There are no spoilers in this review.

Dangerous Alliance, Jennieke Cohen

Publishing on December 3rd, 2019 by Harper Teen.

– Buy Dangerous Alliance

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.
 

I ENJOYED…

☂️

• It had been a while since I read an historical young adult book and I’m glad that I went back into the genre with Dangerous Alliance. Set in Jane’s Austen time, we follow Vicky as she needs to try to find a husband to secure her estate. As I read, in my mind, I got all the images of the historical period, with the carriages and horses, the dresses and the events, the gossip and the duels. Add to that the English country side and London’s Hyde Park at that time and you’re inside the pages of Dangerous Alliance and I really loved that.
• Told from three different POV, we hear from Vicky, our main character, Tom, her former childhood best friend back in the city and Susie, Tom’s sister always looking out for her brother, just as well. I found myself caring equally for the three characters and appreciating them a lot.
  • If I liked Vicky’s determination, obstination and intelligence, I loved Tom’s character even more. I loved his internal struggle, his caring personality, his sweetness and need to do what’s right.
• I really enjoyed the sisters’ relationship just as well. Althea, Vicky’s sister, is coming back to the family home and I loved how slowly, but surely, the sisters mended their relationships and Althea opened up again to her younger sister.
• The romance! This book had one of my favorite tropes and my heart was happy and rooting for them right from the very beginning, through misunderstandings and obstacles, rooting for their happy ending.
• The mystery! Dangerous Alliance puts romance and mystery together within its pages, giving rhythm and suspense to the story while making us swoon just as well. I didn’t predict the mystery entirely, either, which made this book even more entertaining to read.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…

☂️

• I wish that the three POV were a little more clearly divided through the story. I had no trouble finding each character’s voice and separating them from each other, but we often switched from Tom to Vicky’s POV in the same chapters, only separated by paragraphs. It’s a tiny thing, but the organized me would have prefered separated chapters altogether every time.
• I also feel like we got to hear a little less from Susie, which made me a little sad because I feel like her character had a whole lot of potential.

OVERALL

☂️

If you’re a fan of historical, young adult fiction, I’d definitely recommend Dangerous Alliance. I had such a fun time reading this book and was carried away both by the romance and the mystery of it all. I’m definitely curious to see what Jennieke Cohen will write next.

Final rating:  4 drops!

A million thanks to Harper Collins 360 for sending me an ARC of this book. This did not, in any way, influence my thoughts and rating.
Trigger warnings: mention of abuse, physical violence and blood, mention of rape, parental abuse.

I’m so excited to be giving away an ARC of Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen! This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE and I’m excited to give a chance to one of you to discover this lovely read. To enter the giveaway, you can do so by clicking right here.

The fine print:

• You must be 18 or have your parents’ consent to give out your mailing address. Your mailing address will only be used for the purposes of this giveaway and will not be kept afterwards.
• This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
• This giveaway is open from November, 22nd to December 3rd, Midnight G.M.T.
• The winner will be contacted via email during the week of December 3rd. If the winner does not answer within 48 hours, a new winner will be picked.

Did you read Dangerous Alliance? Do you want to?

What was the last historical young adult book you read and enjoyed? Let me know in comments!

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