ARC Review: The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne
What happens when you take Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and add two sisters with opposite personalities–one with an appreciation for archaeology, the other who will do anything to keep her family from financial ruin?
You get the action-packed, archaeological adventure that is The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne.
Lila Ford dreams of entering Manhattan society and marrying in a well-to-do family to hopefully save her own family from financial ruin. Tess Ford dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and someday running her own archaeological dig.
Thanks to a case of mistaken identity, Tess ends up kidnapped from her sister’s debutante ball by the rich and powerful family Lila had hoped to marry into. Lila is surprised by the appearance of her father and ends up on a boat to Egypt for the adventure of a lifetime.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperMuse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had so much fun reading The Antiquity Affair! I was definitely one of those girlies who had an ancient Egypt obsession growing up (my mom even bought me a hieroglyph stamp set for Christmas) and I am still one of those girlies who adores The Mummy movies so when I read the synopsis for this book I knew I would love it and boy did I love it!
Although it was a bit cliche at times, it had everything you could want from a historical mystery. It took a bit for me to really get into it but once I did I couldn’t put it down. Just when you thought something was finally going to go right for our protagonists, a new obstacle or betrayal got in the way.
I loved Lila and Tess’s characters but I will say I wish there was more of a focus on their relationship and their reconciliation. It felt a bit swept under the rug in favor of romantic moments with each of the sister’s love interests. The romance felt rushed, and a bit forced so I would have liked to see that dialed back so the sister relationship could have been more fleshed out. I also think their father got off a little too easily considering how awful he had been to them growing up.
Overall, Kelly & Thorne have created an exciting world that leaves the reader wanting more. More adventure, more puzzles, more action, more mysteries. Fortunately for us, the ending leaves us with hope for more possible adventures with the Ford sisters.
The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
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