An Honorable Deception by Roseanna M. White

An Honorable Deception
by Roseanna M. White

ISBN-13: 9780764240942
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: November 19, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
As the leader of the Imposters, an elite private investigative firm, Lord Yates Fairfax has made an art of concealing his identity. But when his newest client, the beautiful Lady Alethia Barremore, is shot while leaving their meeting, he throws caution to the wind and rushes to her aid. Though Lady Alethia thought she was only looking for her missing former nanny, she has clearly stumbled upon something much more dangerous.

Lady Lavinia Hemming suspects her longtime friends hold more secrets than they're willing to admit, and when she stumbles upon the truth that they're the esteemed Imposters, she recruits herself into the firm. While she is happy for the distraction of an investigation, Lavinia's own family secrets continue to haunt her. And the one thing bringing laughter back into her life--her friendship with Yates--lands her squarely on the disagreeable side of her best friend: his sister.

Tormented by a past she doesn't dare voice aloud, Lady Alethia does what she can to help her handsome host, her new friends, and the investigators. But as clues lead them deeper into the dark side of society, Alethia, Yates, and Lavinia learn anew that the gentry isn't always noble.


My Review:
An Honorable Deception is a Christian romance with a mystery, set in 1910 in England. This book is the 3rd in the series, but you can understand it without reading the previous books. However, you'll probably enjoy it more if you've read the first in the series as they refer back to events in that story.

The main characters were likable and reacted realistically. Lavinia turned down Yates when they were younger because her mother disapproved, but Yates thought that she didn't love him and tried to move on. Alethia caught his attentions, but Lavinia realized how much she wanted his affection now that her mother has died. But she's friends with Alethia, too. Yates and Lavinia worked well together and cared for and supported each other.

The mystery was about finding missing foreign women, specifically Alethia's Indian nanny. Once they found her, they needed to free her and others from cruel gentlemen, ones the police were unlikely to arrest. So how to get them free and make sure the men don't harm others? It was fun watching Lavinia get to direct the investigation and take the stage (literally) in pursuit of justice.

The Indian nanny's Christian faith was what helped her through the evil she experienced. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this fun story.