First of all, I’m not a fan of the manwhore, so the opening pages, with women pursuing our H, just annoy me. It makes women sound stupid him sound like a relentless user of said women. And truly, NO man appeals to every woman, as this man supposedly does. And why did our h have to be instantly enthralled with such a shallow man? Granted, she doesn’t admit to it, so he resorts to “being a friend “. But then sets up situations falsely to win her friendship and confidence. Very underhanded. Even when they do become closer, he’s still out playing the horn dog in society. Not my choice for a hero.
Fortunately, he does do better later in the story, including his final sacrifice, but really would have liked him to be a better man throughout. The story is well written and the story interesting, so others may like him better than I did.

I loved this book and now believed that this is my favourite in the series. Who could not love Rafe Beaumont, the fifth son of an earl. Rafe is assigned an unusual mission; to gather information from Collette Fortier, even if he has to seduce her to get it. Having worked with Colonel Draven, he was known as ‘The Seducer’ but soon finds that any skill he thought he possessed, is quickly ignored by Collette. However, Collette finds it hard to resist Rafe, but must if she is to uncover the codes to save her father.
At first, it is hard to believe that both characters will end up together. Rafe is so confident in his appeal, whilst hiding his own personal demons. Collette seemed so unsure of herself, often falling into prose regarding hedgehogs (you have to read this – it still brings a smile to my face). However, Galen manages to gradually her characters together and before you realise, the intensity of their feelings, overtakes any initial ideas. The chemistry between the pair is so delightful, especially as they forge a friendship before the romance. The secondary characters in this storyline also help to make this such an entertaining read with Ewan, Neil and Jasper. I also loved Rafe’s stepmother who plays such a significant part. I have been savouring this novel since I received a copy and loved every minute of it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a free copy from netgalley for an honest review. It took me a long time to really get into this book. The first few chapters really dragged on for me and I read a few other books instead. If it hadn't been for the fact that I was reviewing it, I probably would not have picked it back up. However, I am glad I did. The book picked up well from the next chapter I read. This is part of a series about the survivors of the Draven's Club. Men who survived the war. An affair with a spare has spies, French assassin's, lies, and deception. It is a fun read although the hero did irritate several times. I like the previous story about the bastard better and I look forward to Jasper's story. But this is a good entry in the series.

I think Shana Galen is just not for me. I found this book overly long and boring - I really struggled to finish it. I actively disliked the "hero" and found the heroine uninteresting. I read an advance reader copy of An Affair with a Spare provided by Netgalley.

The romance starts with the daughter of a known French assassin looking for a British code. Rafe Beaumont is assigned to get close and find out what she knows. And Rafe gets close, very close to the young lady, especially when she starts talking about hedgehog behavior. Never having to pursue women, Rafe finds himself stumped when she rebuffs his advances. Very entertaining, laugh out loud with a plot that keeps moving at a nice pace and an unexpected ending.

While I enjoyed book 1 and 2 more than this, I still enjoyed it very much. I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

Loved this story from Shana Galen, she's become a recent favorite author. She does spies & strong women so well. I've read the first 2 books in the series so already knew Rafe. Action, spies & romance made for a great summer read.

I had a hard time reading this story and not because of the writing, which is excellent as is always the case with Ms. Galen’s stories. I think it is the subject matter. It is hard to keep emotions in check when Rafe wants so much to be loved but is afraid to show any emotion to others in fear that it will not be reciprocated or that he will be left alone. I loved Collette and her journey to finding her father and bringing him to her. Nothing will get in her way, not even Rafe. Their dancing around one another was a delight to read. And the ending…dreamy. Another lovely read in Survivor’s series.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Shana Galen's previous books and was really excited to dig into this one. However, it fell a little short for me. I had a hard time buying into this story. There were parts that I really enjoyed, but as a whole, this books was just okay. I am looking forward to Jasper's tale, though!

I won't be rating this publicly as I don't rate ARCs below a 4.

I'm a Shana Galen fan, but this might be my least fav of her books.

I couldn't believe these two people were actually in love. She was still obsessing over how good-looking he was at the end and he was still obsessing with the fact that she didn't fall at his feet. The deeper issue of she might leave was like throwing feathers at a mac truck too late in the game.

Thanks SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Galen does the impossible by making her lusty spy fall in love. It serving him right to have to work for it. Love the torturous, intensive, and ardent lovebirds.

I was given an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t feel like there was much romance or chemistry between these two. The book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be an X-rated spy novel, melodrama, or romance novel. I didn’t feel like it worked completely on any of those levels

I received an ARC from the publisher through net galley

Another great book by Shana Galen loved Race and Collette. This book was adventurous and full of suspense, can't wait for Jaspers story

Another excellent book by Shana Galen. I loved Rafe and Colette. I love the secondary cast too. I really enjoy revisiting characters from previous books. I wish there was more of an epilogue. I cannot wait for Jaspers story.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series...this one not as much. I simply just found myself not caring as much about the two leads here. He has issues about being deserted by his mother as a child, which led to his commitment issues. He is used as a spy with the ladies because of his cavalier attitude. She is a spy, out to save her assassin father, who is seemingly immune to our hero’s charms...but only on the surface. A fine read, but I enjoyed the others more. Looking forward to Jasper’s story!

I loved Rafe and Collette's story!!

Rafe is tasked with finding out the true identity of Collette. He tries to use his renown skills as a seducer of women to find the information, but Collette seems to be immune to his tactics. He ends up taking the advice of a friend and tries another tactic. As he spends more time with Collette, he finds himself in danger of losing his heart, which he never thought would happen. But what will Rafe do when he learns that Collette is the daughter of a renown assassin? He has finally found love, but can he go against his orders to bring Collette's father to justice?

This was a great addition to the Survivors series and I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Unmask Me if You Can, which is Lord Jasper's story! It will be out in November.

Every time Collette gets nervous she speaks of hedgehogs and their mating habits. I laughed so hard. It was a pleasure to watch Rafe fall for Collette.

I received this novel from net galley and the publisher for an honest review. Thank you!!
This novel was an enjoyable read as the next novel in the series, about sons who will not inherit the title in their families and have pursued other careers. Rafe Beaumont is the Seducer and the fifth son on an earl, who has women flocking to him and is a confirmed bachelor. He tasked with seducing Collette Fortier, who is believed to be a French spy and the daughter of an infamous assassin. Collette will do anything to save her father, including gathering information for the French. Collette knows Rafe is an extremely handsome man, but refuses his advances. However, Rafe does not give up and offers friendship since his seduction methods do not appear to be working on Collette. Both are working as spies and Collette is devastated when she learns the man she trusted was using her to get information. Rafe cares for Collette, something he has never truly felt for a woman, which scares him. Collette cannot trust Rafe, but knows she needs his help to save her father and she has fallen in love with him. Collette and Rafe work together, but in the end Rafe needs to chose between honor and duty.

For our summer books roundup, An Affair With a Spare, by Shana Galen here:
https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/books-to-read-this-summer.html

I have read the previous two books in the series and this was not my favorite. It was a quick read but not one I would pick up again. There were definitely cute parts, like Rafe not believing a woman was falling at his feet. This just seemed to fall a little flat compared to the previous books.