About the Book
Book: The Marquess’s Masked Archer
Author: Abbey Downey
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: September 15, 2026
A hidden identity. A relentless marquess. And a summer where love could expose everything.
When Cleveland society parades debutante Sylvie Bryce before another string of unsuitable suitors, she secretly claims the one thing no one can arrange for her—a life of her own. Hidden beneath a green velvet hood and emerald mask, she becomes the mysterious Lady Robin, a daring trick-shot archer who captivates the crowds at Cedar Point resort. It’s the one place where Sylvie answers to no one. The last thing she needs is a charming English marquess threatening to unravel everything she has worked so hard to build.
Miles Wentworth didn’t come to Ohio looking for love. He came to study insects, escape the shadow of a devastating scandal, and prove that a man can build a life on his own terms. But a chance encounter with a boldly independent woman—first in a glittering ballroom, and then behind the mask of a legendary archer—upends every carefully laid plan. Determined to protect her, even from himself, Miles steps into a dangerous game of secrets and deception—one that draws them closer with every anonymous letter and stolen moment…even as the truth has the power to ruin them both.
A richly atmospheric Gilded Age romance brimming with wit, hidden identities, and the tender courage it takes to love without pretense—a tale of a sharp-shooting socialite, a science-minded lord, and the summer of secrets that will change them both forever. Perfect for fans of Jen Turano and Roseanna M. White.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Abbey Downey started writing inspirational romance stories during naptime when her kids were babies and found she couldn’t stop. A life-long Midwestern girl, Abbey lives in central Indiana with her husband, two kids, and one rather enthusiastic beagle. She loves watching her middle schoolers in all their activities and fixing up a 125-yar-old farmhouse with her husband.
More from Abbey
“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be impressed and entertained by the marvelous skill of Lady Robin, our own famed archer. Reminiscent of Robin Hood of old, she performs feats with a bow that are only dreamed of by most masters. Now, please, sit back and enjoy the show.” – The Marquess’s Masked Archer
Why do fictional characters hide? They might keep their entire identity hidden under a costume, their face covered with a mask, or just parts of who they are kept behind a confident act, but secrets are often an element of the conflict in books we love. And it’s for the same kinds of reasons all of us have tried to hide aspects of ourselves at one time or another. Fear. Shame. Protection. Freedom. Survival.
Characters in fiction reflect the truth of our human existence. Most of us probably aren’t dressing up as a female Robin Hood to perform archery trick shots or writing secret admirer letters to win a love interest, like my characters do in The Marquess’s Masked Archer. But the reasons Sylvie and Miles choose secrecy are all too relatable.
Sylvie’s goal in hiding behind a green hood is to give herself a taste of freedom. Her high society world is prescribed and controlled. There are very few opportunities for her to make choices in life. And while she longs to have more freedom, she also worries that if she were to get the independence she so desires, she would fail miserably and be forced to return to her parents in shame. Isn’t it relatable to want something desperately but at the same time be terrified that we can’t actually handle getting it?
In a different way, Miles hides behind a new life for protection. After false accusations in his youth left him disgraced in England, he wrestles with his purpose. His passion for medical entomology has given him hope for a normal life, but he also feels the constant weight of expectations due to his noble title. He’s certain people only see what they want to when they look at him, so he hides away doing his research, hoping no one will look at all. How truly human is that? We hide so much of ourselves out of worry that people won’t understand or will immediately jump to conclusions about who we are based on one glimpse.
But God didn’t create us for secrecy. The tension of hiding makes it difficult for Sylvie and Miles to fall in love, in spite of their interest in each other from the beginning. Every step forward brings new worry that they’ll be found out and their plans will be destroyed. Each romantic moment comes with the discomfort of knowing they aren’t being completely genuine with each other. Even Sylvie and Miles’s first kiss is shrouded in questions about whether the other knows that they meant it.
In the end, Sylvie and Miles’s story is also about what happens when they’re forced to take off the masks. It takes trust in each other and in God for them to finally get to the moment of happily ever after that we all love so much. Just like in fiction, when we trust God with those secret parts of ourselves, we can start to see how living in truth offers more freedom than hiding.
