August Weatherby is a desperate man. His sister is ill and he’s made a muck of trying to get enough money to take care of her. He’s indebted to a vicious blackmailer who has it out for the founders of the Society of Beasts. In order to save himself and his sister, August has to bring down Captain Benjamin Frakes, the head of the Society. It was supposed to be a simple task: seduce the man, uncover his secrets. But sparks fly instantly between August and the curt captain and the longer his ruse goes on, the more divided August’s loyalties become. How can he betray the good man he’s falling for? Yet with enemies closing in on him, how can he do anything but?

There’s no sophomore slump in Annabelle Greene’s Society of Beasts series. The Soldier and the Spy is even more engaging than The Vicar and the Rake. I was sucked into August and Benjamin’s story from the first and wound up devouring it in one sitting.

Benjamin is the perfect soldier, which makes living in peacetime hard. After the events of The Vicar and the Rake Benjamin is left alone and in charge of the Society of Beasts. He’s heartbreakingly lonely and used to men who only want him for his reputation. August throws him off his game and though he wants to reject the arrogant young pup, he can’t stop thinking about him. As for August, he’s gotten himself into a total mess and he honestly doesn’t know what to do. He’s been raised to play roles which is the only tool in his arsenal left when the money runs out and his sister needs care. So when a blackmailer corners him and he feels he has no way out, he puts on a mask to complete the task.

I loved how fun and flirtatious August could be. He’s got a wicked sense of humor and it made me laugh to see him vex Benjamin so thoroughly. If it weren’t for the deception underneath everything, theirs would be a bright and bubbly romance full of banter. There is lightness in it, but underneath it all there are two types of mounting tension. The sexual tension as Benjamin tries to resist the lure of August is utterly delicious. When Benjamin finally gives in and takes what he wants, things get steamy. But it’s the heart and vulnerability both men show that really made me smile and sigh. The tension over August’s lies – his mission being to ruin a good and honest man – isn’t as pleasant. Normally this would be a big turnoff for me, but Greene makes it work in this story. There’s good character growth for both men as they fall in love and I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to see what would happen next for them as individuals and as a couple.

The Soldier and the Spy is the second book in the Society of Beasts series and Greene provides enough background information that if you don’t mind major spoilers for the first book you can jump in here. I loved seeing more of the Society and the whole secret world its members inhabit. I finished August and Benjamin’s book a well-satisfied reader and I’m very much looking forward to the next Society of Beasts book!

I have received an ARC of this book by NetGalley, and CarinaPress/Harlenquin and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review. The Pub date of the book is April 20th. This review will be posted on my Goodreads, Facebook page and Instagram.
I already knew that I was going to suffer with the book given the synopsis.
The development of the situation until the end…I could not let go of the book, even though I had many pending things to do. It was just impossible.
The two characters Benjamin & August were perfect for each other and the way they first met, the relationship of interest/not interested – love/hate – want and desire…were perfect.
Here we don’t have perfect people and I like that a lot. Nobody’s perfect. Even Heroes. We all have ghosts and problems. We all choose to do things at an incredibly bad times – and make bad decisions. And in this book, we have it all, together with a beautiful love story that stretches until there is no way out for either party. Until its painfully impossible to stay away.
I really liked this book, even more than the first one. I loved the evolution of the author's writing and the way all the characters appeared for their role and time on “stage”. I liked to see some questions from the previous book, resolved and others still to be resolved, and above all that: to feel excited and anxious about a book that made me cry and made my heart racing.
How we appraise the book depends on how it makes us feel when we read it, and that is why the 5 stars in this one. For me it’s at that level and made me feel so many emotions, in a positive way.
I obviously want to know more about these characters and this society so beautiful and different.
I recommend it because there are stories that are so much worth read it.

I really enjoyed this second book in this series.

August was dishonest and untrustworthy while also realizing how much he wanted to be honest and trustworthy...especially with Benjamin. Benjamin tried super hard not to fall for August and it was quite emotional when he began to realize that wouldn’t work.

