An Affair with a Spare

Rafe Beaumont, fifth son of an earl, uses his irresistible charm with the ladies to glean dangerous war secrets. Now he's putting those skills to the ultimate test: capturing an elusive assassin by seducing his daughter. The problem? She's entirely immune to Rafe's flattery. Never before has Collette Fortier met a man as attractive as Rafe. But her father's life is at stake, and succumbing to Rafe would be disastrous. But when Rafe turns the tables on her, offering support and friendship instead of a fleeting affair, Collette finds herself tempted in ways she never could have imagined. Collette is staying with Lady Ravensgate posing as a cousin whilst trying to find secret codes to send to France in order to win her father’s release. A lovely read as always from the author the characters have plenty of depth, Rafe is swoon worthy but as well as looking gorgeous he’s also caring. Collette is driven to free her father & even pretends to be uninterested in Rafe. The pace of the story is very good & flows extremely well. There is intrigue & mystery but also lots of humour, especially Collette learning English from a book about hedgehogs & how when nervous she spouts facts about the prickly creatures. Of course the pair are attracted to each other but decide to become friends & all the while that attraction simmers. This is the third book in the series & could very well be read on its own but I’d recommend reading the previous books & I can’t wait for the next, hopefully Jasper’s story. My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Collette Fortier will do anything to spring her father out of jail, at the cost of her own life if it comes to that. Pierre Fortier, who was one of Napoleon’s assassins, is the only thing on Collette’s mind, and not even Rafe Beaumont will distract her from her mission: getting her hands on codes from the Foreign Office. Rafe, the celebrated London rogue, who has women begging for his favours, and Collette can understand why, but she cannot help but be smitten, but he would not look twice in her direction. But he does, and she stuns him by refusing to succumb to his charms, which leaves Rafe flabbergasted. The unimaginable has happened: a woman is not interested in him! Still, it’s his mission to find out what Collette is doing in England and if she is a French spy, so he’ll have to change his tactic. What sacrifices one has to make for one’s country! Rafe will have to be a platonic friend to a woman for the first time in his life, and it will be Rafe’s most difficult mission. Collette is a wonderful heroine, determined and loyal, and not one to make rash decisions. I respected her doggedness in wanting to rescue her father, but I couldn’t forget that he was an assassin, and this was a bit of a sore point for me; I couldn’t honestly see things from her point of view, but it’s a personal matter and it’s how she felt. Rafe is a rather unusual hero, every so gorgeous, he knows it, and it really defines who he is. I thought he had a bit of a George Clooney vibe about him, not in his looks, but in his attitude. The writing is so splendid that I was almost tempted to wax poetic about it, the descriptions of Regency England are stunning, but I will spare you the torture. The romance is far from an easy one, as Rafe doesn’t know how to love, but all the more satisfying for it. The secondary characters are absolutely marvellous, there are several unexpected plot twists, the last one probably the most startling, and Now, I will be impatiently waiting for my personal favourite Survivor’s story: the forever enigmatic Jasper.

The seducer has met his match and jumped without a thought into the flames. I couldn’t put it down from the start wondering what would happen between them and when. They both had reasons for avoiding each other, but to everyone else, they were stupid to try. I was on the edge of my seat when they came up with their plan. At every turn, they were met with a fight and sometimes a friend, but it was always a surprise. I wanted to scream when he went back to London, but the talk he had with his stepmother and other were so worth it. The ending was perfect especially with what she made him do. I hope to see them again and Grimes was an interesting man. Collette will do anything to save her father even shielding her heart. I loved her right away because she tried so hard to find what she needed and wouldn’t give up. She let fear and her mission blind, but not completely. Rafe always wanted the exciting mission he just didn’t realize this one would turn into one. He will break your heart with his reason for not wanting to marry and win you over with his charm and kindness. I loved that he was willing to do anything to help. I can’t wait for the next story!