A perfectly charming historical book. I appreciate how much research the author must have put into the writing of this story. The characters were well developed. It had the perfect amount of romance and mystery!

3.5 stars
“The Cloverton Charade” is a regency historical fiction. I felt that it was a bit slow and dry for the first portion of the book. It did seem to pick up towards the end with the mystery plot. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy regency mysteries. It was Overall a good book.

I received a copy of this from netgalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a review. These are my honest thoughts.

I tried to read this book, but the formatting was so messed up, it was impossible to get into the flow of the book. I stopped trying to muddle through at about 15%. Perhaps the book was intriguing, but with all the formatting errors, I just couldn't get that far.

Title : "The Cloverton Charade"
Author : Sarah E. Ladd
May 7, 2024

The third installment of the Houses of Yorkshire series is a delightful read that seamlessly blends romance, history, and mystery into a captivating narrative. The plot revolves around Olivia Brannon, a young woman who finds herself embroiled in a world of antiquities when she accepts an invitation to evaluate a private collection at Cloverton Hall. Little does she know that her old friend turned rival, Lucas Avery, has his own agenda at the Hall, setting the stage for a captivating showdown between them. What sets this installment apart is its adept storytelling, with the author's skillful handling of character development and plot ensuring that readers are fully immersed in the unfolding drama. Against the backdrop of a Regency-era house party, Alicia and Lucas's interactions spark a friendship that gradually evolves amidst the intrigue, adding an extra layer of depth to the narrative. Whether you're a devoted fan of the series or a newcomer, this book is sure to delight. With its compelling storyline and well-crafted characters, this installment comes highly recommended for fans of historical romance and mystery alike.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

***Many Thanks to the Author #SarahELadd, Publisher #ThomasNelson and #NetGallery for the advanced copy of the book.
#TheClovertonCharade #HistoricalFiction #Romance

I find myself somewhat conflicted when it comes to rating this book. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the intriguing antiquities storyline and Ladd's refreshing portrayal of characters outside of the aristocracy, I couldn't help but feel that it leaned more towards historical fiction or mystery rather than historical romance.

Olivia, the protagonist, was a standout character—intelligent, ambitious, and courageous. Her forthrightness and determination made her incredibly endearing, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way.

An easy read, recommend for a light hearted Victorian clean romance. I would have liked to see more steam!

I really enjoyed this book! I love a good historical house party and this one had a bit of a mystery element added in as well! I thought the plot was interesting and the characters were easy to like! I really enjoyed how these characters overcame their family quarrel and appreciated each other’s skills and became friends. It was refreshing to see their friendship blossom into romance as they spent time together! So many books become super tedious when the characters spend the whole book hating the other person based on family fighting, but this book was the exact opposite!

How I loved this story! And all the art references! 😍 It was really interesting. I was so looking forward to this book and it delivered. This is the third book on the ‘Houses of Yorkshire’ series.
This novel was full of mystery, no one was truly who they were. It was all a charade and this adds so much to the story. This story embarks the reader into a journey of intrigue while at Cloverton Hall through the different characters actions and the art pieces. With a surprising twist you never see coming, that brings tension and ultimately the end, perfectly done.
Also, what I like the most of Ladd’s novels is that the romance is subtle and truly clean. This author is a favorite of mine.

I loved Olivia and Lucas from the very beginning. Olivia’s confidence in her skills adds so much to her character. I love when heroines have self esteem and know their worth without being arrogant and conceited.
“…confidence and knowing one’s worth is the most beautiful trait a woman can possess.”
Lucas was such a wonderful character. Always acknowledging and supporting Olivia. Together they were a powerful duo on antiquities 😏
…and the romance (sigh)
“…she was taking with her a piece of him that he could not live without — his heart.”
“I confess that I am hopelessly captivated by you. And if this past month had taught me anything, it’s that love, and love alone, makes life worth living.” ❤️❤️❤️

The main characters’ desire to leave grievances aside make them more likable in my opinion. When people are more adept to drop their odds quickly instead of dragging it all their lives I find it more appealing and relatable to life.
“…life is too short to hold on to grievances.”

And here are other excerpts I liked…

“It takes but one mishap to abolish trust, and once gone, it’s nearly impossible to restore.”

“Trust is built by listening, not speaking.”

“Very few hold true to a conviction, for it is easiest to do what is expected and easy.”

“And if it is gossip that is worrying you, don’t give it that power. People love to talk the things that take the focus from their own problems.”

“Emotion is the entire reason we do what we do, be it love, pride, affection, fear, or any number of motivations for why people amass things. What are any of us without emotion?”

