An Affair With A Spare by Shana Galen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

An Affair with a Spare (The Survivors, #3)An Affair with a Spare by Shana Galen

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Survivors #3
Publication Date: 7/3/18

This book is filled with spies, assassins, danger, trickery, betrayal, and yes, love and lust. The writing is excellent, the plots well thought-out and executed and the characters are very relatable and likable. The series focuses on the few survivors of a suicide team from the Napoleonic wars – they were spare heirs whose lives were expendable and they took on the most dangerous secret missions of the war. Most didn’t make it back, but these are the stories of the few who did survive. Rafe Beaumont is one of those survivors and you just always knew there had to be more to him than was apparent and that there was a story buried deep within him. I certainly loved learning what that story was.

Rafe Beaumont, the fifth son of an earl, is seen by everyone as a fribble, a seducer, someone with no real substance. The truth is, he isn’t a seducer – those women chase him with one purpose – being seduced. He’s drop-dead gorgeous, a skilled lover and the most charming man anyone would want to meet. Everybody loves him. Rafe is one of the survivors and he’s always been a little resentful that he was never given the dangerous, exciting missions. His missions were always about seducing information from the wife or lover of someone who held knowledge of French war strategies, etc. Those were easy tasks for Rafe because he never got attached to anyone – he never had a problem walking away. As a matter of fact, he always did the walking away. He’d never give anybody the chance to make him care and then walk away from him.

Imagine Rafe’s total shock when, after being given an assignment, the lady in question seems totally immune to his charms. She’s just not interested. That is just not possible. Is he losing his touch? He’s never actually had to pursue anyone, so he’s not sure how to proceed. Can he figure it out and complete his mission?

Collette Fortier is the daughter of Napoleon’s most successful assassin. The wars are over, but the English would love to get their hands on him. Actually, the English aren’t the only ones. The French royalists have already taken him prisoner and are forcing Collette to spy for them. Her mission – to obtain the codes England uses in its communications. If she doesn’t succeed, her father doesn’t survive. It is just that simple. So, Collette absolutely cannot allow her attraction to Rafe Beaumont to show or to act upon it in any way.

Collette’s ‘cousin’ in England, Lady Ravensgate, is actually no relation at all. Collette had never met the woman before. However, this ‘cousin’ now holds the future of both Collette and her father in her hands. She sees that Collette gets to all of the important social functions that would allow Collette to collect information and meet the people who can lead her to the codes she needs. Collette is focused on Lieutenant Colonel Draven, but she cannot get her to engage with her – and then, suddenly, Rafe Beaumont is paying her attention. When he can’t seduce her, he offers to be her friend. Can she be friends with him and not let her attraction show? Is he really offering friendship or does he have ulterior motives? Can she use him to get the information she needs?

There is always an element of humor involved in these books – and this one is no exception. Collette used a natural history volume on hedgehogs in order to learn English. So, when she is nervous – quotes from the manual escape her mouth. It is totally entertaining and smile-worthy to see where and when these quotes pop out of her mouth.

“During courting rituals the hedgehog sow continually rejects the boar, turning to give him her flank.”
“The majority of snorting during hedgehog courtship originates from the sow.”

Epilogues are one of my favorite things in a book, and this one had a lovely one. However, I would have liked the epilogue to either be longer – or for the epilogue to have an epilogue – something. I wanted to know more about the trip, what happened at the end, how they survived with no money, etc. I just wanted more. Since the end seemed rushed, I really did want more substantive answers to my questions.

Now, to begin my impatient wait for the next book which will feature Jasper.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

Six Weeks with a Lord by Eve Pendle

On By TracyIn Blog Tour, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)1 Comment

 

Meet the Author:

Eve lives in England and writes angsty, snarky and passionate Victorian era romance. She has National Trust membership, a big-boned cat, and a crazy dog. She loves wearing dresses and eating chocolate.

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About the Book:

 

Grace Alnott is out of time. To save her younger brother from an abusive guardian, her merchant father’s will demands she must marry a peer. Handsome but destitute Everett Hetherington, Earl of Westbury agrees to her offer of a marriage of convenience but stipulates she must live with him for six weeks. No matter how honorable he seems she can’t allow him to get too close, because the aristocracy cannot be trusted.
Six weeks. Major Everett Hetherington, new Earl of Westbury, has exactly six weeks to convince the very independent Grace Alnott to spend the rest of her life with him. Despite her belief she doesn’t belong in his world, he must tempt the alluring Grace into staying, because he has fallen for her. Hard. He just has to ensure she never discovers his secret.
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Tracy’s Review:

Six Weeks with a LordSix Weeks with a Lord by Eve Pendle
Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Grace Alnott returns from finishing school to learn that her father is dead and has left her nothing but her dowry, a dowry she will only get upon her marriage to a peer. Her father named Lord Rayner as guardian to her young brother and expects Grace to marry him.

Grace despises Lord Rayner, he is an awful man and she plans to petition the Chancery court for guardianship of her brother Henry. But to do that, she needs money. She makes it known that she is looking for a marriage of convenience and is willing to split her dowry with her new husband.

Everett Hetheringon, the Earl of Westbury needs a rich bride. His father and older brother both neglected the estate and left behind huge debts, when his younger brother tells him of Grace with her dowry of 50,000 pounds, it seems like the answer to his prayers. He offers for Grace and learns that he will only get half of the dowry and she doesn’t plan to live with him. They make a bargain – she will live with him for six weeks and he will not take his “husbandly rights” – he agrees but he is not completely honest with her – he plans to seduce her into staying and claiming her entire dowry to pay off his brother’s debt.

They marry and return to his estate, she doesn’t trust men and tries to keep Everett at arms length, she hasn’t told him what she plans to do with her half of the dowry instead she told him that she wants to be an independent woman and travel. But over the course of the first few weeks, they form a friendship and she tells him about her brother and Lord Rayner. He offers to help her with her problem, but still doesn’t disclose his plan to keep her entire dowry. He woos her with kindness and kisses.

Grace begins to fall in love with him and thinks that he may be a man she can trust with her heart, and after a visit from Lord Rayner, she is sure of it. She decides to wait until the six weeks is up to tell him of her feelings, but lets him consummate the marriage.

The morning after the six weeks is up, she is excited and in love, she wants to tell him and is just waiting for the perfect moment. But everything goes terribly wrong and Grace is heartbroken. Everett tries to explain and swears that his love for her is true, but he needs the money to pay the debt and thinks that is more important than getting guardianship of Henry. Grace decides to return to London and Everett doesn’t stop her. But a visit from his mother makes him realize what he has given up and what he has to do to win back Grace. But is it too late?

This was a well written book that moves along at a steady pace, with likable characters, steamy love scenes, a nasty villain, interesting secondary characters and a true chemistry between Grace and Everett. I really enjoyed the book and would happily recommend!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*