Artfully Yours
Author: Joanna Lowell
Reviewer: Ang
Rating: A-
What I’m Talking About:
I will admit, I almost didn’t finish Artfully Yours; the beginning third was a bit slow moving for me. However, my rule is: unless I find something horribly offensive about the book, I have to hit the halfway point before throwing in the towel, and I’m so glad I followed that rule with Artfully Yours because it became a fun, flirty read.
It reminded me of the TV show White Collar if it had been set in Victorian England, and if Neal had been a woman and Peter an aristocrat. The twists and turns, the cat and mouse, the banter were all very reminiscent of Neal and Peter. The sexual tension however was reminiscent of Neal and welllllll pick a girl.
Nina is a smart, strong, quick-witted dreamer, which is a perfect match for Alan’s sexy, haunted, darker, realism. Their knowledge of art forces their worlds to collide, but their chemistry and love of beauty in all its forms, painting, food, people keep them together despite their differences.
The internal conflict Nina and Alan both struggle with throughout the book lends an added layer of vulnerability to them that I found endearing. How do you walk away from or run from someone who makes you feel like you can achieve every dream you’ve ever wanted? That for me is the beauty of the book; Nina and Alan, for all the hurt they’ve experienced in life, are both dreamers, and they honor the dreams the other has. If that isn’t the most romantic thing in the world, I don’t know what is.
What makes Ms. Lowell’s novel’s so fun is that she takes an absurdly improbable storyline and makes the reader not only believe that it could happen but makes the reader cheer for the impossibility, and that is what she accomplished yet again in Artfully Yours.
So if you want to escape not only this world but also Victorian England and pretend for a moment that truly anything is possible, then pick up Artfully Yours and keep reading through the slow part because once it gets going… HOLD ON! it’s a fast and fabulous ride.
My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot
Ang
About the Book:
Nina Finch isn’t suited for a life of crime. Raised by her art-forger brother, she can paint like Botticelli. But she’d so much rather be baking gooseberry tarts. She finally has the money she needs to open her own bakery. Unfortunately, her brother’s carelessness lands her—and their forgeries—directly under the nose of London’s most discerning art critic, Alan De’Ath. De’Ath knows the paintings are fake. He doesn’t know that Nina had a hand in their creation. In fact, he offers her a job in his household. Accepting it is the most dangerous thing she has ever done….
Alan takes pride in seeing things other people miss. He plans to catch the forger and cement his reputation. There’s only one problem: the closer he gets to the beguiling woman he hired, the less he trusts his perspective. Nina isn’t what she seems. But despite their false start, she just might hold the real key to his heart.
As Nina and Alan’s attraction grows, divided loyalties threaten to pull them apart and shatter their worlds. They’ll lose everything, or discover how powerful true love can be….
Release Date: February 21, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
Series: Standalone
Genre: Historical Romance
Format(s): paperback (336 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: Publisher/ NetGalley
Purchase Info:
Amazon (affiliate link)