Do you enjoy a hidden identity or secret admirer trope? What’s your favorite book that includes one of those?
My Impressions
“In a world that denied them the ability to choose most things for themselves, the occasional chance to determine their own fate was worth fighting hard for.”
This statement. It epitomizes the motivations of many of the actions of our MCs, Sylvie Bryce and Miles Wentworth. While Abbey Downey has set her Gilded Age historical romance, The Marquess’s Masked Archer, in the early 1900s in the Lake Erie playground of the Ohio rich and famous, you don’t have to be rich or famous to identify with these two MCs! How many of us have either fought against society’s expectations, overly controlling parental expectations, or unfair gossip that ruined a reputation while the Truth doesn’t matter? Oy, vey!!
Sylvie is in her “third season” and her high-society mother is determined to make her a match before Sylvie gets passed over again. Problem is, Sylvie doesn’t have any desire to be the compliant socialite wife that would fit in her social circle. She wants one thing. “All she wanted was to be allowed to choose her own companion for that future, but even that was more than anyone believed she could manage. In their eyes, obedience was all she was capable of.”
When her mother chooses Miles as the best prospect because of his English title, Sylvie decides he is the last man possible she will marry… even as she is inexorably drawn to his unique character qualities of seeing her as a real person with valid wishes, hopes, and dreams for the future.
But…secrets play a huge part in this story. Miles’s past in England is something he fights hard to keep hidden as he comes to America, attempting to re-invent himself as who he wants to be- a successful entomologist, uninterested in the society ladies his best American friend introduces him to.
This is a novel to be read not for the surprise of the ending- because it’s one you know where it’s headed- but how will Downey get you there? How much angst will she put her characters through? ( A lot.) Inability to figure out what other key players may be thinking or planning is key. And let’s face it. Mind reading of others, especially ones we love or are in conflict with, can be hard! So we see questions about Miles and Sylvie’s motivations , Sylvie’s mother’s and another society debutante’s machinations, and society’s approval of Sylvie’s archery show. And, I must say, I love the Mr. Kinsey thread. He is a fave character, even though I’m not Team Kinsey! ( Maybe next book, Ms. Downey, please?!)
Woven into this book is the slow, subtle realization of just Who God is, and how He cares for His own. What does His protection really look like? Did he fail Miles in England when he allowed tragedy after tragedy? Is he failing Sylvie when she can’t seem to break free from her parents’ bondage? Read this story for the historical romance, but consider the God implications for your own life! The best kind of story!
My thanks to CelebrateLit for a copy of the book via BookFunnel. I also purchased my own ebook. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:
“But we tend to fight against growth. Would you have made the effort to change if it wasn’t pushed on you?”
“Fear and worry had a way of pressing someone into actions they didn’t want to take.”
“Would he ever be free from the assumptions people made about him? Would he ever be able to release the past and move forward?”
“After facing tragedy followed by a life-altering ordeal, the idea of a God who reached out to take care of individual believers didn’t match his experience. But it couldn’t hurt to take his longings to the only one who might have the power to influence the way they turned out.”
“Assumptions always worked the same way. No amount of protesting would change someone’s mind once it was made up.”
“In England, Miles had faced responsibilities and expectations he wasn’t ready for and didn’t want. The judgments of others had been enough to suffocate him. Where was the God who cared about creatures as tiny as these insects then?”
My Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magnificent!
Read this story for the historical romance, but consider the God implications for your own life! The best kind of story!
Blog Stops
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, September 26
Texas Book-aholic, September 27
Pause for Tales, September 28
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 28
Madi’s Musings, September 29
For Him and My Family, September 30
Book looks by lisa, October 1
The Vine and The Branch, October 1
Devoted Steps, October 2
Leslie’s Library Escape, October 2
Lyssa Loves Books, October 3
Devoted To Hope, October 4
Books You Can Feel Good About, October 5
Blossoms and Blessings, October 6
Holly’s Book Corner, October 7
Locks, Hooks and Books, October 8
Lily’s Corner, October 9
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Abbey is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://gleam.io/GCnUr/the-marquesss-masked-archer-celebration-tour-giveaway