This had lots of emotion and intrigue.

Ready for Hartley. Ready for Josiah. Ready for more.

The Soldier and the Spy by Annabelle Greene is a M/M Victorian romance. It is the second book of a series, though could be read alone without too much trouble.
As a result of betrayals in The Vicar and the Rake, Captain Benjamin Frakes is feeling very alone trying to run the secretive Society of Beasts without the support of his oldest friends. Then, August Weatherby seeks out the old soldier to help protect his life from debt collectors. But August is more than in debt; he is under the thumb of a man who wants nothing more than the ruin of Frakes and his friends as revenge. With no money and a bed-ridden sister, August is desperate, but he is entirely drawn to the honorable former soldier.
I enjoyed the main characters very much. August was fun and flirty, and Benjamin was gruff and serious. I had to suspend my skepticism that August could declare his trust for Benjamin, yet not truly consider revealing everything to him, though August's panicked fear for his sister felt believably desperate. I look forward to seeing more characters from the Society in future books. The series as a whole is a good choice for fans of Victorian romance.

August Weatherby is a desperate man. His sister is ill, his debts are racking up, and he’s got nowhere to turn. Until he has an offer to help ensure his sister would remain safe and fed. He needs to infiltrate the Society of the Beasts and get ahold of evidence against Captain Benjamin Frakes to use for blackmail.

I feel like the best part of this novel was August’s character growth. He was initially a man entirely focused on his and his sister’s survival. He was willing to do everything possible to ensure they make it. As he became more involved with the Society of Beasts and got to know each of the members, things started to change for him. It wasn’t easy to betray the people that he had come to call friends.

I was expecting a little more espionage and action, but this was a little light on what I hoped for. There was a little more action towards the end of the ovel and it pulled me in and had me rooting for both August and Frakes.

Towards the end of the novel, I felt like I was finally able to understand who Benjamin Frakes was. He had been so closed off, and despite the courage he had in war, he was afraid now that he was home.
Okay, so the facts. Do you need to read the first in the series to enjoy this? Nope. Would you benefit from it? Yeah, there’s some background on some of the characters that I feel like would have made things better.

August Weatherby is in debt and in danger, forced into a plot to blackmail one of the most famous men in England, Captain Benjamin Frakes. Posing as a society gentleman menaced by debt collectors, August talks Frakes into being his bodyguard, with the intent to get closer to the man and learn his secrets. Because Frakes isn't just a war hero, he's a founding member of the Society of Beasts, an exclusive and secretive club for men who love other men. August attempts to keep his emotions in check but he's soon falling for Benjamin, and Benjamin isn't immune to August's charms either.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Soldier and the Spy! This historical romance delivered many of my favorite tropes with a delectable balance between heart-aching angst and scorching chemistry. The characters were compelling and complex and I couldn't help but fall for them and root for them. I loved how August and Benjamin are entirely different and yet find ways to complement each other.

This sequel to The Vicar and the Rake takes readers deeper into the Society of Beasts, revealing a world of privilege and risk and companionship. Characters from The Vicar and the Rake make several appearances and it was wonderful to get a glimpse of their happily ever after while Benjamin and August work through their own relationship drama.

Highly recommend to fans of Cat Sebastian and KJ Charles!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
THE SOLDIER AND THE SPY is the second installment in the Society of Beasts series. It could easily be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend starting at the first in the series, THE VICAR AND THE RAKE.

I need to preface this review by stating I was having a horrid case of reader's block. I wanted to fall into a story and get lost on the pages, and Annabelle Greene delivered. After finishing this novel, I immediately dove into another and another, my love of reading sparked again. A grateful thank you to the author.

During a tumultuous era, where being a man who loved other men could end with the man being hanged, whether a peer or a pauper, the Society of Beasts was formed. The society protects those which have a similar nature, while using their influence to help those in need.

