Back in London from Waterloo, Captain Will Endicott goes to see his boss Sir Dominic Hunter to tend his resignation; he's had enough of the Intelligence Service and spying. But his wish is not to be granted: his father, the Duke of York himself, is expecting him along with Dominic; an emergency has come up and Will must obey his father's wishes. It appears that cells of Irish Catholic radicals in London are planning the assassination of either a high ranking member of the government or a Royal within the next few weeks. Miss Evelyn Whitby might be involved, possibly unwillingly: her soon-to-be fiancé is said to have ties with Irish radicals. Evelyn was Will's childhood sweetheart; she was a shy and sweet girl, and although she might be easily influenced, Will cannot believe she could be involved in such a conspiracy. In order to fulfill his mission, Will must get reacquainted with her without telling her the reason, which will be a delicate matter: when Will had left to join the army, Evelyn felt abandoned; he barely kept in touch while she had thought they might one day get married.

HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is the latest instalment in the Renegade Royals series, but can easily be read as a standalone. The premise for HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is based on historical facts and Ms. Kelly has thoroughly researched her topic. The troubles in Ireland are a very clever premise: in addition to being ideal and realistic for a spy story, the Irish question offers the opportunity to delve more deeply in the characters' backgrounds and motivations, thus even richer character development. All the characters are captivating and complex; in fact, the secondary characters are so interesting that Alec and Edie, respectively Will's partner and Evelyn's sister, almost run away with the story! HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY begins slowly, as we get to know the characters and their stories, but soon the action picks up culminating in an exciting conclusion.

HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is beautifully written, the dialogues are witty, and both stories—an exciting spy caper and a beautifully nuanced romance— mesh perfectly into a solid multi-layered tale. Around halfway, Evelyn and her sister are involved in a bit of mischief, and as I was almost rolling my eyes expecting a tired and predictable old trope, Ms. Kelly took me completely by surprise: that's how a master storyteller does it! Vanessa Kelly does not disappoint: HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is a superb book.