Tag: Shana Galen

Lady and the Scamp by Shana Galen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Lady and the Scamp (The Royal Saboteurs #2)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: The Royal Saboteurs #2
Publication Date: 10/11/22
Period: Victorian London
Number of Pages: 268

There is an elite group of Agents for the Crown within the home office. That group, known as the Royal Saboteurs, is made up of carefully chosen and highly trained agents who have sworn to guard Queen and country. Willoughby Galloway’s parents were both elite agents during the Napoleonic Wars (Lord and Lady Spy) and it has been his lifelong goal to not only be an Agent for the Crown but to be a part of the most elite group. He’s finally completed his training and has an assignment. An Irish Separatist group, known as Innishfree, is in London and has made attempts on the Queen’s life. Will’s assignment is to investigate one of the Queen’s Ladies-in-Waiting to see if she is the palace insider assisting Innishfree.

Emily Blythe-Coston, Lady Averley, has served the queen as Lady-in-Waiting for the last two years – since her husband Jack died. She loved Jack dearly and is still in mourning for him – and the still-born child they had lost not long before. She’s made a life for herself – but is she really happy? With the threats against the Queen, they’ve been so confined that the palace has begun to seem like more prison than a home. During a particularly confining day, Emily suggests a ride in the park, and the queen is attacked. While the queen escapes without injury, Emily becomes suspect because she suggested the outing.

From the moment he lays eyes on her, Will cannot believe Emily is a traitor. Of course, he knows that traitors usually look just like the rest of us, and he’ll do everything in his power to prove she is a traitor – or not.

Even when Emily is wounded during an attack, Will can’t rule her out – yet he is drawn to her like no other. He can’t forsake his queen – he must protect her no matter the cost. What a conundrum for an honorable man. Can Will prove Emily innocent? Can he protect the queen? Will his attraction to Emily cost him his place in the Royal Saboteurs? You’ll just have to read this fast-paced, excellently written, engrossing tale to find the answers.

I enjoyed meeting Will and Emily and spending time with them. I also delighted in the cameo appearances of Callahan Kelly and Bridget Murray Kelly from the first book. I hope you will read the book and enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beauty and the Thief by Shana Galen

On By TracyIn Part of a Series, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)1 Comment

Beauty and the Thief (The Royal Saboteurs #1)Beauty and the Thief by Shana Galen

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Royal Saboteurs, #1

Release Date: August 9, 2022

Miss Bridget Murray is the secretary to “Baron” the head of a secret government agency known as the Royal Saboteurs, an agency sworn to protect the crown and country from threats. Bridget works closely with the Baron and specializes in decryption, but today she is charged with escorting several new recruits to the agency’s training facility, known as “The Farm”. With the train due to leave in minutes, she is still missing one man – Callahan “Cal” Kelly, and let’s just say their first meeting was memorable. Bridget can’t understand why the Baron would want the Irishman, in her experience, Irishmen are not trustworthy or dependable, at least her dad wasn’t.

Cal is a charming conman, plain and simple, he is also a thief, a recovering alcoholic, and a recovering gambling addict, who has no idea why the Baron thinks he could be useful to him, but the money he offered Cal could set him on a new path and since he needed to get out of London for a bit anyway, he accepted the invite. He even starts to enjoy the training and is doing very well, but what he especially likes is teasing the uptight Miss Murray, who is all that is prim and proper, but clearly has a fire burning in her that is as vibrant as her lovely hair!

After a few weeks of training, it becomes clear why the Baron sought out Cal, he needed an Irishman to infiltrate a group of anarchists in Ireland, intent on breaking the Act of Union and reclaiming the Kingdom of Ireland. At first, Cal is eager to get on with the mission and get paid. Add to that the fact that Bridget has been ordered to go with him, posing as his wife is a bonus, because it is clear to him, that she is not nearly as indifferent to him as she wants him to believe. But once they get to Dublin the danger becomes real and Cal will be tested at every turn and his loyalties questioned. Will he be the man he wants to be or will his demons cost him everything, including the woman he has come to love?

This was such a great story, in all honestly, it did start a bit slow, but that is to be expected with the first book in a series, as the author needs to set up the series, build the world, introduce characters, etc. But once they get to Dublin, the story takes off and is non-stop until the last page. Bridget started out uptight and a wee bit self-righteous, while Cal was shifty and self-serving, but they both embraced their destiny and evolved into truly wonderful characters. Their love story is filled with spies, secrets, murder, anarchists, steamyish love scenes, action, intrigue, and finally a hard-won HEA. I really enjoyed this story and can’t wait for the next installment! I can without hesitation, highly recommend this title to both Historical Romance and Historical Intrigue fans.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*