Captain Benjamin Frakes is the solider of the story. Regimented. Lonely. Gruff. After the events that took place in the previous installment, Benjamin is now heading the society, lonely, set adrift, and grieving the past as well as a recent betrayal. Ben is in great need of something or someone to spark the life back into him.

August is our spy, infiltrating the society, attempting to gain leverage to get himself out of a pickle, his ill sister the driving force. With a mix of dread and welcome, August longs to be sheltered by the society but also feels set apart due to his duplicity. This gives August a good sense of how Benjamin must feel, being lonely at the top.

Charming, witty, and snarky, August is the perfect counterbalance to Benjamin's stiff personality. The banter, give-and-take interactions, the dry wit bringing a humorous edge, it was all flawlessly written, drawing me into the story and entertaining me as the pages flew by.

Their positions created the angst, both longing for something but their worries and fears pulling them back. There is a slight age-gap, the Old Man and Young Pup banter done in a way not to insult the reader. Fresh and cute, delightful interactions drawing out the playful side of one another, while also managing to add steam to the between-the-sheets action.

Highly recommend to fans of MM Historical Romance. I am looking forward to more in this series and more by this author.

I admit I was pretty ambivalent about the first book in this series, The Vicar and the Rake, but I was invested enough that I wanted to know the rest of the Beasts' stories , so when I saw The Soldier and the Spy was available on NetGalley I put in a request right away. I was lucky enough to have been approved and I'm happy to say this book exceeded my expectations!

August really was the star of the story for me. He was a real charmer, quick with his words and a flirt, all of which he used as a shield. But underneath all that sparkling wit was a vulnerable man, doing what he thought he had to, in order to keep his sister safe and make a better life for her. After getting to know August and Benjamin, and seeing the connection they shared, I had hoped August would have a change of heart when it came to certain things. But that's not to say I don't understand where he was coming from, I absolutely do. It just made me a little sad for Benjamin, who wasn't quite the gruff and tough person he presented to the world.

I liked that there was more to both of these characters than I expected, they both kind of took me by surprise. I was really happy with the way things played out at the end for them, after not being sure everything would work out for the best! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This is the second in the series by Annabelle Greene, telling the story of another leader of the Society of Beasts, Captain Benjamin Frakes. Whereas most of The Vicar and the Rake took place in the country (and those characters do make an appearance here) this story takes place mainly in London.

Benjamin is gruff and haunted by his past. August is conflicted as he tries to balance his duty to his sister and feelings for the captain. At first, I was annoyed with August for his taking part in such a plot. But he won me over in the end. And there were some interesting twists that kept me invested throughout.

I enjoyed the book overall and look forward to the next installment in the series.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

After the events in The Vicar and the Rake, Captain Benjamin Frakes takes on the business of running the Society of Beasts, a club for gentlemen who prefer gentlemen, an obviously secret club as being caught in bed with another man in this era is cause for hanging.

August Weatherby is living in poverty and deep debt—the debt due to a gambling loss of the only money he’d managed to accumulate to help his ailing sister. He must find money to help her so when he’s offered the “job” of infiltrating the Society and bringing back proof that the Captain prefers men, he reluctantly agrees. Given an upfront stipend for clothing and lodging, August is easily able to be accepted among the Beasts as a man of means.

This book has much more tension and angst than book one and Benjamin is much more dark and broody than Edward, the rascal duke in that book, though he is refreshingly honest and definitely likeable. But, August? I loved August so much! He’s the most refreshing character in a historical romance novel I’ve read in a long, long time. He’s funny and sarcastic and oh-so-innocent. He has no idea he’s about to be manhandled by a professional lover when he teases Benjamin one time too many. Under August’s sexy, flirty vibe, he’s an innocent virgin who looks forward to what awaits him in the beast’s bed.

