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A Most Dangerous Deception (2013)

by Sarah Zettel(Favorite Author)

3.53 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

series

Palace of Spies

review 1: Peggy Fitzroy lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She knows she's not wanted, her aunt and uncle have made that clear. But she gets along quite well with her cousin, Olivia. The novel opens with Peggy in a difficult position. Her uncle has arranged a marriage for her. She's not thrilled instead more than a little hesitant. Her hesitation only increases AFTER she meets him at a ball. Her intended isn't the only person she meets there, however. One other mystery man makes her acquaintance. He offers her a way out. He tells her that he knew her mother. He wants to make a deal with her, of sorts. He wants her to spy for him, to impersonate one of the Queen's maids. (Ladies-in-waiting?) He leaves her with his card. She's curious but just as hesitant about that option as wel... morel. If only she could have some control over her own future...With a title like Palace of Spies, it's obvious what her choice was. She will become Lady Francesca Wallingham. Can she learn enough from Mr. Tinderflint and Mr. Peele? Do they know enough about her to tell her everything she needs to know to pass as this lady? Is either man trustworthy? What are their intentions? What will they do with the information she provides? Who can she trust at court? Did Lady Francesca have enemies? How will she be able to discern who her friends were and who her enemies were? Will she fool anyone? Will she fool everyone? Will she ever get a minute to call her own? How long will this deception last? I enjoyed this one. I think I enjoyed it even more having read Lucy Worsley's The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace earlier this year. I was familiar with several of the characters. It was quite entertaining with a nice balance of danger and romance.
review 2: Summary:Margaret "Peggy" Fitzroy is an orphan. She is well-bred and suitable for a lady of high standing, but she refuses the hand of an approved suitor and is send out to live on the streets. This is when she meets Mr. Tindleflint. Mr. Tindleflint offers her the opportunity to serve as a lady in waiting in King George I's court in England. The only catch is that she has to pretend that she is someone else, Lady Francesca. She agrees and the intrigue begins. As Peggy moves through the frivolous court life, she begins to wonder if Lady Francesca was actually murdered instead of died from natural causes. This makes her worried that she may be next. With spies all over the court, she doesn't know exactly who to trust and where to turn. Will Peggy survive or will her fate be like the woman she is impersonating?My thoughts:This is a lot of fun. Honestly, it has a historical setting with some historical aspects, but overall it is just a great fiction novel. Peggy has a good amount of spunk and independence. As a lady in waiting, she is given a fair amount of freedom and status, but also has new responsibilities that sometimes pull her in a direction she doesn't care for. This leads to moments of sarcasm, which I found quite funny. The mystery kept me going for awhile. I wasn't completely sure what was happening until near the end of the book. That added some thrills that I wasn't expecting. I also enjoyed the idea of viewing King George's court and the threat of being sent to the colonies. It's odd to hear that being sent away to America was viewed as a terrible punishment. Then, when you think about life in the colonies and attempting to pay all of these heavy taxes because King George is just partying it up, it makes studying the Revolution a lot more interesting. I honestly thought more about the outrage that colonists must have felt when you think about such a lavish lifestyle and all of the poorer people that had to pay for it. These are tidbits that a teacher may want to talk about with students that pick up this book, or a book like it. less

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