A Beautiful Disguise ~ Review

 A Beautiful Disguise

The Imposters #1

By Roseanna M. White

Lady Marigold Fairfax, or Lady M to her admirers, is known to London's Society for her outlandishly colored ensembles. But her clothing is just a disguise to distract others from noticing the personal details of her person. Marigold, her brother Yates, and two of their childhood friends are The Imposters. To save their estate from her father's financial mismanagement (and to provide for those who call it home), Marigold and company have formed an investigative company. A company known for its results but not its investigators, who remain unknown to all. Skills honed from childhood are put to use - skills that society would have frowned upon.  

When Sir Merritt Livingston, who serves in the War Office's Intelligence Division, accidentally stumbled upon something that could cast doubts on his superior's loyalties, he reaches out to the mysterious Imposters for help. What Merritt doesn't realize is that he, too, will be under surveillance. As Marigold and Yates gather intelligence, they hope to clear their neighbor of suspicion of leaking secrets to Germany.      

A Beautiful Disguise is a fun read with serious tones to it. I love Marigold. She's an engaging character who assumes a mask to save what she holds dearest. Using everything at her disposal, she has created a second persona, one she shows the world and her true self, which only those who've known her most of her life know. The Imposters live two lives, and it is interesting to see how they balance them, slipping from one role to another in mere moments.

This is the first book in a new series by Roseanna M. White, which is set in the Edwardian era. In a world on the edge of change, the Faifax siblings must find a way to preserve all that they hold dear, and through ingenuity, they appear to have done so, but how long can they keep their secrets from the outside world? Only time will tell. I highly recommend this book.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations, all thoughts expressed are my own.             

About the Book:

Left with an estate on the brink of bankruptcy after their father's death, Lady Marigold Fairfax and her brother open a private investigation firm marketed to the elite . . . to spy on the elite. Dubbed The Imposters, Ltd., their anonymous group soon becomes the go-to for the crème of society when they want answers delivered surreptitiously. But the many secrets Marigold learns about her peers pale in comparison to her shock when she and her brother are hired to investigate her best friend's father as a potential traitor.

Sir Merritt Livingstone has spent a decade serving the monarch in the most elite guard, but when pneumonia lands him behind a desk in the War Office Intelligence Division just as they're creating a new secret intelligence branch, he's intent on showing his worth. He suspects a man of leaking information to Germany as tensions mount between the two countries, but needs someone to help him prove it, so he turns to The Imposters, Ltd. No one knows who they are, but their results are beyond compare.

Lady Marigold is determined to discover the truth for her friend's sake, and she's more determined still to keep her heart from getting involved with this enigmatic new client . . . who can't possibly be as noble as he seems.