The Cloverton Charade
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A long-held family feud reignites when two rival antiquities brokers arrive at the same house party in Regency England.
Olivia Brannon knows her goals are unconventional. As a young woman in Regency England, her best bet—according to society—is to marry well and secure a steady future for herself. But Olivia has never been interested in convention. She’d prefer to follow in her deceased father’s footsteps and journey to foreign lands in search of rare and valuable antiquities.
Eager to make a name for herself in the antiquities world, Olivia jumps at an invitation to join a wealthy widow at the famed Cloverton Hall to evaluate her private antiquities collection. Secrecy of the task is vital, and in order to conceal her efforts Olivia must pretend to be a house party guest to avoid suspicion and to explain her presence.
Lucas Avery, whose father was a rival of Olivia’s father, has also arrived at the Cloverton Hall house party, hired by the new master of Cloverton Hall—the widow’s nephew—to appraise the renowned Cloverton Hall collection. When Lucas discovers Olivia masquerading as a party guest while covertly conducting her own assessment, he’s keen to renew the family rivalry. But as their paths frequently cross, he’s unprepared for the effect the refreshingly honest—and beautiful—Olivia has on him.
Yet all is not as it seems. Both Olivia and Lucas are shocked by the astonishing discovery of counterfeit pieces, and when the unexpected occurs, everyone is a suspect . . . and Olivia and Lucas both must choose whom they will trust. Only the hidden treasure will allow Louisa and her sister to gain their freedom.
Sweet Regency romance set in the same time period as BridgertonPart of the Houses of Yorkshire series but can be read as a stand-alone novelBook length: 83,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the third Houses of Yorkshire Regency romance, Ladd (In the Shelter of Hollythorne House) serves up a riveting mystery centered on two antique brokers who are thrust back into each other's lives years after a family feud forced them apart. When Olivia Brannon is recruited to evaluate a widow's private collection at a London mansion, she jumps at the chance. Mrs. Milton is eager to keep Olivia's work secret from her nephew George, the new owner of Cloverton Hall, and has Olivia pose as her guest at a party. Working-class Olivia feels like a fish out of water among the fashionable set, and things get stranger still when she runs into Lucas Avery, whose father was once a business associate of her own father's before the two had a falling-out. Lucas is at Cloverton to evaluate George's own collection of antiques, and is horrified to discover counterfeits among them. He reluctantly seeks out Olivia's expertise, and sparks fly as the pair—who are driven by a shared belief in doing what's right—work to uncover who might be switching out George's antiques. Ladd seamlessly weaves in details about the feud between the Brannons and the Averys as the narrative surges forward, adding depth and intrigue to Olivia and Lucas's budding relationship. It's a pitch-perfect blend of suspense and sweetness.