On the downside: betrayal tropes are not my thing. To be honest, I loved the characters, enjoyed the “theory” of the plot, but did not enjoy the times I was forced to witness August’s inner turmoil as he struggled with whether or not to betray Benjamin, especially once I got to know Benjamin with all his character flaws and struggles with grief and loss. By the end, Benjamin loved August deeply, and the feeling was definitely reciprocated, so forgiveness was the word of the day when all the various threads came together for an exciting conclusion.

I most definitely highly recommend this one to lovers of MM historical romance.

Such a good book but I struggled to finish it! For one main reason... I could not see how the two main characters could overcome the barriers between them. I was so convinced that they would not, could not end up together. In this sense, the book is incredibly well-written! But it was just a little too much tension for me. Highly recommend this book to readers with a greater capacity for dealing with tension!

Book two in the Society of Beast series, following Vicar and the Rake.

I have a niggle over the title, which implies an actual spy, but August Weatherby is actually a blackmailer. One forced into it by owing debts now owned by an earl who wants to destroy the members of the Society. He also has a sickly sister in hiding, so between his debts and trying to keep her safe, he’s ripe for being forced into trying to gather blackmail material.

Captain Benjamin Frakes is a war hero who doesn’t quite know how to exist during peace time. When August offers him a job as a security detail to protect him from debt collectors – really just all part of the setup to get him into Frakes’s orbit to pay off his debt to the earl – he reluctantly takes the job because it’s a taste of his old life as a soldier. He doesn’t intend to give in to August’s outrageous flirting, but if he didn’t, this would be a short book.

August also doesn’t intend to become a member of the club, but after “saving” Benjamin, and some faked documents, he’s allowed in. The Society has a large hidden headquarters that can be accessed via several secret entrances around London, so August essentially moves in to hide from the earl while he tries to figure out how to find blackmail material even while he tries to think of a way not to go through with it. While the hidden headquarters is an interesting idea, it seems a bit odd that it seems like several members have extended stays with no one questioning where they are. While staying at clubs wasn’t unusual in the day, the members of the clubs would likely know who was staying where, and the very act of staying in a “molly club” would risk giving away that it’s a molly club.

The blackmail plot is by nature distasteful, and the author almost manages to sell me on it. August doesn’t want to do it, but a life other than his own is at risk. He has a choice of going through with it, or coming clean with Benjamin, but he continues on. Even once his sister is safe, he forges ahead with the plan, and I couldn’t quite buy it then.

We do get to see some of the characters introduced in the first book. The original members of the Society of Beasts were dealt a blow with a betrayal, and are still dealing with it in different ways. Edward has left to live with the vicar, Benjamin is running the Society because he doesn’t want the last connection to his friends to end, while Hartley has run off. I think Hartley is set up for the next book, as he’s begun communicating with Edward and Benjamin again.

There were a few times I wish there were a bit of reminders of events in the first book. It doesn’t need to be much, but a reminder of exactly why the earl is out for the members of the Society of Beasts would have been good. It was bothering me enough that I went back and skimmed the last few chapters of the first book, and was reminded there’s still a secret heir plot simmering around.

It’s an entertaining story, and I’m looking forward to the next installment.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. As a sequel to the Vicar and the Rake, which I read last year at the start of the pandemic (what wonderful timing), the Soldier and the Spy stands up to the excellence. So often sequels fail to match the standards of their predecessors, but Greene managed to weave a story that captured the same tone of love and wonder that appeared in V&R. It is, of course, tropey. What romance novel isn't tropey? But although the ideas weren't all completely original, I still loved following the story and reading the conclusion. Truly, a happily ever after.
Also I am *loving* Greene's theme of having awesome sisters that look at their brothers and go "jesus you're an idiot here let me sort your life out for you".

Back to the Beasts for this book! This is the second in the series “Society of Beasts” by Annabelle Greene. I’m never sure how I’m going to feel about a second book, when I loved the first. I definitely loved the first book in this series. You can read my review here if you like. I’m pleased to say that “The Soldier and the Spy” was just as good, if not better than the first book! Consider me a fan of this series.

