Shana Galen always writes with care and emotion and this is a good example. I will reread. And am looking forward to the audio version.

I love the cover for this book. Actually every single cover in this series is absolutely gorgeous. I wanted something Historical and this cover caught my eye. I’m glad it did since now I want to read the whole series. Shana Galen has a way of drawing you into her stories from the first page and I’d forgotten about that.

Collette is in London to search for a way to help her father. However since she is French and her father was one of Napoleon’s assassins, it may not be the best place for her to be. She is trying to gather information on certain codes, that even though the war is over, are still heavily guarded secrets. There are just two problems: she is a terrible spy, and she literally has no clue where to start.

Rafe is the son of an earl, the youngest son of an earl. His only talent in life is his face. Seriously. He’s gorgeous. Violet eyes, thick dark hair, fantastic body, and he’s charming. He’s never had to chase a woman. Ever. In fact he often has to hide from them since they chase him. Literally. When he went into the Army he wound up in a secret troop and his code name was The Seducer. He seduced information out of the wives of high ranking officials. His latest mission is to flirt with Colette to find out if she is indeed the daughter of an assassin and what she’s doing in London. The main problem he has? She doesn’t fall for his charms.

For her part, Collette isn’t immune, but her end-goal keeps her strong in the face of his charm and sex appeal. I enjoyed watching him flounder not knowing what to do since women never said no to him. Collette learned English through reading and her favorite book had been about hedgehogs so whenever she was nervous, she would spout random facts about hedgehogs and I found it adorable and endearing.

The only thing that didn’t really work for me was that Rafe comes off incredibly immature and young. Being that he had been at war, I really was surprised at how he behaved. He seemed 18. That aside, I liked Rafe and Collette together, and I liked how they worked together. The romance felt true and organic and watching that turn Rafe inside out was fantastic. He was so befuddled!

This story made me wish I hadn’t read out of order. Oh, it can stand alone, no problem there, but it made me wish I knew more about the other men in the series. Luckily I have the time to catch up! If you’re waiting for the Bridgertons to hit Netflix and need a good Historical Romance, this will satisfy your cravings.

***Review copy courtesy of Sourcebooks via Netgalley

I didn't enjoy this book as bitch as I did the one previous to it.

I found I couldn't connect with the characters in quite the same way and because of this, I chucked this on the DNF pile at around 30%.

3.5 Stars

An Affair with a Spare was a delightful read featuring a romance between two spies.

Known as the Seducer, Rafe Beaumont is an irresistible charmer who uses his skills with ladies to uncover war secrets. His next mission? Seduce a young woman, the daughter of a notorious assassin, and find out what secrets she's hiding. But unfortunately for Rafe, Collette Fortier is immune to his charms. When Rafe tries a different tactic and offers friendship instead, Collette finds herself falling under his spell.

Rafe and Collette's relationship gets off to a slow start as they're both aware the other is likely trying to uncover whatever they're hiding. And while initially Collette doesn't respond to Rafe's advances, she is definitely affected by them and is only holding back because of the situation with her father. The physical chemistry between the pair is fantastic and when they advance their relationship, the scenes are quite steamy. My issue with their romance comes with how much deception there was, particularly from Rafe. I guess I should have expected a lot of lying due to the fact they're both spies, but I didn't and I don't love tons of lying in my romances. The friendship they developed could have been great had it not been for the deceptive ways Rafe gained Collette's trust. Over time the relationship got better, but they still hide things from each other which kept me from completely loving them together.

Throughout the book several of the other men from Rafe's unit make appearances. Jasper in particular shows up quite a bit in this book and I'm curious to learn more about him, so I'm happy to see that he's the hero in the next book. We get a few scenes with Neil and Ewan, the heroes from the first two books in the series which was nice. The men in the Survivors have such a unique bond that even when they disagree, it's clear they care about each other. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to meet more of the men in the group as some have only been mentioned up to this point.

Overall while I didn't like An Affair with a Spare as much as the first two books in the series, it was still an enjoyable read and I'm excited to get to the next book, Unmask Me If You Can, soon.

