ARC Review: A Secret Surrender (The Pretenders #1) by Darcy Burke
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Series: The Pretenders #1
Author: Darcy Burke
Published August 7th 2020 by Darcy Burke Publishing
Goodreads Synopsis
From USA Today Bestselling author Darcy Burke, your next Regency obsession: The Pretenders! Set in Burke's popular world of The Untouchables, indulge in the saga of a trio of siblings who excel at being something they're not. Can a dauntless Bow Street Runner, a devastated viscount, and a disillusioned Society miss unravel their secrets?
A survivor of the mean streets of London's East End, Selina Blackwell has learned to be a chameleon, and in her current iteration as a fortune-teller, she's able to provide a Season for her sister. Only, Madame Sybila can't be a chaperone, so Selina takes on another identity as the proper Lady Gresham. But when a Bow Street Runner takes too much of an interest in her business, it seems the crimes of her past will finally come to light.
Determined to prove that Madame Sybila is a fraud bent on fleecing London's elite, Harry Sheffield enlists the help of the alluring Lady Gresham in exchange for introducing her to Society's best. With his busy career and aspirations for the future, Harry has no time for marriage, but an affair is just right—until he discovers the lady's disarming secret. Whatever his feelings for her, he can't ignore who she is and who she's been. And when she holds the key to the one case he couldn't solve, he must choose justice or love.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
For Selina Blackwell, life has been tough. Raised by an 'uncle' alongside her brother in the East End of London, she was sent to school at 11 to avoid facing a life of prostitution. At school, she was wholly alone, and ridiculed, except for her friend, and pseudo-sister, Beatrix. Since they left school, they've had to survive in whatever way they could, lying and stealing their way to find a foothold in London society, to allow Beatrix the opportunity to have a season, and meet her father again after being abandoned as a child as the illegitimate daughter of a duke. Selina has taken on the persona as both Lady Gresham, a widow caring for her sister, and as Madam Sybila, a fortune teller adored by society. As Lady Sybila, she risks the scorn of others, and especially Harry Sheffield, son of the Earl of Aylesbury, and a Bow Street Runner. He's adamant that Madam Sybila is a fraud, swindling his mother, and sets out to prove it. Thinking that Lady Gresham may be a way for him to discover more, he enlists her help, not knowing that the woman he's been looking for has been in front of him the entire time.
I really enjoyed Darcy's Spitfire Society series when I read it last year, and seeing that these books would be in the same world, I knew I needed to read the series, and I binged them all in a few days. For the first book, it was such a solid start, setting the scene and introducing the main players, and making us fall in love with Selina, Beatrix, and Rafe. I loved Selina from the first page. She was strong, and knew what it was to struggle, but would do anything she could to help those she cared for, and get revenge for those she thought she had lost. Harry is completely straitlaced - as a second son, he wasn't expected to go into the law, and then into Bow Street, but he cared about righting wrongs, and making those pay who deserved it. Fraud and people being hoodwinked was an evil to him, so he wanted to bring down Sybila at whatever cost, especially when his own family was involved. Meeting Selina, as Lady Gresham, was as if a moment of fate, and from the first meeting, they were both lost. I felt their chemistry, and feelings for each other, strongly, and it was clear that they both wanted to be with each other, even if there were many struggles to overcome. Beatrix and Rafe were perfect side characters here - definitely setting them up for their own stories, and the inclusion of past characters was a joy too. A wonderful start to the series!
Dates Read:
Rating
4 Stars
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