This took me far too long to review, but I did enjoy this book.
In fact, I started it (checks calendar) wow, many moons ago, and even thought I have the mental retention of a goldfish, when I finally picked this back up to finish, I remembered a lot of what I had originally read. So well done Samantha Larsen for making an impression.

It's a murder whodunit, with a little bit of She's the Man thrown in, set in the 1700s.

Super fun. Super quick.

Overall enjoyable.

I really have no complaints.

I found myself invested in what would happen next.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Clever story with a clever heroine. It's not quite cozy, the stakes near the end had my heart racing, but all's well that ends well and this ending was thoroughly satisfying.

Who doesn't love a cozy murder mystery or an original take on historical period? I know I do. So I was excited to explore the world of A Novel Disguise where our main character has to deal with the death of her brother, flaunt the rules of her misogynistic society and solve a murder mystery.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the book. It starts really strongly and I was definitely invested and cheering Tiffany on. However, around half way, the pace really slowed down and I became a bit disengaged and frustrated with it. Things come together in the end, with a satisfying ending and hints for the next book. I am glad I listened to the audiobook, but I don't feel the need to rush back for the next book in the series.

I thought the narrator was really good, providing a range of different voices which were really effective in getting you into the story and differentiating between characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised and actually really enjoyed this audiobook. It's not an era I normally like to read books from, seeing as it seemed to be pre-regency, but it was fun case of mistaken identity. I also loved the diversity and characters and will probably continue reading the series to see what happens.

I wasn't a big fan of this audio, it felt really slow and I tried speeding it up to get through the first 20%, I ended up DNFing, I couldn't get engaged with this audio, or the plot of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was so much better than I had even anticipated. Some of these detective type historical novels just don't work for me as much as I'd like them too. I like mysteries and I like historical fiction, it should be a slam dunk. Most aren't for me but this one was. It felt a lot deeper than I expected it to. The characters are really fleshed out and I absolutely loved the main character. The mystery was pretty good as well even though I called the method of poisoning from a mile away. The culprit was another thing altogether and I was reasonably impressed with the ending. I have one complaint and I guess the whole book hinges on this so there probably was no way around it. But I found it very hard to believe that she could disguise herself as her brother (half brother even) so completely as to fool his closest friends and colleagues. Still I'm impressed and look forward to book 2.

I liked this one!!

What a fun little story, a little murder, a little deception, a lot of historical sensibilities and a solved case.

Will be looking for the next book in the series!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy of A Novel Disguise for an honest review.

Tiffany finds herself in a difficult situation after she discovered her half brother dead. So as to not lose the cottage, she secretly buries him in the backyard, and resumes the role of Librarian as she impersonated him.

This was really good. Historical mystery.

The narrator for this book is fine. I am indifferent on the narrator, but do think they are doing a good job telling the story.

I was drawn in from the beginning and I liked the idea of the story, but the story itself is slow moving and I wasn't getting excited about the plot. The characters are well written, but there is one in particular that is cringeworthy and makes it hard to get through some parts.

I do hope to give this book another try in the future.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

A fun, charming, and sweet story about a late 18th century woman who makes some bold and unusual choices to preserve her autonomy after her brother’s death.

Though the general premise of this is nothing new, this felt like a fresh and unique take on the obstacles women face in preserving their right to make their own decisions respective to the laws and values of the society in which they live.

Tiffany is a delightful protagonist, at once an everywoman and one made of unusually brave and tough stuff. The book does a good job of dealing with some painful realities of the era while still keeping the book well within the parameters for fun read.

The mystery itself is clever (unusually so for this subgenre), and the characters are a well-drawn and intriguing lot. So happy to hear that this book has a sequel coming.

The good- A Novel Disguise features an empowered, heterogeneous cast of characters (women, people of color, etc... in a novel set in 1784). It is refreshing to read- and even more interesting to learn the facts in the author's note. Several of the main characters were very likeable.

Now, the bad. It was extremely predictable. It also got somewhat monotonous in the middle.

I do see this is the first in a series, and I am curious to see how the next book unfolds.