Shana pens the most delightful historical romance mystery stories. I love opening up her brand new stories as they transport me into the past. A great read!

Shana Galen takes us back to the Survivors Club. This time with Rafe`s tale. Rafe was the seducer of the group, obtaining information in the bedroom, rather than the battlefield. Is there a reason for his avoidance of feeling for any woman? Then he meets Collette Fortier, a French spy who is only trying to save her father. Unfortunately, her father was Napoleon`s assassin, wanted by the English. Rate is assigned to uncover the plan. Will he be able to resist Collette? Will she be able to resist him? It all makes for another great story from one of my favorite authors. I am looking forward to reading Jasper`s story. He is an interesting character.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this so much. This is book 3 in the Survivor series and we get Rafe’s story. Rafe’s nickname is the Seducer because he is great seducer of women but he finally meets his match. The story was so funny. I kept laughing out loud in the doctor’s office I was in. I couldn’t put it down cannot wait until the next!

Shana Galen's An Affair with a Spare is an excellent addition to her The Survivors series. It was witty and funny, but for me it ended kinda abruptly. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

An Affair with a Spare by Shana Galen
Series: The Survivors #3
Subgenre: historical romance
Release date: 3 Jul 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Format: paperback / ebook
Length: 416 pages
RRP: US$7.99
Each one of the Survivors has his speciality. For Rafe, he is able to seduce women for information, but can he seduce his target to find out why she is in England?
Collette Fortier, or Fournay as she is known in England, is looking for information to help release her father from gaol in France. During the war he was Napoleon’s assassin, but now the Bourbons are back in power he has been gaoled. Collette wants him free. She has to play a determined game to get the codes she needs to translate a message that could provide vital information. However, her habit when she gets too nervous is to spout information about the sexual habits of hedgehogs.
Rafe Beaumont is the epitome of attractive masculinity. When he was young he was known as Rafe the Forgotten, as the youngest child in his family. He was such a placid child, and constantly left behind. His father even forgot to employ a tutor for him! But Rafe is hiding a secret about his mother and the day she left, and it affects how he interacts with women. Rafe doesn’t need to seduce women, as they fall at his feet. He was a member of the Survivors, Draven’s group, a group who still solves people’s problems. Draven has told Rafe he needs to find out why Collette is in England. What Rafe struggles with is that Collette doesn’t seem to have any interest in him. An absolute first for him!
As they are together more, as friends, Collette is forced to rely on Rafe for assistance. She knows that Lady Ravensgate, her supposed cousin, is working for the Royalists in France, and as time goes on Lady R becomes more impatient with Collette not being able to find the needed codes. Rafe and Collette prepare their own plan to rescue her father, which turns them into fugitives. There are many obstacles for them, mainly thieves and thugs, on the way to rescuing Collette’s father. At the final point, her father is rescued but then they must flee the country. Rafe struggles with duty and honour.
Rafe and Collette have chemistry, and the sex is phenomenal for them. Collette was not a virgin and hadn’t expected to fall in love. Rafe never wanted to marry or fall in love, so it makes for interesting conversation and actions when they can’t keep their hands off each other!
I am really enjoying this series by Ms Galen. Each man in the group is getting his story and the woman he deserves after their trials during the war. In this story, Draven gives some sage advice to Rafe about love and loss, which is based on his own experience. It is another piece of information about Draven. The reader is also able to meet some of the other men, those who have married and those who are yet to meet their future woman.
Reviewed by Heather

Another excellent book by Shana Galen! I adore the Survivor book series, and Rafe makes for a great hero. I was a little unsure about the kind of man he would become, he's gorgeous and he knows it, but he manages to set himself apart from the other historical rogues. Collete is witty and smart and funny and everything you want to see in a woman butting her head up against the system. Banter is witty, plot is amusing and full of romance and action, pacing is great! If you're a regency romance buff, you're going to love it!

