One of Library Journal’s Best Romances of 2018The one you love… nearing an end. Charity needs to see her beloved friend married well and then Robert Selby will disappear…forever.
May not be who you think…
Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has spent years repairing the estate ruined by his wastrel father, and nothing is more important than protecting his fortune and name. He shouldn’t be so beguiled by the charming young man who shows up on his doorstep asking for favors. And he certainly shouldn’t be thinking of all the disreputable things he’d like to do to the impertinent scamp.
But is who you need…
When Charity’s true nature is revealed, Alistair knows he can’t marry a scandalous woman in breeches, and Charity isn’t about to lace herself into a corset and play a respectable miss. Can these stubborn souls learn to sacrifice what they’ve always wanted for a love that is more than they could have imagined?
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I loved the premise of this book! This has been in my TBR for ages and I’m so glad I finally got a chance to read it. The heroine was fantastic. Once the hero lost the stick up his (ahem) I loved him, too. 😉 Great secondary characters, unusual conflict. In short: I chuckled, I sniffled, I recommend!
A witty romantic romp from start to finish with an ending that will make you smile and sigh, proving true love will always find a way.
Cat Sebastian sent me on an emotional rollercoaster with Unmasked by the Marquess, an unforgettable tale of powerful love that overcomes the odds. I was hooked from page one and adored these characters as they fought for their HEA. If you haven’t read Cat Sebastian, what are you waiting for?
I just adored this queer regency romance with a stuffy Marquess and the non-binary rascal who wins him over. It was utterly charming, and I cried happy tears at the end.
Brimming with warmth, laughter, and passion, this book is an absolute delight. The honesty and bravery of the lovers made me literally cheer out loud, and Robin is now among my favorite romance leads of all time. I adored every little bit of this novel.
Crusty, proper Marquess of Pembroke, finds himself unbearably tempted by Robin Selby, who arrives from nowhere with plans for his sister to marry the Marquess’s brother. But Robin is in fact Charity Church, a servant of the Selby family who assumed the real Robert’s identity years earlier. Charity is non-binary, and the life she is able to live in disguise as Robin is more honest than any life she might have presenting as a woman, which she would have to do if she allowed herself to imagine a future with Alistair. A beautiful, emotional romance between two people who are thoroughly perfect for each other.
A new addition to my all-time favorites list. I can’t quite capture exactly why this book is so special, except to say that the characters have a compelling dynamic… calling it grumpy + sunshine is selling it short, but that is an element of it. There’s just a sure sense from early in the book that the characters each have something to offer one another that will make them each whole, which is so often missing in romance but is so wonderfully satisfying when it’s executed as well as it is here. I desperately wanted them together from early in the book.
It’s true that the representation of a bisexual character here, and of gender, make the book stand apart in the genre. But even with those themes aside, the love story here is sweet and sexy and memorable all on its own.
This was the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last. It’s very difficult to write an alpha hero who is both arrogant and sympathetic, but Sebastian pulls it off. She also created a believable transformative character arc. Brava!
The next time someone tells me romance novels are predictable (don’t even get me started), I’m going to simply point them in the direction of this wonderful story. It’s a historical romance about Robin, who is nonbinary and currently presenting themselves to society as Robert, and Alistair, the titular marquess. Romance novels promise Happily Ever Afters but I swear I had no idea how Cat was going to pull this off. The odds were stacked way against Robin and Alistair and my heart was in my throat trying to figure out how they could be together. Because they certainly needed to be together! A thoroughly excellent story and such a satisfying (and yes, happy!) ending. This is why Cat Sebastian has become one of my go-to authors when I feel like a little HR.
A clever Regency romance between a grumpy marquess and a charming non-binary schemer. Witty and sexy with lots of twists.
Couldn’t put it down.
Unusual to say the least. Just not my favorite type of reading. If you don’t mind the language and sex the point of being more open-minded and less judgemental was a good one. We all need to be more accepting of others and able to forgive parents for the choices they have made in life.
Another great book by this author, with a difference
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Erica –
I attempted to read this book from cover-to-cover, and was quite frustrated when I was forced to stop reading to go make dinner, right at the ending, no less.
To clear up any confusion or misunderstandings, I’ll preface this review by stating this novel is MF historical romance, featuring a bisexual hero and a heroine who chooses to dress as a male to assume another identity. This is not transgender nor M/M romance. During the commission of the con, Charity finds the identity one in which she identifies with, like putting on a well-worn coat she hadn’t realized was her own. ‘Robin’ was a better fit for Charity, as were the clothing and the freedom she felt. To return to the role of a woman in this era was not a life Charity wished to live.
In the era of primogeniture, Charity assumes the role of her childhood friend – Robbie Shelby – to protect his young sister. With his death, Charity wasn’t thinking of her own welfare, but that of her ‘sister.’ Charity wished to protect the girl, wishing the beauty to have an advantageous marriage. If she hadn’t assumed the role, a cousin would take control of their estate, leaving them both on the street.
At the start of the novel, Alistair was a stuffy, uptight Marquess. While it fit perfectly with the times, there’s a lack of compassion and empathy, which made liking Alistair difficult to begin with. He didn’t see the children his father had with a mistress as his sisters, while treating his full-blooded brother as a sibling. This was hard to swallow for me, as if his father had no say in the matter of making three illegitimate daughters, Alistair blaming the mistress and her daughters for their existence.
Obviously Alistair’s character growth throughout the novel is a major facet of the premise.
The chemistry between Alistair and Charity sparks immediately, showing a different side of Alistair as he appreciates the intimacy and affection of another male in the role of friendship, one where societal influence over how to treat a woman wouldn’t affect their budding friendship/relationship. This was sweet, because Alistair wasn’t an easy man to befriend, proving how easily the couple came together. They just ‘fit.’
As for the romance, it was slow-burn with the secrets and lies between them but ignited brightly with realism. There are other relationships riding shotgun – that of the sister, as well as the familial connection Alistair slowly builds with his sisters and their mother.
Angst, frustration, secrets and lies, sweet affection, scorching intimacy, and an intriguing premise of a woman assuming the life of a male, these threads wove together to create an addictive page-turner. The only thing better would’ve been if the author had thrown in a kitten…
Highly recommend to historical romance readers, both mainstream and LGBTQ, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Unmasked by the Marquess (Regency Imposters #1) by Cat Sebastian to read and review.
Unmasked By The Marquess by Cat Sebastian is the First book in the Regency Imposters series. This is the story of Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke and Robert Selby / Charity Church.
Charity has been pretending to be a man to help to take care of her sister. Alistair has issues with his past and feelings that he has in his current day.
Feelings start to grow between the two but they both have things they haven’t shared yet.
This was really different historical romance that was a nice change.
Also this was my first book by this author and I do hope to read more of her stories.