Review: Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance by Jennieke Cohen

Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance
by Jennieke Cohen

December 3, 2019
448 pages

Goodreads      Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.

But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.

Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.

Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.

Review

The moment I saw the cover and read the synopsis of Dangerous Alliance I knew it would be a book for me. At just over 400 pages it's a fast read with plenty of Jane Austen references as it promises.

I enjoyed Dangerous Alliance a lot. The writing felt within the time period with appropriate dialogues and believable events. What I found lacking was the mystery. It kept me absorbed until the big reveal which turned out to be so simple it shouldn't have taken 400 pages to discover. I had hoped it would be a bigger, more surprising conspiracy but alas it was not to be.

Lady Victoria Aston is the kind of main character I adore. She didn't conform to society and she manages to stay within her parents' expectation. As an idealist in a time where women didn't have much freedom, she had personality. Vicky's bravery, sass and intelligence were all things I loved about her. She can be pretty stubborn but with experience, she accepted changes. "Vicky no longer believed life could be summed up by one author's perspective of the world. For why else would so many books exist if not to impart different truths about life and all its complexities?" (ARC, p. 417).

I cannot talk about Dangerous Alliance without mentioning the romance. Both Mr. Carmichael and Tom were fine love interests. It was entertaining to see them vying for Vicky's hand and though I had an inkling who she would choose, the author made it hard to know until the very end. I definitely approve of Vicky's pick which was also mine ;) They had more chemistry and just felt right together.

I'm hoping Ms. Jennieke Cohen will make this a series and continue with stories of some of the side characters. Dangerous Alliance has been much fun that it would be a shame to stop at one book.

*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.