Historical romances are just so special to me. I love the dresses, having a ladies maid, receiving gentleman callers, and I am in heaven. Throw in some mystery, spies, and cloak and dagger, and I am so there. This book had all of the above and then some. It had action, drama, romance, angst; oh the feels are overwhelming me.

This is book three in the Survivors series. Reading the other books is not necessary in order to understand the plot in this book. This is a historical romance with mystery, and suspense thrown in. If that is what the reader is interested in.

Collette is a young Frenchwoman who’s very shy, is unsure of herself anyway, but even more so because English is her second language, so words spoken in English don’t easily roll off her tongue and she finds herself getting nervous and saying silly things to people. I feel for her, English is my primary language and when I get nervous, I say very silly things. She thinks that she doesn’t have a backbone, but she proved herself time and again that she does indeed have gumption, a backbone, and cunning to get things done.

I found myself having very soft feelings for Rafe, as he had a rough time of it growing up. He was a happy baby and a happy little boy who didn’t make a lot of noise and as a result, he was forgotten about and left to his own devices. He doesn’t want to let anyone get close to him because he doesn’t want to be hurt. He leaves before someone can leave him. Of course, my heart melted and I have to protect Rafe from being hurt either as a little boy or as an adult.

Of course Rafe is beautiful to look at and the females advance on him in droves and he doesn’t want to hurt feelings so he gets accosted by willing females everywhere. It’s quite comical to read about.

As the reader can imagine, when these two kids come into contact with each other, sparks fly, heartbeats quicken, faces blush, and the entertainment begins.

I loved the emotional scenes, as they just pulled me in and made me feel for the character. In my opinion, that is important in a romance book as it makes me feel connected to the character.

However, I’m having a very hard time coming to terms with the ending. On the one hand, I’m glad that there was a happily ever after, Rafe and Collette got to be together, I just wished it hadn’t ended the way that it did. I wanted a different ending. Oh well.

Read this book, it’s really good. It moves fast, and its entertaining. The reader won’t be disappointed.

This was a lighter and more uplifting story than the premise sounded. Although there were high stakes and real drama, there was also character development. I enjoyed watching Collette and Rafe's relationship grow, as both of them resisted it.

An Affair with a Spare is the third book in the Survivors series by Shana Galen. I think each book in this series can stand up well as a stand alone, but of course are more fun to read as a series.
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.

An Affair with a Spare is a historical romance with some fun characters. I really liked Collette's character, she is trying the best she can to follow the instructions she has while flying under the radar. She does not like crowds or being the center of attention- which I completely empathize with. Rafe is used to running from the ladies- sometimes quite literally. I cannot say that I had much sympathy for him, but enjoyed his frustration and fascination when Colette does not act like all the women (aside from family of course) that he knows. The combination of the two personalities and their secret purposes as they forge a friendship was highly entertaining, and I liked that emotional barriers as well as dangerous secrets were dealt with along the way. I will admit to being annoyed with Rafe on occasion, but overall found the characters and their story to be entertaining and engaging.

An Affair with a Spare is just what I expected from the author and the series, and I think that fans of either will want to pick this one up and will enjoy the read.

I loved An Affair with a Spare! Shana Galen is always a great read for me and she didn't disappoint with this one. Great story and characters.

I enjoy Shana Galen's books and enjoyed this one too. Romantic and interesting, a good read. I look forward to more by this author.

I was excited to read another Shana Galen, because although not breathtaking, I do like her style. An affair started out interesting, but there was an inkling in the back of my brain the whole time saying...I'm not going to like it at some point. My feelings about this book were sinking lower and lower every chapter. And after they had sex I just couldn't read any more. I mean you kinda knew right off the bat that the one person helping her was a traitor, this book was a DNF for me so things could have changed at the end. I think it was the character development that I'm trying to say I didn't like.

I didn't really connect with any of the characters in the book, they all just felt one dimensional.. I quit reading a chapter or two after they had sex so things could have turned around, but I doubt it.

As I said before in plenty of my reviews, I love historical romance, however I didn’t love this one. I thought that the beginning dragged on, and Collete’s awkwardness wasn’t cute as it is with other romance books I’ve read, it was just plain awkward.
The attraction between them was superficial and I felt that it wasn’t enough. Rafe was an interesting hero that didn’t have a heroine to really make this a good read.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't had much time to read HRs in the past couple of months unfortunately (which perhaps was good), but yesterday evening, as I was in the mood and I had some time, I decided to start this one. And I couldn't put it down till I read the last page. And I loved it.
This novel is funny (in the beginning it tried a tad too much maybe, but then it all went in the right place) romantic and emotional. It was a great reading! And I can't wait for Jasper's story now!

Finally DNF'd
I couldn't get far in this book. Not far at all. I found the premise absolutely ridiculous and was grew quickly tired of the heroine's waxing on and on about the hero's beauty. From the beginning, it was just a whole bunch of WTF-ery.

Collette is (practically) randomly going up to men and trying to ferret out if they have the secret British codes she needs to free her father ... wow, would I not hire her, that's for sure! The plan has got to be the dumbest one I've ever heard of—prancing around a ballroom, inquiring into your male partners' war experiences, hoping you might chance onto the codes you need? Because, yeah. That's going to happen.

The relationship between Collette and Rafe seemed to be purely lust-based, especially given the fact that they're both deceiving each other so much. I was annoyed by Collette's endless marveling over Rafe's good looks; we get it, he's a hot stud, calm yourself down girlie.

I've read the two previous books in this series and unfortunately they seem to be getting worse ... not very promising for Book 4 ... Book 1, Third Son's a Charm , was a nice read and I would recommend reading that and stopping there, frankly.

*This review is of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Some changes and/or edits may be made to the final published version.

He’s supposed to use her, she uses him; he’s supposed to seduce her, she seduces him; he believes love is worthless and a lie until he realizes life isn’t worth living if he loses her and her love. How a practiced seducer of women, honed during a time of war to glean secrets, falls in love for the first time is an entertaining, exciting and not to miss read. Ms. Galen can claim another success with the 3rd book in The Survivors Series, An Affair with a Spare.

Collette, the heroine, is in a pickle. Whereas Rafe, the hero, does not deeply love anyone, Collette loves too much and will do what she must to set her father free, no matter what she has to do. She’s not savvy as a spy; she was protected from the harsh reality of her father’s role under Napoleon, but in this novel, she’s thrust into intrigue, danger and high-stakes without having anyone to trust. I thought her very brave.

Rafe has seen danger but only on the periphery. His fellow soldiers were hardened because of the violence and fighting they had to endure, whereas the hero saved their lives by getting the information they needed to stay safe. The one thing Rafe always wanted was to be more than just a seducer of women for their husbands’ and fathers’ war plans; he wanted to prove himself in actual fighting. Little did he know he was about to make up for lost time. Like the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for.’

I liked the pace of the story, the details and the dialogue. I enjoyed watching the repartee between Rafe and his friends as well as meeting some very personable secondary characters the author introduced. I liked Rafe’s family and I think his step-mother is a very sweet lady. Even though this is the third book in the series, I strongly believe this novel would work as a standalone read because the entire focus is on Collette and Rafe. The additional characters are only mentioned in short scenes as backup and to propel the plot forward. It’s Rafe that needs to bluff his way out of trouble; it’s Collette who needs to figure out who to trust and who would wish her harm and the story focuses on them 99% of the time with both of their POV’s being represented. It all works.

I think the only character that should have had a sharper development was that of Lady Ravensgate. Since I truly believed she was evil, I wished the author could have colored her with a bit more of a malevolent personality than she was. I actually found it too tame. Yes, she served her purpose but I wanted to feel a stronger dislike for her character than I did. Does that make me twisted?

All in all, An Affair with a Spare is filled with all the elements that make a book a great read. It has a dramatic and romantic declaration of love, a grand gesture, a happy ever after I could believe in and an epilogue that sealed the deal. The sensual and sexy times between the two were well written and gave a good indication of how Rafe and Collette felt about each other and were delivered in just the right amounts. I heartily recommend this book to fans of Ms. Galen, both new and old.