Suspicion

Before anything else, can we please all take a moment to exclaim in delight over this cover? I can't pinpoint exactly what prompts it, but this cover makes my Fantasy loving heart all aflutter. I won't even attempt to deny that my choice to read this was a serious case of cover lust. In fact, I only skimmed the synopsis for this before I started. Honestly? I think that was the perfect way to go. Everything that came next was a surprise.

All my love goes to Alexandra Monir for bringing to life a world of wealth and opulence. The beginning of this story grabbed my hand, and led me into Imogen Rockford's life. A life filled with sprawling mansions, elegant libraries, and enough hidden secrets to keep me wanting to read on. I loved the disconnect between Imogen and Rockford Manor. Monir artfully keeps our heroine away from everything until she's older, which makes for a much more in depth look into the secrets her family hides. I felt like, despite the fact that this is set in current times, it was almost an older tale of sorts. The kind that lies hidden until someone is ready to uncover it.

In fact, Imogen is a rather likable character overall. I never found her pompous, or overbearing, despite her family's wealth. Imogen is the exact opposite of all that. She sees the people around her for what they are. Simply, people. As she navigated the ins and outs of the British peerage, I couldn't help but be amused. Imogen's view of the whole thing was candid and enjoyable. It made for a nice balance between her observations of her wealth, and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the way she obtained it.

Where the story fell apart, in my opinion, was near the ending. Up to that point, you would have gotten nothing but love from me if you asked how I was enjoying the book. Imogen and Sebastion were stellar characters, the world they inhabited was lavish, and the history they were uncovering intriguing. The problems started when the twist near the end of the book hit. It wasn't what I was expecting, to be sure, but moreover it left so many things untouched. I can't really explain what I was hoping for without spoilers, but I can say that I genuinely hope that there are more of these books. I absolutely must know more about the Rockford family.