She dreams of marrying a nobleman. Too bad he’s only pretending to be one.Cecilia Cosgrove’s beauty opens doors and hearts everywhere she goes. With a marquess courting her, the status and wealth her family is counting on her to obtain is finally within her reach—until she meets Jacques Levesque, the French nobleman who immediately pegs her as affected and superficial. While piqued and offended, … superficial. While piqued and offended, Cecilia secretly begins to wonder whether he might not have a point.
Poor French émigré Jacques Levesque has been disguised as a French nobleman for almost as long as he can remember, trying his hardest to keep his head down in a society obsessed with rank and high birth. But when Cecilia Cosgrove comes into his life, he finds it hard to maintain his façade—or to want to.
While Cecilia struggles between the desire to please others and the wish to pursue her own course, Jacques’s interest in her provokes a powerful enemy intent on taking him down. With love, acceptance, and the future on the line for them both, Cecilia and Jacques must decide whether a life lived behind a mask is any life at all.
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Upon their arrival in France, Jacque Levesque, a boy of nine, and his father’s fortune suddenly change. Jacque’s father is employed as a valet to Monsieur le Comte who suddenly dies when they arrive in England. Jacque’s father takes on the persona as Monsieur le Comte! For twenty-one years Jacques and his father have held this secret. Jacques is introduced to Cecilia Cosgrove a beautiful girl of the ton, who is very class conscious. Her parents who are pinning their hopes on a Marquess, Lord Retford for Cecelia, known for his many indiscretions. Is there more depth to Cecilia?
Martha Keyes created a unique plot in the novel Cecilia. This novel made me feel a bit anxious, as you knew that Jacque and his father’s cover would be blown, and you liked them both so much, and you didn’t want them to get in trouble for their deceit. I also loved the growth that Cecilia experienced in this novel. Though her parents were holding out for a Marquess for her, no matter his reputation, Cecilia proves in her choices that life is more than just ballrooms, beauty and titles.
Martha Keyes writes about compelling characters, interesting scenes, and witty dialogues. I look forward to her next novel.
I received a free copy of this book from the author, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
It was hard to see how this story was going to resolve into a happy ending but it happened. There were interesting elements I don’t often see in Regency romance novels and the one that seems the most unlikely is actually based on a real historical figure so there was a twist.
Though I did not like Cecilia initially, I did like who she became as she dropped her mask to be her real self. And I liked Jacques who had the most difficult situation to manage. He wanted to lose his mask too but there would be so many repercussions for doing so. I also loved Letty and Caroline.
I got to the climax of this story and even though it was late I had to keep reading. How would this possibly resolve? I didn’t exactly see that ending coming and thought other paths more likely.
I did wonder how Cecilia’s parents reacted in the end and how the ton viewed the situation.
Clean, enjoyable read.
Sex: some kisses
Language: no
Violence: some
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
I really enjoyed Cecilia and found this book to be very original. At first I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy the story as much because Cecilia was quite the snob, but the author did a great job of showing the reader Cecilia’s heart and why she acted as she did. Her changes in the story are believable and I liked that she didn’t just suddenly make the right choice each time, but ultimately realized what was in her heart. Jacques role in the story was what I found to be most creative in the plot. An impostor in British society, but for reasons completely original to any other regency romance I have read. Definitely worth reading, though it was helpful having read Isabel prior to have a little more insight into Cecilia’s character.
I loved this sweet Regency romance. The hero and heroine were both very likeable, and they had something big in common. For different reasons each one was hiding a part of themselves from the world. Of course various complications arose due to the secrets they kept, and I found it made for an entertaining story. It also provided ample room for character growth, especially on Cecilia’s part, and that’s something I always value in a story.
This could definitely be read and enjoyed without reading the other novels in the series, but it was nice to see some familiar characters again (both those who have had their story told and some who I hope get their own stories in the future).
This review is based on an ARC that I received, but I enjoyed it enough that I’ve pre-ordered my own copy. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys sweet romance stories, especially those in a historical setting.