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Fiction through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Wow! What a fantastic book! It has romance, intrigue, and a mystery! I was completely surprised by the perpetrators! The romance is sweet and a reminder that love can happen when you least expect it!

The cast of characters is brilliant! Tied for my favorite is Olivia and Lucas! I love them both! They're extremely talented and smart! I like how they work as a team to solve the mystery. Mrs. Milton touched my heart. Her circumstances are not ideal, but she perseveres!

I really enjoy reading books by Sarah Ladd. Her books are filled with characters that are easy to like and relatable. The surprises that appear throughout the story are splendid!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Thomas Nelson via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A quick and enjoyable read! I'm looking forward to more in this series!! My favorite characters are Olivia and Lucas, but I also like Isabella and her brother. There's a good plot, and I like that bad feelings don't linger on and on!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book was so good I had a hard time putting it down. This author doesn’t disappoint when it comes to capturing my attention and holding it. I recommend all her books, especially this one.

Amazing read! Rivals to lovers. Two antiques specialists are at the same place to do the same job, without anyone else finding out their true intentions. The two will have to work together to solve the puzzle before time runs out. I loved this book and would absolutely recommend this book to anyone!!

Olivia Brannon’s deepest desire is to become a respected purveyor of antiquities, or antiquarian. Like an archaeologist, she imagines visiting distant lands to find rare and valuable items to procure for her vast clientele. And she would then provide a good living for herself and Laura, her younger sister. Were this 2024, the obstacles would prove minimal to someone with talent, like the lovely Miss Brannon. But she lives in 1820s London. This is a man's occupation.

Sarah E. Ladd’s The Cloverton Charade is an entertaining Regency-era mystery romance with a study in the differences between the coming-of-age experiences of young men and women. The conflicts explored are more than mere fiction. Women had few avenues for their lives. Most young ladies did not have a career. The most they could anticipate for themselves is life as a mother and a wife. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But Olivia wanted to be like her mother who had the added advantage of joining her father, Edward Brannon, on trips to seek out antiquities. They traveled to China, India, and Egypt. But mother died from diphtheria on a sea voyage to Italy. As a result, Edward believed travel too much for delicate females, so his daughters have always lived in their small sphere of London.

But this didn't stop Olivia from dreaming of a different life. She grew up learning about the trade of dealing in antiquities. Her father had a partner, another antiquarian, Timothy Avery. Their wives and children were close as well. When they had a falling out, they severed the relationship and became rivals. Mr. Brannon secured the deal of helping wealthy Francis Milton obtain his massive Chinoiserie Collection for their estate, Cloverton Hall, decorative items that depicted Chinese and Japanese motifs. (The name Milton sounded familiar. Perhaps a nod to Milton in the North of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South fame?)

When the story opens in the prologue, 14-year-old Olivia runs into 17-year-old Lucas Avery. They both see a beautiful vase Olivia's father obtained for the Miltons. This scene will play out once more later in the story like a biblical type-scene, an event that recurs and is expected to unfold in a certain manner. When he died, Edward Brannon left his business in the hands of Uncle Thomas. Thomas doesn’t have the same level of excitement and interest as now 22-year-old Olivia. For the most part, he leaves the business in the seemingly capable hands of his second-in-command, Russell Crane. Olivia tries to do more than function as an assistant, but Uncle Thomas despite recognizing her knowledge, says she is “not an agent of Brannon Antiquities.”

But widowed Mrs. Agnes Milton offers the opportunity for Olivia to step into action as an agent and flex her antiquarian skill set. (Mrs. Milton has no desire to engage Thomas' services.) Mrs. Milton asks Olivia to evaluate her personal collection of antiques. She sets up the one part of the charade of the story. Olivia will pose as Mrs. Milton's friend and companion at nephew George Wainbridge’s House Party. He and his sister Isabella have asked Mrs. Milton to host this welcome-to-our-lovely-estate party in Yorkshire.

Olivia resonates with Mrs. Milton's desire to find financial autonomy with the sale of her collection. After all, she wants financial autonomy and self-sufficiency, not just for herself, but also to care for her sister Laura, 16. They can get out from under stifling Uncle Thomas and live. Plus, she understands grief and the desire to hold on to objects that remind us of a loved one who has died. Despite her misgivings about the ruse, Olivia has always wanted to step into her father's shoes. She agrees to help, so Mrs. Milton in return provides her modiste to prepare Olivia to play the role so she can evaluate the collection without raising suspicion.

