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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
an excellent beginning to a brilliant new series, October 18, 2003
This review is from: The Pretender (Liars Club, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I've just finished "The Pretender" & "The Impostor" (the first two books in Celeste Bradley's The Liar's Club series), and all I can say that Regency romance readers are in for a treat! Finally, we readers are being treated as intelligent people with taste and discrimination. No heroes that make your hands itch for a frying pan, no foolish yet feisty heroines, and no storylines that beggar belief! Instead, we have an interesting and compelling storyline, revolving around a hero who deserves the appellation of 'hero' and a heroine who's intelligent, determined and brave. Miss Agatha Cunnington is in a pickle. Her brother, James, is missing and her greedy neighbour (who also happens to be the executor to her dead father's will) is trying to pressure her into marrying his repulsive son. So, Agatha escapes to London in order to find James. Disguising herself as a married woman (Mrs. Agatha Applequist), Agatha hopes to infiltrate society in order to find the "Griffin," a master spy, whom she suspects knows what has become of James. But her plan hits a snag when because of the suspicions of one particular society matron, she must produce Mr. Applequist and quickly. Fortunately for her, Fate steps in in the shape of a chimney-sweep, Simon Rains. Tall and sinfully handsome, Agatha is sure that if she can pass Simon off as Mr. Applequist, all her troubles will be over. But can she persuade the rough cockney chimney-sweep to cooperate with her plans? Someone is killing off the members of the Liar's Club (a group of rogues and thieves who work as intelligence gatherers for the Crown). And Simon Montague Raines is sure that it is James Cunnington. James has since disappeared, and Simon is sure that Mrs. Applequist (whom he assumes is James's mistress) holds the key to James's whereabouts. All Simon needs to do is to find some way to infiltrate the Applequist household. And what better way than by pretending to be Mr. Applequist? All seems to be proceeding according to plan, that is, until Simon realizes that Agatha is unlike any other lady he's ever met. Never has met so intelligent, devious and determined a lady -- and she's also kind and compassionate to boot. And it doesn't take Simon long to realize just how deep and inappropriate his feelings for Agatha really are. For Simon fully intends to arrest James on the charge of treason as soon as he finds him. And just how this will affect Agatha is something he dares not contemplate... If you like big Regency romance novels -- the ones with sweeping plot-lines that possess a few twists and turns and moments of poignancy, humour and tenderness, with good character development, and a sizzling attraction between the hero and heroine (where neither of them is in denial about their attraction to each other), than you'll really be pleased with "The Pretender." Celeste Bradley is a gem of a writer. Somehow she's managed to incorporate all the elements of what makes a book a good romantic read without letting any one element taking over -- the spy subplot is not told at the expense of the romance subplot (or vice versa) and neither subplot is hampered by overblown sex scenes or a prose style that will make you hoot with laughter. Indeed, "The Pretender" is an all around excellent read, that should not to be missed.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laughter, Tears, Sighs, Nail-biting, everything!, June 11, 2003
This review is from: The Pretender (Liars Club, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I absolutely loved this book! Unforgettable hero and heroine (especially the heroine), Simon Raine and Agatha Cunnington will leave you laughing out loud, sighing with delight and crying from the powerful emotion evoked. Like the reviewer before me, I don't want to talk much about the plot because it would be difficult to do so without accidently spilling plot twists and the sweet and funny bits. The attraction between the couple is so amazing and powerful, you just couldn't get enough of them! Agatha's unconventional beauty is refreshing and such a delight, you will just fall in love with her! Simon's frustration at his uncontrolled attraction to Agatha and not to mention his past, makes him the most endearing hero you could ever get! Celeste Bradley's quirky narrative and snappy dialogue, plus the nerve-racking plot made this book an absolute page-turner. This story has the combination of incredible love, sacrifice, comedy, suspense (extreme) and twists with a wonderful finale that will make you hug the book once you have finished. Finally, excellent supporting characters lift the story and moves it along, filling the gaps to make the story whole. There is just so much to this story that I could go on forever! A MUST READ!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Agatha has to find her missing brother..., February 10, 2009
This review is from: The Pretender (Liars Club, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
and avoid being trapped in marriage to her neighbor's odious son, so she goes to London to search out information about her brother's disappearance. This also gets her out of the reach of Repulsive Reggie (love that appellation) and his greedy father, who wants her land and wealth. On the way to London, Agatha fabricates a husband so she will have the freedom to live without censure in a society that hinders the movement and actions of a single woman. She rents a house as Mrs. Mortimer Applequist, but uses money from her brother's bank account. This definitely gets the attention of Simon Rain, who is the head of the Liar's Club, a group of spies for the Crown. Agatha's missing brother, James Cunnington, is also a member of the Liar's Club, and is suspected of being the rogue spy who is betraying fellow spies and causing their deaths. So Simon finagles his way into Agatha's house, and ends up posing as Agatha's husband - at her insistence! The hope is that they can then mingle with society and try to get the information each one needs. However, Agatha believes that Simon is nothing but a common thief, and Simon believes that Agatha is James' mistress. As they put their plan into action, Simon finds himself admiring Agatha's shrewd mind and her loyalty to James, but can't tell her the truth about himself because he thinks that she may be involved in James' treasonous activities. But they now have a new problem - Agatha can no longer keep her resolve to treat Simon as a brother, and Simon is in danger of breaking the first rule of survival: don't get involved. But while they are searching for the Griffin, the Griffin finds them - and now the action begins.
The secondary characters - Button the valet, Pearson the butler, Feebles the pickpocket, Robbie the chimneysweep, and other interesting inhabitants of their world - play major roles in this game of political intrigue, and I found myself enjoying their involvement.
This is really a very strong 3.5*, but it didn't climb all the way to 4* for me. Celeste Bradley writes strong, resourceful, and shrewd heroines, and I enjoy a resourceful heroine, but it was a little too blatant for me at times.
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