An Impossible Impostor

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this (via Edelweiss+).

Actual review 3.75 stars? I've read and enjoyed this entire series and was super excited to get approved for an ARC for this one. However, this one is probably my least favorite of the series. The beginning kind of dragged for me, probably because it was more rehashing history vs adventure/mystery solving. It started to pick up for me towards the end but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending.

Ugh. 🙄 Once upon a time I was a teenager who had yet to be steeped in the well-worn, time-wasting, conflict-generating tropes of romance novels. In the decades since, I have had my fill. Which is why I was so profoundly annoyed to encounter them in a beloved historical mystery series with a romance subplot between characters I consider too smart to get caught up in this BULLSHIT. My only consolation is that I don't see Raybourn getting away with pulling this crap in more than one book in her series. I will happily read the next to help wash this triteness out of my brain. For those wishing to spring to the book's defense regarding the quality of the mystery/caper, know that I skimmed the second half and read the denouement because I could not stand watching these characters make these ridiculous decisions. Please, please let the next one not involve cliches I flee by skipping pages.