons, penned under the nom de plume of Sir Thorogood, Liar's Club member Dalton Montmorency decides to pose as Sir Thorogood to flush the elusive cartoonist out into the open. As Sir Thorogood, Dalton finds himself fending off several attempts on his life. Clara, meanwhile, makes it her mission to unmask him. The game becomes even more complex when Dalton tries to break into the house where Clara is posing as a maid to dig up material for her next cartoon. Clara mistakes Dalton for a thief, and he, in turn, believes her a maid. In these roles, the two allow their attraction to blossom. Bradley carefully layers deception upon deception, keeping the intrigue level high and the tone bright. Despite the book's sober second half and bittersweet denouement, readers will race through this delightful comedy of errors and eagerly anticipate the next installment.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

"Totally entertaining." -Julia Quinn

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312946015
• ISBN-13: 978-0312946012
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,275,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi, my name is Celeste Bradley and I write "brain chocolate." That is, I write fun and sexy escapism is for hardworking women everywhere. We deserve a little man-candy, too!

Reviewers like to say I write about misfit heroines getting the man of their dreams. Maybe that's true, but don't we all feel like misfits sometimes? Even if the rest of the world thinks we have all our balls in the air, aren't we juggling like mad on the inside, desperately trying not to drop one?

I'm the kind of woman who never truly has a clean house (not all at once!), who can't seem to have Christmas projects finished by Dec 25, who is stunned by how fast weeds can take over a perfectly well-behaved garden, who is mystified by high-altitude baking rules, who doesn't quite get the kids to the dentist appointment on time...well, you get the picture. Rather than having all my ducklings in a row, I just try to make sure none of the rotten little rebels are playing in the middle of the street!

I love this manic, scattered life I lead. I love to write, craft, garden, bake and mother, even if I don't always do it all perfectly. I love living in the Southwest, with its big sky and vast desert views. I love venturing out of my quiet life to meet readers and other writers, and then I love to come back to my haven, full of ideas and renewed passion and creativity.

Maybe one of those times I'll meet you!

Hugs,
and thanks for reading!

Celeste

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a brilliant follow up to THE PRETENDER, October 21, 2003

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Impostor (The Liars Club, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sir Thorogood, the lampoonist, has been ruffling the feathers of the corrupt and the powerful (even as he's been entertaining everyone else) for quite a while now. So that Dalton Montmorency, Lord Etheridge, is rather surprised when Lord Liverpool, the Prime Minister, 'requests' that the Liars discover who Lord Thorogood is and arrest him. Because there is really no one else he can send out on this particular mission, Montmorency decides to undertake the mission himself. And in order to do so, he decides to pretend to be Lord Thorogood (albeit a very foppish Lord Thorogood) in order to flush the lampoonist out. Instead of which he finds himself being hunted by one particularly foolish and brainless widow...

Mrs. Clara Simpson knows that Dalton Montmorency cannot be Lord Thorogood because she's Lord Thorogood! How dare the foolish fribble try to steal her thunder. Clara has been secretly drawing cartoons as Lord Thorogood in order to expose the rich and powerful for the corrupt monsters that they are, and also because she wanted to earn enough money so that she needn't live as a poor relation with her in-laws any more. All was going well until this false Lord Thorogood turned up and starting receiving the accolades that were her due. Now Clara is determined to unmask the rogue -- except that in order to do so she'll have to shed her quiet widow's weeds and her refined manners and pursue the man. Is Clara up to the job? Dalton Montmorency is about to discover that dodging assassins is nothing compared to trying to elude a single-minded and angry young lady resolved to have her pound of flesh...

While "The Impostor" is in many ways a worthy sequel to "The Pretender," I did think that in this novel the spy/intrigue subplot did take a bit of a back seat to the romance subplot. However, Celeste Bradley did such a magnificent job of developing the romance that blossoms between Clara and Dalton, that this slight 'flaw' didn't really matter all that much. As usual the character portrayals were really good, as was the storyline and the manner in which the authour allowed for the story to unfold. If I had any criticism, it was the that things took unnecessarily long for Dalton and Clara to achieve their happily ever-after ending (a whole extra chapter in fact). But (again) this is a very minor quibble, not worth mentioning. All in all, a magnificent 4 star read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars definitely a "desert island keeper" of a romance, February 10, 2006

By 

Snow White "Snow" (Bavarian Castle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Impostor (The Liars Club, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Once again - Bradley gets it right! I absolutely LOVED this novel and it's my favorite out of the Liar's Club series so far. The love scenes are the best and the hero is neither arrogant/brooding/tortured but he's a gentleman rather reserved and somewhat lonely now that it's up to him to manage the Liar's Club. Reading "Imposter" after "Pretender" was sheer delight!

Favorite scenes include: the corset incident at the ball, the cupboard scene, meeting Lord Reardon, the fog on the bridge (VERY GOOD SCENE!!!! action+romance!) the attic scenes, and all the scenes w/ James, plus more. . . . . . ok the whole frickin' book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great One, January 4, 2006

By 

Sharon B "Meadowflower" (Lexington, Kentucky USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Impostor (The Liars Club, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Celeste Bradley has become one of my favorite authors. The Impostor definitely does not disappoint. Once again she has taken the reader into the world of the Liars Club (and the Quatre Royale) with beautifully written characters that draw you in and make you feel as if they are treasured friends, or bitter enemies. This is a must read series for anyone who enjoys Historical Romance combined with the twists and turns of a mystery. And last, but not least, the love scenes are nothing short of inspirational. An exceptional read by an author who can make me laugh, cry, and feel the full gambit of emotions.