Book: Dangerous Alliance
Author: Jennieke Cohen
My Rating: 4 “Austentacious” stars
I will read anything Jane Austen or Jane Austen adjacent. So when I heard about Dangerous Alliance it went on my To Be Read list fast! I thought it was adorable, and full of surprises.
Victoria and Tom were inseparable as children. But one day, without explanation, Tom refuses to speak to Vicky and leaves the country without even a “goodbye.” Five years later, Tom has returned and Victoria finds herself in immediate need of a husband. If you’re like me, you’re thinking “How convenient, Tom just came home, this is perfect!” But I’ll have to stop you there, because that is not the plot line of this story. I expected a book full of Tom courting Vicky and apologizing for abandoning their friendship with no explanation, but what I got instead was Vicky dating every eligible bachelor in London BUT Tom. It’s one of my favorite tropes that I like to call “idiots to lovers” where our two main characters are totally oblivious to the fact that they are actually in love with each other.
I love that this book surprised me from the very beginning with lots of action for a regency romance. Vicky endures multiple near death experiences, and I’m not talking about she walked in the rain and caught a bad case of pneumonia. I also loved that this wasn’t an Austen variation, but a book set in the same time. And Victoria was like president of the Jane Austen Fan Club. All the references to the works of Austen were perfect for my nerdy fan girl. Dangerous Alliance is practically begging to be made into a movie. Reading about all of her dates with various bachelors, and her opinions of each of them played out like a hilarious montage in my mind. Sheldon, the ancient and unflappable butler was one of my favorite background characters, and I could see his stoic face as I was reading.
I highly enjoyed this story. However, there is a mystery that runs through the story arc that I was a teensy bit dissatisfied with. If mystery is involved, I like to be shocked or surprised. When the big reveal happened toward the end of this story, I wasn’t that surprised. However, this seemed like a tiny detail compared to how much I enjoyed everything else in this book! I especially loved the ending because I thought it was a bit different from your typical regency romance.
I recommend if you’re a fan of Jane Austen! It’s also a good choice if you need something quick and fun to get your reading count up!
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.
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