Nina’s working undercover as a maid when she meets the art critic Alan De’Ath. He just happens to be at his brother’s house, gleefully telling him the painting he just bought is a fake. Nina knows it’s a fake; she’s the one who painted the picture.
A fight breaks out between the brothers. Nina can’t help herself, or her tongue. She’s fired moments later. Since she achieved her goal of stealing an incriminating piece of evidence, she’s not too bothered by getting sacked.
However, Alan De’Ath feels responsible. He offers her work as his secretary as his hand was injured during the fight. Nina declines. She never meant to be on the art critic’s radar. Now Alan De’Ath is determined to uncover the identity of the forger. Once her brother hears the art critic’s intention, he forces Nina to take the job. But Nina never imagined she’d have so much in common with the famous art critic. How can she tell him that she’s the person he’s searching for?
ARTFULLY YOURS by Joanna Lowell is a stand-alone novel, however, characters from her previous books make an appearance. If you like grumpy heroes, this book is for you. There’s so much witty banter between Alan and Nina – along with lots of kissing. The art forgery drew me to this book, but how the secret was going to be uncovered kept me turning the pages.
Nina Finch isn't suited for a life of crime. Raised by her art-forger brother, she can paint like Boticelli. But she'd so much rather be baking gooseberry tarts. She finally has the money she needs to open her own bakery. Unfortunately, her brother's carelessness lands her—and their forgeries—directly under the nose of London's most discerning art critic, Alan De'Ath. De'Ath knows the paintings are fake. He doesn't know that Nina had a hand in their creation. In fact, he offers her a job in his household. Accepting it is the most dangerous thing she has ever done....
Alan takes pride in seeing things other people miss. He plans to catch the forger and cement his reputation. There's only one problem: the closer he gets to the beguiling woman he hired, the less he trusts his perspective. Nina isn't what she seems. But despite their false start, she just might hold the real key to his heart.
As Nina and Alan’s attraction grows, divided loyalties threaten to pull them apart and shatter their worlds. They’ll lose everything, or discover how powerful true love can be....