“Sexy, unusual, and vastly entertaining. The best historical romance I’ve read this year.”~ Anna Campbell, author of the Dashing Widows series“A ridiculously wonderful story!”~ NetGalley reviewerOn her 25th birthday, Charlotte Appleby receives an unusual gift: the ability to change shape. Penniless and orphaned, she sets off for London to make her fortune as a man. But a position as secretary to … fortune as a man. But a position as secretary to Lord Cosgrove proves unexpectedly challenging. Someone is trying to destroy Cosgrove and his life is increasingly in jeopardy.
As Charlotte plunges into London’s backstreets at Cosgrove’s side, hunting his persecutor, she finds herself fighting for her life—and falling in love…
“The best historical romance I have read all year.”
~ Rachel @ Heroes & Heartbreakers
“This is so fun. I want to grab people on the street and make them read it!”
~ Goodreads reviewer
Length: Full-length novel of 94,000 words
Sensuality level: A hot Regency romance with steamy love scenes
Q & A with the author
How would you describe this series?
It’s Regency England with a dash of magic. I hope to take readers on a journey from the glittering ballrooms of the aristocracy to the dark underbelly of Regency England – with passion, danger, adventure, romance, and a little magic thrown into the mix.
Why did you write this series?
I wanted to get my well-bred heroines out of the drawing rooms and put them in the way of adventure and romance. But I didn’t want to write a series where magic is common; I wanted to write a series where only a few characters have magic, and it’s a deep, dark secret, and no one else knows.
How would you describe your writing?
Several reviewers have likened my writing to Georgette Heyer, which is the hugest compliment ever. I adore Georgette Heyer! She’s why I write historical romance, and I reread her books over and over. (If you’ve not read The Grand Sophy, please do so!) I’ve also had readers compare my writing to Courtney Milan and Mary Balogh, which are also massive compliments.
Who would like this series?
This series will appeal to readers who enjoy the historical backdrop of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, the emotion of Mary Balogh and Courtney Milan, and the magic of Patricia Rice and Mary Robinette Kowal. Quite a broad range, really!
What order should I read the series in?
Each book, whether a novel or novella, can be read as a standalone, but many readers prefer to read them in order. And although the series is set in Regency England, a quartet of medieval novellas form the prequel.
The ideal reading order would be:
The Fey Quartet (series prequel)
Maythorn’s Wish
Hazel’s Promise
Ivy’s Choice
Larkspur’s Quest
The Baleful Godmother series
Unmasking Miss Appleby
Resisting Miss Merryweather
Trusting Miss Trentham
Claiming Mister Kemp
Ruining Miss Wrotham
Discovering Miss Dalrymple
Plus more interlinked Baleful Godmother series to come.
Happy reading!more
This tale bestows the ability to change shape on Miss Charlotte. However as the male secretary to Lord Cosgrove she is in for quite an education as to the opposite sex. Cosgrove begins to connect the dots when he and his secretary must defend themselves from a surprise attack in private rooms. Reluctant to be labeled as something he is not Cosgrove blunders through several missteps once Charlotte reveals her identity.
It was a very different story line, not what I expected. I enjoyed the book.
Very interesting different kind of story line, but I enjoyed it very much.
With all due respect to the ‘Mistress of the Quill Club’ of which the patronesses are Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen and so on, we can happily add and welcome Emily Larkin.
I really cannot say why I chose to read ‘Unmasking Miss Appleby’ but I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame and am so very happy that I was!
This first stand-alone story in the Baleful Godmother series is totally entertaining and extremely enjoyable. It is full of passion and romance, secrets to be kept hidden, mysteries to be solved, guilty person/s to be uncovered and dealt with, adventures, danger and humor. There is even some tastefully written sexual activity. In addition to all this there is magic, very light and almost believable.
This book is un-put-downable and is definitely a must-read!
Marcus Cosgrove has a blossoming political career ahead of him. One of his ultimate goals is to end slavery. Well, you can’t get that far in your career without making a few enemies. And boy did he have some! On a regular basis, windows would be smashed in, and a surprise left on his doorstep. One night, he and his secretary, Lionel, are attacked and leaves Lionel badly injured. Time to place an advertisement!
Charlotte lives with her aunt and uncle who aren’t particularly kind to her. She realizes she needs to get out and make her own way through the world, but she’s a woman. Imagine her shock and excitement when a faerie is in her bedroom on her 25th birthday to grant her a wish! Let the fun begin! She becomes Christopher Albin and lands a job as Cosgrove’s secretary. They work together to solve the mystery of who is behind the attacks and vandalism. But, can they do it before Cosgrove is gravely injured?
