Review: Beautifully written story of deception
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2012
My introduction to Miriam Minger occurred whenTwin Passionswas offered as a free Kindle download.  I enjoyed both the story and the author's writing style, so I didn't hesitate to get Defiant Impostor as another free download.Interestingly, the plots of the two books are quite similar, involving a young woman impersonating another woman.  If you enjoy the plot of this book, do yourself a favor and check out Twin Passions.Defiant Impostor opens with these words from an English father to his twelve-year-old daughter, Susanna: "Yer late, ye little b*tch!" before he takes a swing at her.  Her father regularly abuses her and forces her to beg on the streets for money.  As she is approaching puberty, he makes it clear he intends to pimp her, and in fact, he's already selected a repugnant "john".  A fortuitous and well-timed accident with a carriage kills Susanna's father and puts her in the care of wealthy Lady Redmayne and her young niece, Camille Clary.  Camille's father owns a plantation in Virginia, and he sent Camille at the age of three to England for her education.  While Susanna recovers, Lady Redmayne offers to hire her as the maid to Camille.  Susanna eagerly accepts, and the two young girls become best friends, despite their difference in status.Seven years later, Camille's father dies, and the two young women set sail for Virginia so Camille can take her place as lady of the plantation.  She becomes fatally ill during the voyage, and she begs Susanna to impersonate her should she die, as she does not want the plantation to fall into her aunt's hands.Susanna must now learn to navigate the upper class world she has only viewed as an outsider.  She is also determined to find a suitably wealthy husband, even as she's courted by handsome Adam, the plantation manager.  Susanna is attracted to Adam, but she considers this hired hand beneath her newly (and falsely) acquired status.  Adam has his own secrets and his own reasons for pursuing "Camille" that have nothing to do with love, although it's clear that won't be the case for long.  We know Susanna won't be able to maintain her deception forever, but the author deftly manages the suspense of how and when she will discovered.The author handles everything in this story wonderfully - the romance, the sex, the suspense, and the depictions of the lives of masters and their servants.  This book makes for two out of two enjoyable Miriam Minger reads, and I will definitely be reading more from her.