Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Novel Disguise (A Lady Librarian Mystery) by Samantha Larsen. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A Novel Disguise (A Lady Librarian Mystery)
by Samantha Larsen
A Novel Disguise (A Lady Librarian Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Imaginary English village, 1784
Crooked Lane Books (May 16, 2023)
Paperback : 320 pages
When Miss Tiffany Woodall assumes the identity of her half-brother after his death, she realizes she isn’t the only one with a secret to hide in this historical series debut, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Sherry Thomas.
1784 London.Miss Tiffany Woodall didn’t murder her half-brother, but she did bury him in the back garden so that she could keep her cottage. Now, the confirmed spinster has to pretend to be Uriah and fulfill his duties as the Duke of Beaufort’s librarian while searching Astwell Palace for Uriah’s missing diamond pin, the only thing of value they own. Her ruse is almost up when she is discovered by Mr. Samir Lathrop, the local bookseller, who tries to save her from drowning while she’s actually just washing up in a lake after burying her brother.
Her plan is going by the book, until the rector proposes marriage and she starts to develop feelings for Mr. Lathrop. But when her childhood friend, Tess, comes to visit, Tiffany quickly realizes her secret isn’t the only one hidden within these walls. The body of a servant is found, along with a collection of stolen items, and someone else grows mysteriously ill. Can Tiffany solve these mysteries without her own disguise being discovered? If not, she’ll lose her cottage and possibly her life.
My review of A Novel Disguise
A Novel Disguise is a delightful new cozy mystery by Samantha Larsen. It’s the first of A Lady Librarian Mystery series, and if the rest are as good as this was, the series is bound to be a hit and a new favorite of mine! It’s especially fitting for those of us who enjoy historical cozy mystery books set in Great Britain.
I could tell from the description that this would be a book filled with both humor and mysterious happenings and a curious female protagonist:
“1784 London. Miss Tiffany Woodall didn’t murder her half-brother, but she did bury him in the back garden so that she could keep her cottage. “
Even if I were desperate, I’m not sure I could bury someone in the back garden! I mean, maybe I would try, but Tiffany’s plan took a lot of courage! She knew that if she didn’t disguise herself as her half brother and take his place as librarian, she’d be homeless and penniless. The only thing of value that her brother owned was a diamond pin that went missing while he worked as the librarian at Astwell Palace. If she can get away with replacing him, she can casually search for the pin.
I love how easy it was for Tiffany to replace her half-brother, Uriah. It goes to show how much attention the others at the castle give to each other! Of course, maybe they knew and chose to ignore it, or they were just clueless. Her attempt to be both Uriah and herself is quite comical at times. I really love the attention to detail the author gives to how the men and women of the times dressed depending on their station in life. All of the characters were very well-written and I’m looking forward to getting to know them better as the books progress.
A Novel Disguise’s mystery is puzzling unless you pay very close attention to the little details. I enjoyed it very much, including how and why the suspect was arrested. The author definitely did her research for the characters and how each is treated according to their station and heritage. As I said, I loved the details about the clothing. I’m so glad we don’t have to wear corsets now…
I highly recommend A Novel Disguise for its quirky, well-written characters, humor, attention to detail, and its bewildering mystery. If you’re a fan of historical cozy mystery books, I think you’ll enjoy A Novel Disguise as much as I did!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
About Samantha Larsen
Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn, having tea parties, and chasing her four kids. She has degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of North Texas, and the University of Reading (UK). She’s the author of: The Last Word, The Invention of Sophie Carter, A Royal Christmas Quandary, The Girl with the Golden Eyes, Jane Austen Trivia, The Duchess Contract, Secret of the Sonnets, The Marquess and the Runaway Lady, and A Novel Disguise. She also writes cozy murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen.
Author Links
Website https://www.samanthahastings.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samanthahastingsauthor/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaHastingsAuthor/
Twitter https://twitter.com/HastingSamantha
Library Thing https://www.librarything.com/profile/Samantha-Larsen
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-hastings
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Books A Million – Powells Books – IndieBound – Bookshop.org
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A Novel Disguise TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 9 – I’m Into Books – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 9 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
May 10 – The Mystery of Writing – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 10 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 11 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
May 11 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
May 12 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 12 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 13 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
May 14 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 15 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 16 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
May 16 – Carstairs Considers – REVIEW
May 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
May 18 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 19 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
May 20 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW
May 21 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
May 22 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT
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Sounds like a great book.
Awesome! This new series looks good to me!
This is an amazing review! Thank you so much for taking the time to help spread the word about my book.
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping!