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 fiancรฉ 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.
Whether as spies or lovers, the Renegade
Royalsโillegitimate sons of Englandโs Royal Princesโare
bold, skillful, and a force to be reckoned withโฆ
A
war
hero returned from Waterloo should be able to indulge in
a
bit of bad behavior. Instead, Captain William Endicott is
summoned by his father, the Duke of York, to investigate
an
assassination plot. The unlikely suspect: Williamโs
former
sweetheart. Will canโt believe that innocent Evie Whitney
could be mixed up in anything so nefarious. Then again,
almost everything about Evie has changedโexcept for his
bodyโs instinctive response to hersโฆ
Just as Evieโs
life is finally coming together, Will saunters back into
it.
Should she slap himโor seduce him? Even as she tries to
decide, scandal pushes her toward marriage with a man she
can neither trust nor resistโand into the heart of a
deadly
conspiracyโฆ
EXCERPT
โWhatโs wrong, Evie?โ he asked in a quiet voice.?
She startled. โNothing. Why do you ask?โ?
โI remember that particular sigh. It means youโre not
happy about something.โ?
She sat up straighter, trying to put some distance
between them. The blasted man was impossibly large, and
the Lord knew she wasnโt exactly a tiny thing. Between
the two of them and the excess material of her riding
habit, it was a miracle they were even able to fit into
the curricle.
โIโm fine.โ She flashed him what she hoped was a
nonchalant smile. โI hardly think you know me very well,
given the passage of time since we were children. Iโve
grown up, Will.โ
He glanced down at her, his gaze lingering on her face
and then moving to her bosom. โYou certainly have.โ
Her mind blanked, struggling to find an appropriate
reply. Unfortunately, there didnโt seem to be one.
Cautiously, she peered up at him. She hadnโt been sure
before, but now it did seem clear that Will was flirting
with her. Not that she was adept at flirtation, or even
in recognizing the signs. In fact, she was monumentally
bad at it. But she surely wasnโt mistaking the heat in
Willโs eyes that had made them darken like smoke curling
up from a blue flame.
When his lips tilted up in an amused smile, she realized
her mouth was hanging open. She snapped it shut and
jerked her head forward. โWill, you should keep your eyes
on your pair. This road is quite bad after all the rains
weโve had this summer.โ
His low laugh did things to her nerves and insides that
defied description. It was beginning to dawn on Evie that
what sheโd felt for Will as a girlโas powerful as that
had beenโhad lacked a full awareness of his potent
physical attractions.
โCertainly, Madame Scold, whatever you say,โ he teased.
โWhen have I ever scolded you, William Endicott?โ she
asked, retreating behind a faรงade of exasperation. โAs I
recall, you always led me around by the nose. Really, Iโm
quite ashamed of my weak-willed behavior back then.โ
โIf anyone did the leading, it was your sister,โ he said
dryly. โAnd if memory serves, you gave me quite a
scolding last night.โ
That comment gave her nerves another kind of jolt, one
not nearly as pleasant.
โYes, about that . . .โ She threw a quick glance over her
shoulder. Michael and Gilbride were catching up to the
curricle, but were not yet close enough to eavesdrop.
Might as well get it over with.
Willโs calm expression as he managed the traces suggested
nothing more than a friendly disinterest in the
conversation. But she knew him as well as he knew her. If
she didnโt miss her guess, most of his attention was
still on her and not on his cattle.
โI owe you an apology, Will,โ she said quietly.
He cocked his head, still looking politely disinterested.
โIโm sorry, what did you say?โ
She raised her voice a notch. โI behaved rather
wretchedly to you in the drawing room last night, and you
didnโt deserve it.โ Well, not most of it, anyway.
He looked regretful. โYouโll have to speak up, Evie. I
canโt hear you over the noise of the carriage wheels and
the horses.โ
The beast. He was going to make things difficult for her.
โI said Iโm sorry,โ she practically yelled. โWhich you
heard the first time, you brute.โ
He laughed. โI am a brute, and for that I apologize. But
I couldnโt resist because you looked so guilt-ridden.โ
โI am guilt-ridden, and a gentleman would accept my
heartfelt apology and be done with it,โ she grumbled,
crossing her arms over her chest.
His glance flicked absently down to her bosom, and Evie
couldnโt help flushing. Then he returned his attention to
the horses. โNo apology is necessary, my dear girl. I
earned that thundering scold. Not only for my behavior
last night but for everything else, too.โ
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