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.
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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 THOUGHTS:
The Marquess's Masked Archer by Abbey Downey, is the first book in the Headliners and Heartstrings series. And it's simply an adorable story and one you don't want to miss because it has all the ingredients to make a story stand out and allow the characters to live in your memory after their story ends!
Set in 1907 at Put-In-Bay, Ohio, along the shoreline of Lake Erie, the story happens during the summer months at the popular Cedar Point where the wealthy and high society owned summer cottages and took vacations there. Trey gathered at the resort to attend social events lake activities, and boating excursions.
The story is about Sylvie Bryce, the daughter of wealthy parents and an acid archery lover and Miles Wentworth, the Marquess of Rockingham, who is working at the Cedar Point laboratory for the summer.
At the age to twenty-two, Sylvie is in danger of becoming a spinster and therefore her mother has plans for her to mingle with the eligible bachelors and find one to marry. While there, Sylvie disguises herself as the Lady Robin archer and on Mondays and Thursday she performs tick shot exhibitions and archery shows in the evening's to crowds.
Miles is running from his shadowed past and has come to America to live and study entomology at teh Ohio State University's research facility. He intends to keep a low profile and study insects in a quiet manner. He is staying with Alexander and Grace Loftin at their cottage for the summer season.
A notable quote from the story after Miles meets Sylvie: For a moment, Miles concluded that it wouldn't be so terrible to drown in blue eyes like hers, with as much as hidden depth as the waves he'd crossed traveling from England. She had charmed him without trying.
As the story progresses, Sylvie and Miles deny their feelings for each other while a jealous nemesis sets out to blackmail Sylvie with her secret disguise. Bachelors and debutantes are expected to follow the social rules and at times the story is quite humorous as they attend the high society balls, the outings along the seashore, and all kinds of lunches and activities.
Abbey Downey has written another winning story with a strong-spirited heroine and the handsome hero who falls in love with her adventurous ways. I enjoyed reading this Gilded Age romance where high society was expected to follow their own rules and flashy materialism ruled the day.
I learned a little history of the Ohio area, too, which I appreciate. And you won't want to miss the epilogue....it will put a big smile on your face and a sign on your lips.
I was provided a copy of this book by Celebrate Lit for an honest review. This is my own opinion.