Marni Penning narrates the audiobook and does a good job.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tiffany Woodhall is a spinster living at the mercy of Uriah her half brother. One morning she finds him dead. Considering all the consequences of losing her only family member Tiffany dressed up as Uriah. Showing up to his job as a librarian for a Duke. Dressing up as her brother came with many positives she’s able to make her own decisions and read any book she wants. Tiffany becomes wrapped up in a mystery as the Dukes household staff members keep dying.

This was a fun, madcap historical romance/murder mystery set in Regency England. Totally different from what I was expecting from the cute cover but I enjoyed it a lot. Recommended for fans of authors like Amalie Howard, Mary Winters or Alison Goodwin. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a super cute cozy mystery and I was hooked from the beginning! I love that it had a happy ending for pretty much all, except those that ended up hanged! This was my 1st book by Samantha Larsen but definitely won't be my last! I am adding all of her books to my TBR!

#ANovelDisguise
#NetGalley

If I am being honest, I was not 100% sold on the blurb- it seemed like a lot going on for one novel. However, I could not have been more wrong about that!

Larsen skillfully weaves the many layers to this story together and tackles many issues at once. Yes, we’ve got a murder to solve. However, we’ve also got Tiffany’s burgeoning career (as her brother), her romance, and quite frankly, her standing in life as a whole. Just when I thought that I could not be more invested in the story, Larsen introduces another element that pulls me in even further.

What really set this novel apart for me was Tiffany as the protagonist. It is so rare to see a single woman older than 25 in any sort of historical fiction, and she has a rich, full life on her own at 40. I know that the Pride and Prejudice clip where Charlotte Lucas is talking about being 27 with no prospects is going around social media, but Tiffany makes it clear that her prospects are not solely related to romance. (Though the romance in this book is quite sweet!)

Marni Penning’s narration is a delight. She brings so many characters to life and makes each person we meet unique.

This is a fantastic mystery but also simply a wonderful piece of historical fiction, and it is one of my favourite new books of 2023!

1784 London. Miss Tiffany Woodall wakes up one morning and finds her brother dead in his bed. In order to keep her cottage, she decides to bury her brother in the back garden and pretend to be him working for the Duke of Beaufort as a librarian. Soon she discovers she is not the only one with secrets.
What a cute cozy mystery this was. I really enjoyed the audio. It is a historical mystery in which the main character is a 40 years old spinster, which is so refreshing, and she decides to take charge of her life. The characters are well developed, and you get to both love and hate them. The historical part of the story is extremely well researched which is the main reason why I felt like the novel was written back in the past. My only complaint is that at some parts I found it a bit hard to concentrate on the story. However I would definitely love to read the second part.
Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen is
fun and creative, but the characters fell flat for me. When it started, I felt like I was already halfway through the story. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and found parts of the story hard to believe. For example, the name Tiffany for the main character felt out of place for the period. I did enjoy that a dialogue kept the story moving along and the mystery was interesting.
I received a complimentary audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of A Novel Disguise.

Tiffany Woodall is a spinster keeping house for her half-brother Uriah when she discovers his dead body in his room one morning. As a spinster with no family she will lose her home and have no income know that her brother can no longer serve as librarian at Astwell Palace so she decides to bury his body in the backyard and pretend to be him. As she navigates pretending to be her brother at the palace she discovers some of the other servants have secrets of their own. After the murder of another servant Tiffany realizes her brother's death was also murder and sets out to solve the murder of both of the servants.

I loved this book! Tiffany is intelligent and interesting as a heroine and the side plot of the Rector being interested in marrying her is funny. I loved the sprinklings of classic literature throughout and the descriptions of the clothing and the palace are wonderful. The characters are delightfully well-developed and diverse. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!!

The narration was excellent!

It’s 1784, and when Tiffany Woodall’s half-brother dies unexpectedly she has no options. No family, no money, no work. So she buries him in the backyard of course, and dresses up has him to take his place.

Then things get complicated. Tiffany is losing herself as she must play the part of her brother. The local minister, a vile man. won’t stop hounding Tiffany for her hand in marriage. Then there’s the bookseller Tiffany is pining for, and…. the murders.

This was an enjoyable read, the first in a series. It will be interesting to see where the story progresses after all of this set-up.