Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen

Setting: Regency

*Book 1 in Lord and Lady Spy series*

Summary:

No man can outsmart him…

Lord Adrian Smythe may appear a perfectly boring gentleman, but he leads a thrilling life as one of England’s most preeminent spies, an identity so clandestine even his wife is unaware of it. But he isn’t the only one with secrets…

She’s been outsmarting him for years…

Now that the Napoleonic wars have come to an end, daring secret agent Lady Sophia Smythe can hardly bear the thought of returning home to her tedious husband. Until she discovers in the dark of night that he’s not who she thinks he is after all…

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Review:

For all the press that surrounded this book, my expectations were suitably high. It was promoted as a Regency set Mr and Mrs Smith and I found that premise very intriguing as it seemed fresh and would make for a thrillingly romantic story. And while it certainly had it’s moments and was never too predictable, I still felt like it fell short of my expectations.

I loved the whole idea of a married couple who are both secretly spies keeping secrets from each other. Their relationship at the start of the book was passionate even though there were some issues revolving Sophia’s problems with having children. It already felt like they were in love with each other at the start of the book which to me kind of makes the whole plot a bit pointless. I would have liked it is theirs did start as a cold arranged marriage. But I’ll put this down to personal preference. Their main issue is letting each other in and opening their real selves which was nicely done.

I also loved Adrian’s character-he’s strong, protective and adorably clueless when it comes to dealing with his wife. Sophia didn’t stand out much to me although I did love her vulnerability about her ability to have children.

This is a romance for those who love a little more adventure and excitement in their books. It’s fast paced and the action scenes are very well written. It doesn’t get boring and it was good fun reading them trying to solve the murder mystery while getting to know each other all over again. I did feel like the great action scenes were at the expense of the romance which wasn’t as developed as it could have been. One minute they don’t like each other and next second they’re all over each other with no prelude or explanation. It’s like whattt?

Still, this was a very entertaining read and great for those looking for more variety in the romance genre. If you like your books fast paced, unpredictable and more plot driven, then this is the book for you!

Sensuality Rating: HOT 

Verdict: Recommended. Fresh and fun!

Rating: 4 and a half out of 5 stars