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Tess had not seen Heath in years, not since her family had fired Heath’s father as her tutor. Now she seems to run into him everywhere, and she wants to know what he’s up to. Is he back for revenge over what her part in his father’s dismissal so many years ago, or has he discovered her secret life as a spy for the foreign office? Tess is determined to find out, but she ferreting the truth of his return proves harder than it seems when she consistently loses her head to passion whenever he is near… Heath can’t believe that his childhood friend is really a thief, as her accusers state. Yet, as he investigates her in secret, he realizes she is definitely hiding something, and it certainly seems as if there is more to her than meets the eye. But his investigation is thrown off balance as he loses his heart and soul to the beautiful but scandalous Lady Tess Golding. I have a penchant for historicals, and love those that star strong heroines who can stand independent of the story’s hero. Sari Robins’ heroine in When Seducing a Spy is just such a woman. Having been the center of several scandals, betrayed by her now deceased husband, and left to pull herself up by her bootstraps after finding herself penniless and cut off by her domineering father, she has finally found her backbone after a lifetime of doing what is expected of her, and cowing to the wishes of her father and husband. While we aren’t a part of that growth process, we experience it in her memories, and find admiration for the woman that has grown out of such adversity. Heath is as aggravating and clueless as they come, but these traits make for a great plot, of course! Truly, if readers did not find Heath aggravating, then the author would not have done her job. Robins ably engenders feelings in the reader that mirror those of Lady Tess as she deals with Heath. While definitely not a bad guy, his ambitions have him working against his better judgment, with the bait of a promising legal career and an advantageous marriage leading him astray. But Heath soon redeems himself, as his feelings for Tess override his ambitions, and he finally does right by her, no matter the cost to his personal goals. I’d certainly recommend When Seducing a Spy to anyone who loves historicals with a strong woman cast as the heroine and a few unsuspected twists in a suspenseful plot.
Reviewed by Jennifer |
When Seducing a Spy
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