This novel focusses on another of the founding members of the Society of Beasts: Captain Benjamin Frakes. He lives a pretty solitary life as a retired soldier. He runs the Society because he’s the one who is left to do it. The other founders have… moved on – I’ll not tell you how or why because you really should read the first book in the series. You don’t have to red it for this story to resonate, but you’ll have a more well-rounded appreciation for the detail that Greene has put into this world.

Frakes is approached but a young, attractive man named August Wetherby who says he’s in need of protection. He’s been invited to a ball and is certain he will be attacked. Puzzled but certainly intrigued, Frakes agrees. This is the beginning of a real roller coaster ride for these two. Let’s just say that August has ulterior motives for becoming involved with Frakes. Those motives though… may change as his feelings for the soldier become overwhelming.

What I really enjoyed about this was the way in which August set about wearing down Frakes’ defenses. Sure, he may be a bit of a “bad guy” (he has his reasons) but he’s insightful and sweet and seems to be able to say just the right things to Frakes. I could have read these two characters getting to know one another forever. It was lovely. The dialogue was fresh and amusing, the sex scenes were steamy, and I really enjoyed their separate background stories.

If you have read the first installment of the series, you’ll be delighted to see some of the characters appearing in this second book. I loved the updates and the way that the plot carries over from one novel to another. Oh! And Buttons the cat is back, and I do love when authors bring back pets.

This is a very enjoyable series. There’s great attention to the detail of the time, the language and the situational danger. I found the story quite intriguing and emotional, and I was never quite sure where it would end up.

This title didn’t work for me. Despite being a M/M romance it felt pretty heteronormative. It was a small detail, but when there was no mention in-text of lubrication during anal sex, I stopped reading.

Annabelle Green’s second installment in her Society of Beasts series packs the same level of drama, sexiness, and drama as the first one! Frakes is the desperately lonely head of the Society of Beasts who is better known for his famous bravery on the battlefield. August is excellent at pretending to be whoever he needs to be, in this case, he needs to be an aristocratic gentleman who gets accepted into the Society of Beasts. But, when his secrets catch up to him and the safety of his family is on the line, August finds himself torn between the love of his life and the ghost of his past… Full of heart and swoony historical romance, this MM novel will be sure to have readers sucked in from the first page.

Very good M/M Romance.
The author did a very good job in this second offering in the series.
There is angst, a bit of Suspense, and lots lots of of love.
I definitely recommend this book.

I voluntarily reviewed this ARC on my own voluption. Thanks the publisher and netgalley for this.

This. THIS is how you do a sequel. I loved The Vicar and the Rake, but I have to say I loved this so much more. Benjamin and August are the best couple I have read in a good long while. The love that is shared between these two, their defenses slowly lowering the more time they spend together, it’s all just so good. I loved being reintroduced to the characters from the first book and see how they’ve come along and how they interact with our newest character, August. The angst, the heartache - I loved it all! So well done, crossing my fingers for another book in this series.

The Soldier and the Spy , book 2 in the Society of Beast series is an entertaining continuation to book 1 . The also enjoyable Vicar and the Rake.

Even though this book focus on two new heroes Benjamin and August , I suggest reading book 1 , first as it explains in detail why and how the Society of Beast came about , it's founding members , etc.

Story is steamy with medium levels of drama and angst . It has some humorous situations and snarky banter. It's not historical accurate as it's written with today's sensibility in mind, but it's close enough to call it period romance.

I just reviewed The Soldier and the Spy by Annabelle Greene. #TheSoldierandtheSpy #NetGalley #CarinaPress

Definitely liked the first book in the series more than this one. There’s a Big Secret that overshadows the entire story which I find just makes the reading a bit more stressful. I kind of wish it had played out differently, perhaps with a confession followed by working together to out blackmail the blackmailer. But regardless, I did enjoyed the grumpy and sunshine pairing of Benjamin and August.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!