George Wainbridge, the Miltons' nephew, inherited Cloverton and its properties, including Windhurst Manor on the estate. As long as he allows Mrs. Milton to live out her days at Cloverton, George will keep Windhurst, the only property earning an income. But Cloverton needs financial assistance. (I found this great blog post here about money concerns as a man of wealth and property back then.) Just like Mrs. Milton, George needs an antiquarian to evaluate the Chinoiserie collection in secret. Through a mutual acquaintance, William Tate, Lucas Avery is invited to join George at the Cloverton House Party and evaluate the famous Milton Chinoiserie collection.

The stage is set. The charade begins. The single ladies arrive with their chaperones. The men arrive with their valets ready for dancing, sport, port, and leisure...at least I think they drank port. They drank something anyway. (Probably smoked cigars, too. I know William Tate used snuff, too. Not a great habit. Surprise, surprise, even ladies indulged in this activity.)

A mystery unfolds as two people in trade navigate a world of wealth and privilege where everyone wears a mask for self-preservation, for keeping up with societal expectations, …or for committing a crime.

I’ll leave it there. I wrote in my notes that the first time Lucas and Olivia finally talk after seeing each other at Cloverton Hall took what felt like forever, leading to much suspense. Ladd is so great at that. And her descriptive scene-writing activated the theater of my mind. I needed no help imagining this opulent estate with so many antiquities, as well as the natural beauty of Yorkshire surrounding Cloverton Hall. I wanted to be Olivia and stay in the Blue Room…mostly because blue is my favorite color. The fact that Mrs. Milton can just barge in at any time since it’s attached to her suite...hmm, not so much.

The Cloverton Charade is a story with a mask-and-mirror theme. Olivia has only heard tales of London Seasons and house parties. She has a chance to wear the mask and play the role of a woman of wealth. In her disguise, she stares in the mirror and sees a stranger. She looks at the others around her as mirrors. She start to see what she lacks. The young ladies see Olivia as a mirror: their competition. They think she’s looking for a wealthy husband. To the men, Olivia indeed is this enchanting stranger. She doesn’t behave like most young women. She doesn’t play an instrument or sing. She doesn’t sew nor does she have needlework. She doesn’t draw or paint. Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice came to mind. Lady Catherine interrogates poor Elizabeth Bennet in front of everyone at dinner about her lack of education most gentlemen’s daughters receive from governesses or tutors.

Olivia can only take off the mask with Lucas Avery. They share a past, a love for antiquities, and so much more. She does have a heart-to-heart eventually with Miss Wainbridge and learns that everyone wears a mask in this world as a wealthy member of the ton. No one feels safe to live an authentic existence. True friendship is rare.

I enjoyed this third book in Ladd’s Houses of Yorkshire collection that can be read as a standalone novel. She is one of my favorite writers of historical fiction in that she is a fine storyteller and teaches history through story, while also including faith-based answers to problems that fit every era. Thank you to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to receive a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Alicia and Lucas were the perfect rivals turned allies. I love that Alicia doesn't let others treat her as less in the business just because she's a woman. Sarah E Ladd did a great job making the book super entertaining and grabbing your attention from the very beginning. Such a fun book.

This book was so great! Full of mystery and especially fascinating antiquities, it was absolutely intriguing and romantic and delightful. I loved how Olivia and Lucas knew each other at some point as young people and then met again in this charade that they had to play in order to meet their goals. Olivia is a woman with incredible intelligence and cleverness when it comes to understanding the world of antiquities at this time, but she is a woman. She's expected to live the life of a young lady and leave her dreams behind in order to marry well. Lucas is struggling to bring stability and growth to his late father's business in antiquities. They are both discreetly invited to help in assessing the renowned Cloverton Hall collection.
As they both discover that there are counterfeits amongst the real pieces, they don't know who they can trust and eventually have to depend on each other to solve the mystery. I just loved how they come to know each other better and fall in love, as they work together to figure out what is truly happening at Cloverton Hall. Both Olivia and Lucas are such genuine and deep characters that want to do what is right and good. This was a perfect romance and mystery!

I received a copy of this book from Netgally, and all opinions are my own.

The Cloverton Charade by Sarah E. Ladd is a simple Regency novel that fans of this time period will enjoy spending time with. Ladd does a wonderful job of describing Cloverton and all the attendees to the parties that place at this Regency estate. She really invites readers into the setting and allows the readers to wonder and dance away the evening. As for the plot, the synopsis promised more. Reading this first sentence in the synopsis, “A long-held family feud reignites when two rival antiquities brokers arrive at the same house party in Regency England,” I was expecting a more of a rivalry that would break out and cause some issues to the plot, but it really does not affect the story that much. The antiques really do not come until investigation until about sixty percent into the novel. I wanted more of a mystery. As for the heroine and hero, they have a past since it is their families that are part of the rivalry that happened ten years ago. Their romance was quick, and they did not show any emotions toward each other for majority of the book. Overall, The Cloverton Charade by Sarah E. Ladd left me feeling like it was a blah- okay book. Not too great; Not too bad. Just there.

