Julian, Earl of Langford, is a spy who has been betrayed by
one of his own. He refuses to go into early retirement, and
is determined to find the traitor. This will lead him to his
hometown, a place he has never wanted to return to, and to a
woman who may lead him to the traitor and steal his heart.
Spies, intrigue, adventure, and romance come together in
Alyssa Alexander's THE SMUGGLER WORE SILK. The multiple plot
twists and dark secrets create excitement and will peak
readers' curiosities. Throughout THE SMUGGLER WORE SILK, the
antagonist is hidden, and I like how Alexander confirms the
innocence of the people of Beer little by little, helping
the reader guess the traitor's identity, while still letting
the reader put pieces of the mystery together by themselves.
Grace and Julian are both enduring characters fighting their
pasts to be their own person. Julian has all the cunning and
hardness of a spy, and the gentle, sweet side of a romance
hero. Grace's steadfast loyalty to her friends,and her pure
emotions for Julian make her a heroine readers will picture
becoming friends with.
The ending is both predictable and surprising, and as the
excitement mounts readers will keep turning pages in
anticipation of putting all the clues together. Alexander
has not only written a steamy romance, or an exhilarating
adventure, but a mystery readers will enjoy solving long
into the night.
A thrilling, seductive adventure from award-winning author Alyssa Alexander…
After he is betrayed by one of his own, British spy Julian Travers, Earl of Langford, refuses to retire without a fight, vowing to find the traitor. But when the trail leads to his childhood home, Julian is forced to return to a place he swore he’d never see again, and meet a woman who may be his quarry—in more ways than one.
Though she may appear a poor young woman dependant on charity, Grace Hannah’s private life is far more interesting. By night, she finds friendship and freedom as a member of a smuggling ring. But when the handsome Julian arrives, she finds her façade slipping, and she is soon compromised, as well as intrigued.
As she and Julian continue the hunt, Grace finds herself falling in love with the man behind the spy. Yet Julian’s past holds a dark secret. And when he must make a choice between love and espionage, that secret may tear them apart.
Excerpt
A shadowed figure emerged from the trees. A man, tall and lean, stood on the narrow dirt track in front of Grace, blocking her path. In the dark, under the dense canopy of branches, his face was nothing but shadows and indistinct features.
Fear tightened her muscles and sent a line of sweat rolling down her back. Still, she kept her voice cool and steady.
“Who goes there?” She narrowed her eyes, hoping to recognize the stranger’s features.
“Why, it’s Miss Hannah.” Pitched nearly to a whisper, the voice was unidentifiable, yet it carried clearly on the still night air. “Whatever are you doing in the woods, alone, at nearly three in the morning?”
“It’s none of your concern,” she answered sharply, shifting so that her coat fell open. She wanted access to her pistol.
“Hmmm.” The man stepped forward. It wasn’t a menacing movement, but certainly commanding. “What kind of mischief would a gently bred lady get into in the dead of night? A lover, perhaps?” The whisper became a sensual caress in the darkness.
Her heart thumped once, hard. She knew that voice, felt its timbre resonate through her.
“What are you about, my lord?” she asked coolly. Langford prowled to the side so that he was on her right, standing just at the transition of trees to path. He seemed to merge with the tree trunks until he was only a shadow among shadows. Still, she knew what he would look like. Lean and angular and handsome, with eyes she the color of the sky in midsummer.
“Is the lady engaging in something illicit?” The words slid over her, a stroke of heat and danger in the darkness.