Book Summary
A free-spirited artist teams up with a no-nonsense detective to capture a thief who has stolen a priceless Michaelangelo painting.
Manchester, England, 1857
Rosanna Hawkins is one of Manchester’s finest artists, even though no one knows her name. She reproduces “parlor versions” of classic masterpieces with near-perfect precision, which her employer then sells to the emerging upper-middle class families.
When the largest art exhibition ever to be held in England opens in Manchester, Rosanna is excited to visit. She meets the handsome Inspector Martin Harrison, who is head of security, and is immediately intrigued by his charm, confidence, and portrait-worthy good looks. The two spend many a flirtatious afternoon exploring the exhibition hall, discussing art, and sharing their secret hopes. Rosanna dreams of painting something original and meaningful, and Martin hopes to one day shed the shadow of his father’s notorious past.
But when they discover the theft of some of the paintings―and all the evidence points to Rosanna―she must convince Inspector Harrison she is innocent and proposes a plan to capture the real art thief.
It is a daring race to catch the criminal before he disappears with the most priceless piece in the collection―Michaelangelo’s The Manchester Madonna. If Rosanna and Inspector Harrison fail, not only will the painting be lost forever but so will their chance to paint their own happily ever after.
Book Details
- Publisher : Shadow Mountain (August 8, 2023)
- Series: Proper Romance
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1639931082
****I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, NetGalley, book tours, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.****
My Review
The Art of Love and Lies is a Proper Romance full of things an art lover will love. This Victorian romance has the beautiful artist Rosanna and the serious police investigator Martin. They are brought together because of the largest art exhibition ever to be held in England in Manchester, 1857. Rosanna dreams about having her paintings in art galleries someday. Meanwhile, she's doing paintings that are copies of famous paintings. Her boss, Anton, seemed unpleasant and untrustworthy from the beginning to me. Rosanna doesn't realize what is truly happening with her paintings. Anton becomes a little violent with Rosanna at one point.
Martin is dealing with his father's sins and shady past. He admits not knowing a lot about art but is drawn to Rosanna as she shares her love of art with him. I enjoyed their witty banter as they "flirted" with one another. The romance happened quickly in this novel.
The action picks up halfway through when Rosanna and Martin are both trying to find out who stole valuable paintings from the exhibition. Time is not on their side. The deeper part of Rosanna and Martin's relationship also happens in the second half of the book. The romance is clean and some parts of the mystery you may figure out early. Readers may or may not be surprised at the end and I'm not telling. ;)
3.5-4 Stars
****Meet Author Rebecca Anderson****
~*~*~*~*Purchase The Art of Love and Lies~*~*~*~*
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