I received a complimentary copy of The Cloverton Charade by Sarah E. Ladd from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

This is a review for The Cloverton Charade by Sarah Ladd, and I received this copy for my review from NetGalley. I have been waiting for this book since I first heard it was coming out, as Sarah Ladd is one of my favorite authors, of whom I have all.her books! This book was so worth the wait, as I absolutely loved this story! It is set in the Regency era in Yorkshire, England, in 1810. The story begins with Olivia Brannon, the daughter of a very successful art dealer, whose father passes away, but who has taught Olivia the business, but sadly, upon her father's death, the business goes to her uncle who sees Olivia as more of a hired hand instead of letting her be a part of ongoing, successful business she should've inherited herself. She is allowed to help with the collection business, along with her friend Russell, but they both work for her uncle, who does not like to share the business with anyone!

Olivia is asked by the wife of one of her father's major collector clients, Mrs. Milton of Cloverton Hall to come and assess her husband's extensive collection, which she adores, because it is her one link to her beloved husband who has recently passed away. Since her husband has died, she needs to find out the collection's true monetary value quickly, so she goes to Olivia, whose father helped Mr. Milton purchase his collection. Olivia is thrilled that Mrs. Milton has come to her, but she is sworn to secrecy by Mrs. Milton, who invites Olivia, for appearance sake, to Cloverton Hall to secretly assess her husband's collection, which leads Olivia to get a glimpse into a life of luxury amongst the rich, but all isn't as it seems.

Since Mrs. Milton's husband has just died, and their nephew, George Wainbridge, will inherit Cloverton Hall, which is financially in trouble, so George also has ideas of selling his uncle's collection, which he doesn't care about in the slightest, but sees it only as a means to keep his estate running, but his aunt is standing in his way. George also needs to get the collection assessed to find out the value, so he hires the son of the arch rival of Olivia's father, Lucas Avery, who Olivia used to count as a close friend until their fathers, both art collectors and partners, had a falling out. Olivia was taught to avoid the Averys at all costs, but finds herself thrown together with Lucas at Cloverton Hall, both who are asked to asses its famous collection, but for two family rivals! Lucas and Olivia must decide to either stay enemies, or work together, but get caught up in a family feud that will lead them down a mysterious road of robbery, forgery and betrayal, but I won't spoil it!!!

This book engaged me from the first page, and was so well written, with amazing characters, and a plot that literally made me keep turning the pages because I was so engrossed! The ending led to a place that I least expected, and as I can't stand a book where I can figure out the plot, this book was awesome! It is right up there with the quality of books I have grown to love from this author! This regency era book is a very interesting and engaging art collection mystery that includes a hint of romance, and I loved it! So another 5 star book from Sarah Ladd, and I highly, highly recommend it!!!

What a sweet story and fun mystery! Maybe I didn't read the description well enough, because the mystery caught me off guard! But I ended up loving it! This book has a gentle pace, and a non-stress inducing conflict, which is just my style! Add in a strong female lead and a love story with an HEA, and you just have the whole sweet historical fiction romantic mystery package! Thank you to NetGalley for my arc! All opinions are my own!

The Cloverton Charade by Sarah E. Ladd is a captivating, unconventional, tale set in Regency England. I really enjoyed the character Olivia and her ability to appraise antiques. While she is a woman and cannot fully walk in her expertise to support her family’s business, she can discretely help a wealthy widow. Olivia is poised and educated, but she is not a classically trained gentlewoman who can impress others at a house party. Thankfully, she is there a companion to the eccentric widow and finds an ally in Lucas. There is something amiss as Olivia and Lucas realize they are both there to appraise the same collection and not all the items are what they seem. Rather than turn against each other, I enjoyed watching them come together and complement one another. The mystery was well paced and while not completely unpredictable, it was well done and held my attention all the way through. I love the attention to dialogue and character development.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

I always love the author's book and this one was no surprise in that department.

House parties are a common setting in Regency novels, but this one's different: the party provides the perfect excuse for Alicia and Lucas to perform their work. They have both been hired separately to evaluate collections of antiques that could prove pivotal for each own's businesses. Of course, they recognize each other and know what they're really there for, even if the other guests are ignorant of the true reasons.

I liked how this premise set up the perfect setting for Alicia and Lucas to spend time together, appreciate the other's talents, and develop a friendship that only grows. The antiquities and forgery aspects were truly interesting, as it was the way Alicia and Lucas discovered what was going on.

Highly recommend this one. You don't have to read the series in order but it adds to the enjoyment.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.