Roseanna M. White
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award-winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
In this interview, Roseanna talks about her latest book, An Honorable Deception, book three in her The Imposters Series.
FF: For the past year, your readers have been following the escapades of the Fairfax siblings in your current series, The Imposters. Can you give us a little context on where your latest, An Honorable Deception, picks up their story?
Absolutely! I’ve been gearing readers up for this final installment, which is all about Yates—who, let’s face it, has been trying to upstage the other characters all along. This precocious “little brother” has come into his own as both an earl and the leader of The Imposters, Ltd., and it’s finally his turn to be in the spotlight…where he always wanted to be. The circus and theater themes are on full display in this one, as Yates works with two beautiful young ladies to uncover hidden treachery in the ranks of the elite and help find the missing Indian nanny of one of said ladies, Lady Alethia Barremore, with the help of the other, his longtime friend and childhood crush, Lady Lavinia Hemming. Shadows and secrets are chasing them all, but together, they can find the path toward redemption and even reconciliation. Lots of intrigue, hijinks, and romance in this one!
FF: You kicked off the series in 2023 with Marigold’s story in A Beautiful Disguise and now for the series conclusion, it’s finally Yates’ turn to get a chance at love. What unique attributes or personality traits distinguish Yates from his sister, Marigold?
Oh my. Where Marigold hides her true self behind elaborate costumes in public and then is mostly understated in her personality so she blends into the background, Yates is outgoing, boisterous, athletic in the extreme (a “regular circus strongman”), and just such a ham. He was so much fun to write! He’s brought comic relief and levity to the whole series, and that certainly hasn’t stopped in this one, even as he’s struggling with his own emotions concerning these two beautiful young women now in his life and the challenges of a case far more dangerous than he prefers. But I think what I love most about Yates is that he is just so innately good. He comes at life with innocence and good cheer, despite all the horrors he’s seen and dark secrets he’s uncovered in their work. Nothing can keep Yates down for long!
FF: What are you most looking forward to readers experiencing through his POV?
Readers have already had some scenes in his POV in the first two books, which I hope has whetted their appetite for more! He’s still the same funny, witty, clever Yates, with such an open heart. But now we get to see him far more and really travel with him into his own heart. He is aman of such integrity, who wants to do everything right—which means he’s keenly aware of what a precarious position he’s in financially and loathe to fall in love and bring his troubles to a lady . . . despite “marrying for money” being such a standard thing for a strapped young lord to do in this day in age. He does not respond well to those suggestions! He wants to provide and protect, not take advantage. I think readers will fall in love with him in this final book!
FF: If you had to describe this entire series in 5 words, what would they be?
Detectives, circus, theater, Edwardian, romance.
FF: With three books in this series under your belt, do you have a favorite character that’s appeared throughout The Imposters stories?
This is always such a hard question! I honestly love them all, but Yates is a definite favorite…or if we can name non-human characters, Penelope the monkey has a big role in this book, and we get some page time with Leonidas the lion again too!
FF: Over the course of your writing career, you’ve created novels set in many different times and places, but your recent stories have focused on the Edwardian era. What does this period have to offer readers, and why does it particularly appeal to you?
It’s been fun to spend so much time in one era! It’s really let me dig deep and learn so much of the details and nuance that you just can’t soak in fast enough to have it all in one book. I think what I love most about it is that it’s where “historical times” began to edge into “modern times,” meshing in a really fun way. We have telephones as well as telegraphs, automobiles as well as trains, record players, electricity…but there are also still horses and carriages, and those telephones and such close down for the holidays, and everyone still dressed for things. It’s really the best of both worlds! All the charm of the Victorian era, but with new technology coming all the time and so many social changes that we identify as modern. It gives a great view of modern society and issues, but with that charming slant to make those things more approachable.
FF: Does this series have any similarity to hits like Bridgerton? Who else might this story appeal to?
Definitely! In addition to the charms of society life, high fashion, and, of course, romance, there’s also the importance of what the gossip rags say about you (Gemma, heroine of book 2, is a society columnist) and the intrigue that is always nipping at one’s heels in the upper echelons of society! This series will also appeal to fans of Downton Abbey, as well as detective shows and books.
FF: As usual with your books, secrets and adventure abound in the pages of An Honorable Deception. What can readers look forward to in this story particular?
Lady Alethia Barremore is the daughter of a former (fictious) viceroy of India, and her Indian ayah (nanny) has long been her only true friend, the only one she can trust with her family’s dark secrets…because she was part of them, sacrificing herself to protect Alethia. But when Alethia finds that Samira has gone missing, she knows she can’t take it to the police, who don’t care a whit about a traveling nanny not being where she said she’d be. Alethia knows something is wrong, though, and hires The Imposters to find her friend. But someone knows she’s already stumbled across deadly secrets in her hunt, and they try to silence her forever.
Happily, Yates is on hand when she’s shot—during their initial meeting—and he comes to her rescue. She’s unconscious so doesn’t see his face, so he’s able to claim that he simply owes a debt to The Imposters and has volunteered to hide her while the investigators take on her case. His old friend—and first love—Lady Lavinia Hemming overhears Yates and Marigold talking about the case and finally puts together that they are The Imposters…so she hires herself to step in while Marigold is forced to take a sideline role because of her pregnancy. Lavinia, of course, is still dealing with the after-effects of her mother’s betrayal, which featured in book 1.
This story uncovers some dark secrets of society like human trafficking and child abuse, but with plenty of humor and a super fun love triangle (not your typical one, I’d like to say)…and by the end, we not only solve the case with “an honorable deception,” we also see how this story world weaves in with the worlds of the Shadows Over England Series and Codebreakers Series! Longtime readers will enjoy seeing Barclay and Lucy and also a peek at Mr. V, my intelligence master in those series. So much fun! I literally cackled with glee when I figured out how to weave them in!
FF: What aspect of this story are you most excited for readers to experience?
I’m so excited to get to spend so much time in Yates’s POV, to be back in Northumberland at the Fairfax estate, with their Romani staff and circus animals in attendance, and I just love the love story in this one. I also can’t wait to see how readers enjoy that small crossover with my previous books!
An Honorable Deception
The Imposters Series #3
Roseanna M. White
Bethany House
Genres: Historical Romance
Release Date: November 19, 2024
ISBN-10: 0764240943
ISBN-13: 978-0764240942
Book Summary:
In the trying art of balancing investigations and love, a detective must determine his priorities when faced with dangerous circumstances that could threaten everything he holds dear.
As the leader of the Imposters, an elite private investigative firm, Lord Yates Fairfax has made an art of concealing his identity. But when his newest client, the beautiful Lady Alethia Barremore, is shot while leaving their meeting, he throws caution to the wind and rushes to her aid. Though Lady Alethia thought she was only looking for her missing former nanny, she has clearly stumbled upon something much more dangerous.
Lady Lavinia Hemming suspects her longtime friends hold more secrets than they’re willing to admit, and when she stumbles upon the truth that they’re the esteemed Imposters, she recruits herself into the firm. While she is happy for the distraction of an investigation, Lavinia’s own family secrets continue to haunt her. And the one thing bringing laughter back into her life—her friendship with Yates—lands her squarely on the disagreeable side of her best friend: his sister.
Tormented by a past she doesn’t dare voice aloud, Lady Alethia does what she can to help her handsome host, her new friends, and the investigators. But as clues lead them deeper into the dark side of society, Alethia, Yates, and Lavinia learn anew that the gentry isn’t always noble…even as they fight to hold fast to their own honor.
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