The writing is superb. This is everything I look for in a historical romance. The playful banter between Cosgrove and Charlotte’s many personalities was delightful. When Cosgrove felt betrayed, you felt it too. You were on the emotional rollercoaster Charlotte was on as she dealt with deceit from her family to her feelings for Cosgrove. It doesn’t get any better than this! Amazing!
A fun, original and page-turning adventure. I enjoyed the comparisons of life as a man and woman, and the gradual falling in love. Charlotte and Cosgrove were great protagonists.
Book source ~ NetGalley
Charlotte Appleby is living a miserable life with her aunt and uncle. Sure she has a roof over her head and food to eat, but they treat her like crap. So when a Faerie shows up in her room on her 25th birthday and says she has to bestow a gift on her, what’s a woman to do? Pick one and get the hell out of Dodge, that’s what. Charlotte chooses the gift of metamorphosis or shape-changing. The best part is: it’s not just shape-changing, it’s life-changing for Charlotte.
This is one of those books that will grab your fancy and not let go until the end. Charlotte has to pick a gift and the Faerie bestowing it is not like the fairy godmother in Cinderella. She’s like the ones in Grimm Fairy Tales, she may have to bestow a gift, but she’s going to be cruel if she can get away with it. Charlotte is no dummy though and asks questions and carefully weighs her options before choosing her gift.
The year is 1805 and Charlotte’s options are limited. So she decides to shift into a man and apply as a secretary to a Lord from an ad she sees in the paper. She may be a poor relation now, but at one time her mother and father made sure their daughter had a well-rounded education. She’s confident she can do the job. She’s not so sure about being a man. Luckily, Lord Cosgrove takes a chance and hires her, uh, him, uh, Charlotte who is now Christopher Albin. Lord Cosgrove is having some difficulties that a mere secretary would have a hard time helping him to investigate. But Charlotte is in a unique position. She can change into any person or animal and sneak into places neither one could go. The plot is twisty, the characters are wonderful, and Charlotte’s adventures into shape-shifting are fun to witness. Add some romance to the mix (it’s complicated) and it’s the perfect storm. I had a hard time putting this book down. I couldn’t wait to see what was on the next page. Who was the one causing Cosgrove all the trouble? When would he find out about her shape shifting? What would happen when he did? The suspense builds at a steady pace until the big finale. Wonderful!
Interesting twist but a bit too explicit for me…
So much angst, and shape shifting, and tears, and rage. Doesn’t make me want to read more books of this series.
Like that it was a little different than your average romance. The super-natural worked.
Great read!!!different!!!
Good story!!!loved the main charactors!!!
A FAERIE TALE. A cute read. Begins somewhat like Cinderella, then twists and turns from there. Always remembering it is a faerie tale, the twists and turns are believable.
Wonderfully romantic story; fun plot; lovely characters. The explicit sex scenes were not necessary. I won’t be reading any more of this series.
I do not like mystical books, bu once I started reading it; I couldn;’t put it down. It was part of a series and I ended up reading the whole series.
Oh! This book was different, because her existence was humiliating, and unloved she was driven to find another was to survive, and here it gets interesting. The appearance of the fairy who grants her one wish and she chooses the ability to change her appearance (metamorphosis), i found a little fun in the changes but it becomes a little dangerous but all in all it worked great for Charlotte and Cosgrove, they found there happy ever after. Great read!
I totally enjoyed reading this well-written the story.
Unhappy being treated as a servant by her uncle’s family, Charlotte decides to use the gift of metamorphosis (new speak: shape shifting) to become independent … as a man, as her opportunities are then much greater. One of her first assignments as Cosgrove’s secretary Mr. Albin is to accompany him as he questions his enemies to find out who is behind the attacks on him. There are some amusing scenes where Cosgrove speaks openly to Mr. Albin of topics he would never breach with a young woman.
The story is quite believable, aside from Charlotte’s changing back and forth, but even that is described in a logical manner. I like both hero and heroine, who are not overdrawn.
The ‘fairy godmother’ was a good plot idea and it worked. I liked the plot-line and I liked the characters. I did not like the language, and that was bit of a drawback for me; but I will still look for more books in this series.
This was a fun read; unrealistic but fun. I sometimes enjoying reading something out of the ordinary. This book was definitely out of the ordinary; far-fetched is a good word for it.
Unique
Very cute story. Made me want to read the other books.