Published by St. Martin’s Press, 3rd November 2015, 352 pages, £4.92

Quick description: Regency romance with mystery and espionage.

Steam?: It will fog your glasses

Plot: Daphne Swift has not laid eyes on her devilishly charming husband, Captain Rafferty Cavendish, in quite some time. As a matter of fact, she wants the rogue to annul their brief marriage so that she can marry the reliable and estimable Lord Fitzwell. But the breathtakingly handsome Rafe is not interested in letting Daphne go-at least not without paying his scandalous price…
Rafe prefers to face the dangers of spying alone, but this time he needs his innocent, fiery wife to uncover the information he seeks. He has even agreed to release her from their marriage if she submits completely to his plan. However, Daphne’s alluring combination of courage and curves makes her a dangerous distraction, and it is not long before Rafe is trading subterfuge for seduction in order to prove that Daphne is meant to be his and his alone…

Another regency, SMP are on a roll. Did you enjoy Bella and the Beast by Olivia Drake? This is my first time reading from Valerie Bowman. And its not too shabby at all. Its a good value regency romance. A couple who have married for practical reasons under dangerous circumstances, but find themselves unable to get an annulment. Its a great, classic dilemma and works really well in this regency setting, because of all the rigid rules that become unraveled.

Daphne is back from an adventure, grieving the death of her brother and ready to re-enter elite society. She wants to put the past behind her and marry the most eligible bachelor who will provide her with title, security and stability. Everything has gone according to the system. She has been courted properly, her mother approves and the engagement party organised. Such a safe, sensible plan. What could go wrong? Well her husband showing up unannounced would be an issue. A husband who shares her passion of travel, danger, and freedom. And of course, totally gorgeous. Captain of a ship, awful reputation, dashingly unpredictable- he is everything wrong for her plan to fit into polite society. To top it all off, he had once rejected her affections by claiming she was like a sister to him. So Daphne has to battle; total cringe, anger, and undeniable attraction when he arrives. And he has the infuriating audacity to refuse an annulment! But does she actually want one…?

When news arrives of the spies that killed her brother, the ‘couple’ are thrown into another dangerous mission. They need each other; Daphne has the skill, Rafe has the experience. And once they realize that, would it be too late? This book has plenty of mystery and toe-curling scenes to dig in. My only issue is that, it was quite heavy on the espionage details when I would have preferred more tension built between the characters.

@ValerieGBowman

Thank you Amy Goppert from @SMPRomance