The Cloverton Charade + Giveaway

A house party in Regency England provides the perfect opportunity for two rival antiquity brokers to scope out a potentially valuable collection while trying to keep their attraction at bay.

Olivia Brannon’s knowledge of antiquities is unparalleled, having learned everything she needs to know from her broker father. She longs to use that knowledge to make a future for herself, but as a woman, her options are limited . . . until the day a former client, who happens to be the previous mistress of Cloverton Hall, approaches Olivia about evaluating an obscure, private collection. But there is a catch: the evaluation must be conducted in secrecy to prevent the widow’s nephew, the new master of Cloverton Hall, from having knowledge of it. Alicia sees this as her one and only chance to prove her worth, so she agrees to attend a house party at Cloverton Hall and conduct the evaluation covertly.

The younger son of England’s foremost antiquities purveyor, Lucas Avery represents the future of his family business. When he learns that the new master of Cloverton Hall intends to liquidate his deceased uncle’s impressive collection, Lucas is determined to be the broker who oversees the sale. The new master of Cloverton Hall invites Lucas to a house party on the estate, during which time he will have full access to the collection. Lucas jumps at the opportunity, for if successful, he stands to make a great deal of money, as well as solidify his family’s future.

Olivia and Lucas both arrive at the house party under the guise of guests and quickly recognize each other as business rivals, raising their suspicions. After they conduct their individual assessments, it becomes clear to them both that some of the pieces in the collection are counterfeit. They reluctantly join forces to understand the scope of the deception. As their work brings them closer together, an undeniable bond begins to form. Then when one of the most famous pieces in the collection is broken during the house party, everyone is a suspect. Both Olivia and Lucas must decide how much they are willing to risk not only their professional reputations but also their hearts.

My Review:

It is universally acknowledged, that an avid reader in possession of well stocked bookshelves, must be in want of one more Regency Romance. That’s my motto and I’m sticking to it. And, eeeeeeeeeepppppppp, doubly so when the book holds the added allure of a mystery as well.

So, I was all atwitter with bibliophile ecstasy as I began listening to Jude Mason’s skilled narration of ‘The Cloverton Charade.’ Her polished performance breathed life into these characters and she’s a master at altering tone, accent and inflection to match the unique personality of each character. Made for a divine listening experience.

And this story!!! A house party, and all the social intricacies that involves, with Olivia attending (and out of her element!) under the guise of a guest though she’s really there to evaluate the widowed hostess’s valuable private collection.

Meanwhile, Lucas has been invited (again under the guise as guest) by the hostess’s nephew, and legal heir to the estate, to provide an evaluation of the uncle’s vast collection with the intent to sell it all.

Love the subterfuge and how it all plays out — especially since Lucas and Olivia know each other and there’s bad blood between their families and businesses. So, a kinda enemies to more romance in the midst of mystery and intrigue…and all the house party drama!

Brilliant pacing balances lighthearted moments with tense ones as Olivia and Lucas make their way through a maze of conspiracies and manipulations….and find their own happily ever after by the end. Of course.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson, Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of the The Cloverton Charade, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 31 2024.

34 thoughts on “The Cloverton Charade + Giveaway”

  2. Kav, here I am again trying for my first Sarah Ladd read 🙂 The mystery angle sounds intriguing. Count me in! 🙂

    ckbarker at gmail dot com

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  4. WOW! “The Cloverton Charade” seems to have it all and I want – no need – to read it all as well. Love the house part aspect and everyone’s different agenda that has them crossing paths sounds like great reading. Then you add romance brewing between rivals and it’s just got to be an awesome read.

    Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  10. The study of and appraisal of true antiquities sounds an interesting backdrop, as it seems I always learn something from the good historical fiction authors. A plus to reading that genre. Enjoyed the review of what sounds to be another good story from this author.

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    1. Yes, the antiquities angle is so fascinating, especially as we can look back at it with a modern understanding of how wrong it was for the wealthy elite to hoard cultural treasures from foreign countries in their private collections. Good luck, CC!

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  13. I’m obsessed with Regency and I especially adore Sarah Ladd!! One can never have “too many” Regencies in my opinion 😁💖

    teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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