Review: Unmasked by the Marquess

Review: Unmasked by the MarquessUnmasked by the Marquess (Regency Imposters #1) by Cat Sebastian
Series: Regency Imposters #1
on April 17, 2018
Genres: Historical
Pages: 320
Goodreads
two-half-stars

FINAL DECISION: I found this book dull and uninteresting. The characters were not compelling, and I didn’t have any interest in their story. They really didn’t have a romance, as their relationship was pretty boring. Unfortunately for me, this book didn’t really work beyond the representation on page of the bisexual Marquess and nonbinary second main character.

THE STORY:  Robert Selby is determined to see his sister happily married. When Selby seeks the assistance of the Marquess of Pembroke, Selby appeals to his sister being the godchild of Pembroke’s father. Selby is lying. Selby is also lying about his identity because he is actually a former housemaid named Charity Church who has been masquerading as Robert Selby for years. Alistair, Marquess of Pembroke, has been committed to the duty to the title, spending his time restoring the fortunes of the estate after his father’s mismanagement. Alistair is intrigued by Selby, who makes him happier than he has for years. When Charity’s ruse is revealed, Alistair is angered by the deception and by Charity’s unwillingness to conform to Alistair and society’s expectations.

OPINION: I barely made it through this one. The story idea was great, but the author managed to make a great story pretty boring. The characters were not compelling and their conflicts did not seem high stakes because the characters did not treat it that way. Instead, this seemed like a modern story placed in a historical without any real danger for these characters to make these choices in their lives.

I wish we had seen more of these characters together on the page. There is too much time they are apart, and thus the chemistry between them suffered. I liked Robin/Robert/Charity, but the resolution of Robin’s deception was too simple (which also reduced the stakes for me). I would have liked more consequences for Robin because everything was settled too easily and quickly.

I didn’t really like Alistair and didn’t find his conversion on his lifetime views very convincing. I don’t think the characters were well-developed for the story this book was trying to tell.

As a result, there really doesn’t seem like a reason these characters should not be together, and thus, it was dull and boring. I think there was possibility here, but not well executed.

I thought the best part of this book was when Alistair believed that Robin was a man because he was so in love but worried about approaching him. There was something really passionate about this part of the book. The rest, not so much.

WORTH MENTIONING: I did like the twist of how Robin began to use the name Robert Selby because it was unexpected.

CONNECTED BOOKS: UNMASKED BY THE MARQUESS is the first book in the Regency Imposters series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2.5 stars.

two-half-stars