With a new dress and a marriage in two weeks to Douglas,
the son of Marquis Graydon, Susannah Makepeace was feeling
smug with the world and her place in it. Suddenly, with
the murder of her father, she is left penniless and is
speedily dumped by her friends, servants and fiancé. Only
a kind letter from a distant aunt, Frances Perriman, saves
her by inviting her to her humble home in rural Barnstable.
Trying to come to terms with her new and lonely situation,
the lovely Susannah grabs her sketchbook and takes a walk.
Seeing a pond through the woods, she starts towards it when
she spies the glorious body of a man swimming au naturel
and can't help but starts to draw him. Caught in the act,
she hopes not to see him again, however, while attending a
local assembly, she is shocked to find out Kit is really
Christopher Whitelaw, Viscount Grantham.
Forced by his father to develop a naturist folio or be
banished to Egypt, Kit quickly realizes that Susannah is a
better artist and he employs her to help with his project.
His quest for flora and fauna are marred by manmade
accidents and Kit realizes that both Susannah's life and
his heart are in peril. Despite good intentions to obey
his father, the exiled spy gets caught up in new adventures
that keep looping back to past mysteries and an old flame.
Can they find out the truth about who Susannah's parents
really are before Kit's old nemesis, Morley Thaddeus, a
powerbroker in the British government, sends all who know
to the grave?
This is a great read by Julie Anne Long! The dialogue
sparkles with wit and there is strong development of the
two main characters as they come to terms with their
changing roles. I enjoyed Frances' practicality and the
introduction of other characters, like Daisy Jones, adds
interesting insights into life early nineteenth century
life in England. Quite the captivating read!
SHOCKING!
London’s belle of the ball, Susannah Makepeace, is the last
person who should suddenly be stuck in the sleepy village
of Barnstable. In town, she would never have seen a man
swimming naked in a pond. And she certainly would have
resisted the urge to draw every single bit of him in
astonishing detail!
SIZZLING! Very few people know that Viscount Kit
Whitelaw is the best spy in His Majesty’s secret service.
But his high-flying life has finally banished him from
London. Not to worry—if Susannah’s erotic sketches are any
indication of her nature, she’ll be a delicious stand-in
for the thrill of espionage.
SCANDALOUS! When odd accidents follow in Susannah’s
wake, Kit’s spy senses start tingling. For what better
mystery is there for England’s greatest spy than the
secrets of the delectable puzzle that is Susannah?