Title: A Noble Scheme
Author: Roseanna M. White
Series: The Imposters, book 2
Major Themes: Mysteries, Spies
Synopsis: When a young boy goes missing, Gemma Parks and Graham Wharton have to ignore their broken hearts to work together to find him.
After reading A Beautiful Disguise early last year and loving it, I knew I wanted to read A Noble Scheme. These stories are highly improbable but oh so very fun. And since I love mysteries, that just adds to the enjoyment of these stories. The setting—Edwardian England—is intriguing, not so far back that it feels like ancient history, but long enough ago that I love trying to imagine what it was like and how people like those described here may have lived their lives back then. Then, too, there’s the twist that comes early in this book—catching me by surprise! That was delightful!
Publisher’s description:
In the opulent and perilous world of high society’s most elite—and most dangerous—families, two investigators must set aside their broken hearts to uncover the truth.
Gemma Parks is known to the London elite as G. M. Parker, a columnist renowned for her commentary on the cream of society. Behind the scenes, she uses her talents to aid the Imposters in their investigations by gathering intel at events and providing alibis for the firm’s members through her columns. Yet her clandestine work would be more exhilarating if it weren’t for the constant presence of the gentleman who broke her heart.
Graham Wharton has never had eyes for anyone but Gemma, and she left his heart in tatters when she walked away from him. When the Imposters take on a new job to recover a kidnapped boy mistaken for his aristocratic cousin, Graham is determined to use the time with Gemma to not only restore the missing boy, but to also win back the only woman he’s ever loved. As they trace the clues laid out before them, Graham and Gemma must devise a noble scheme to save the boy’s life and heal their hearts.
My thoughts:
This book has so many different facets to it. I can’t expound on many of them for fear of giving spoilers, but I will say that I think this could just possibly be my favorite Roseanna M. White book so far. This story is packed with truth and grace, and I appreciated the way White handled certain themes in the story—they were very realistic and yet hope-filled. This book has the distinction of making me cry. I’m not a crier, but this one did that to me—that’s a mark of good writing!
As I’ve noticed with other books Roseanna M. White has produced, she does an excellent job at forming her characters. I immediately connected with Gemma and Graham, and felt for the boy’s situation. I loved seeing how Gemma and Graham both grew through the story—though they were not in very good spaces at the beginning of the book, I loved seeing where they were by the end of the story. The faith element was well done; I found that side of the story encouraging. The mystery, too, was well done. I loved watching as the characters pieced together all the different clues to figure out what was going on and how to help the situation!
There wasn’t much that I didn’t like about the story. The biggest thing for me was the kinds of lies the characters had to use to try to piece together their case. That seemed to happen fairly often, and although it was in the name of protecting people, it still doesn’t sit that well with me.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Noble Scheme. It was a gripping story, well-told and well-executed. I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve read enough of White’s books that I can generally foretell the plot points before we get to them, but I honestly don’t care—this is still a fun, easy-to-read, enjoyable story. If you enjoy mysteries, historical fiction, and romance, you’ll likely love this book. I’m thankful I got the chance to read this, and I’m looking forward to reading An Honorable Deception, book three in the series, when it comes out!
WARNING: Lionfeathers is used as an exclamation in ch. 1, 3 (twice), 4, 5, 9, 14, 15, 16, 18 (twice), 19, 21, 25 (twice), and 26; “leopard stripes” is used as an exclamation in ch. 1, 3, 5, 6 (twice), 8, 9, 15 (twice), 16, 18 (twice), 19, 23 (twice), 25 (twice), and 26; blast or blasted is used in ch. 2, 3 (twice), 6, 7, 9, 10 (twice), 11, 12, 13 (twice), 15 (three times), 16, 18, 21, and 26; swear is used in ch. 2; “heaven knows” or a variant is used in ch. 2, 4, and 20; blighters is used in ch. 3; dratted or a variant is used in ch. 3, 9, 11 (twice), 12, and 13; “thank heavens” is used in ch. 4 and 16; gracious is used in ch. 6, 14 (twice), and 16; “dash it to pieces” is used in ch. 11; sworn is used in ch. 11, 12, 13, 21, and 23; “thank goodness” is used in ch. 14; blighted is used in ch. 19; and curses and swore are used in ch. 26. There is lying in ch. 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 20, and 21.
There is remembered kissing in ch. 6. There are more kisses (barely described) in ch. 17, 20, 24, and 27 (also a hint a man wants more with his wife). In ch. 9, a character thinks about how secret liaisons and trysts often happen at parties, and there is a mention of mistresses. In ch. 11, a character thinks about a tragedy where a young child died (this is referenced multiple times throughout the rest of the book). In ch. 19, there’s a mention of a man who likes gaming dens and brothels. In ch. 21, there’s a mention of a man who had a mistress and a child out of wedlock (this is discussed several times throughout the rest of the book). In ch. 26, someone threatens to commit suicide.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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