4.5 stars rounded up.

Rather than pursue a husband as most girls of her station do, Miss Laura Hopkins’ unique circumstances permit her to use her charm and fortune in other ways. She disguises herself and uses the alias of Lady Sterling to help mistreated young women escape from abusive employers. Laura is happy to meet out justice, even in a small way. She prefers to work alone, but that policy is challenged when her efforts against her latest target bring her face to face with none other than Lord Sterling.

Captain Jeremy Addison, reluctantly titled Viscount Sterling, prefers his work as a spy and codebreaker for the Crown to any sort of societal obligations his unexpected title brings. He’s been a part of various and sundry dangerous situations, but they haven’t left him quite as prepared as he’d like for the complication that is Lady Sterling. When their circumstances force them to pretend to be newlyweds in the home of an earl under suspicion, Laura and Jeremy are surprised to find they make a good team. There’s a real connection developing beneath the façade they’re putting on for the earl’s household and soon they begin to wonder if their risky pretend affection could become the real thing.

This was such a fun book. I’m thoroughly surprised by how much I enjoyed it given that I found the previous books in the series to be just okay. Jeremy was an interesting, multilayered hero, since he mostly came off as very gentle, more of a beta hero, but also had a strength and competence to him that was endlessly endearing. Laura was that rare breed of intelligent, independent heroine, who knows her own mind but is never shrewish or hateful to the hero. In fact, she went for everything she wanted, which included not shying away from her feelings for Jeremy and her desire to see if they could build a future together, even as he insisted he was unable to marry. Jeremy walked a fine line with his self-deprecating tendencies, but his mother set him straight in time for me to not be too annoyed by him and I loved that Laura stood by him and recognized the sweetness and gentleness that were inherent to him as a person. I also loved that we got a celibate, possibly virgin hero here, and though there wasn’t much of it, the intimacy between Jeremy and Laura was very sweet and felt very much integral to the development of their relationship, and I loved that both wound up being honest about their feelings for one another. This plot had plenty of intrigue to keep me entertained, but I was never stressed or annoyed by an overabundance of angst. This one is definitely my favorite of the series thus far.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When the famous thief Lady Sterling met the dashing and real-life Lord Sterling, what could have gone wrong?

I must commend the author for choosing the names of this unlikely couple. So cute! 😁

Laura Hopkins, who goes by night as Lady Sterling, helped young women who were mistreated and compromised by their employers find justice.

She got the attention of law enforcement, particularly where Captain Jeremy Addison was assigned as a spy for the Crown. He loves breaking codes and working underground.

When he was assigned the mission of determining who Lady Sterling was and what she knew that could endanger the country, he never imagined that they would act as a married couple with a passionate connection. But these two are not believers in happy ever after!

This is an exciting and entertaining third installment of the Love and Let Spy series by Miss Susana Craig. Congratulations! I can't wait for Mrs. Drummond to step into the spotlight in the next story! ❤️

Thank you to Lyrical Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

Susanna Craig's Love and Let Spy series is a good time guaranteed with each and every book. The perfect blend of romance and mystery and adventure, the books will grab you and make you forget about the real world for a couple hundred pages.

Laura Hopkins is the mysterious Lady Sterling, who takes revenge on men who have mistreated or compromised their female employees. Some may call it theft, Laura sees it more like getting justice for the women and their illegitimate children who have been tossed aside by the men. On the case of yet another horrible man, Laura runs into Captain Jeremy Addison, aka Viscount Sterling. Posing as a newly-wed couple, Laura and Jeremy are thrown together at the home of a horrible earl. Their alliance leads to passion, but could that passion lead to love in those stressed circumstances?

I just love that the guy in charge of the country's security in the middle of a war with France is more focused on matchmaking his officers. General Scott might be my absolute favourite character in the entire series. That's not to say that Laura and Jeremy aren't great characters too, but I think General Scott is the true hero.

The story balanced progressing the relationship between Laura and Jeremy with progressing the mystery a lot better than in the previous instalment, where the mystery was forgotten about in favour of focusing on the relationship. The story was a lot more compelling because the mystery and romance were balanced so well, and it was very easy to finish this book very quickly because of it.

Having heard a lot of good things about both the preceding books (this is book 3), I had high expectations for this book and somehow it managed to deliver. It's a chaotic caper of deception and manipulation, some of it against each other, but it's also full of witty banter and steamy tenderness, with strong characters and a reasonable plot. There are contrived coincidences and ONLY ONE BED.

Basically, it's a well-written trope fest with Regency spies and so if any of that sounds good, pick up this book.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley; all opinions are my own

This was fine, this series just doesn’t grab me and that’s ok. I am sure others will really like it, but the mystery aspect just doesn’t work for me.

Craig continues to deliver on this series for me (I love the whole concept of a spy organization run by a commanding officer who basically just uses it as a way to set his agents up with potential romances, unbeknownst to them), and this was one of my favorite installments yet. Laura has established herself as the mysterious "Lady Sterling," avenger of women and righter of men's wrongs, but now the British have caught on to her antics and they want to recruit her as one of their own. Enter Jeremy Addison, code-breaker and spy, who's tasked with bringing her in — and it just so happens that his formal title is Lord Sterling. A fateful meeting not entirely by chance leaves them in the unexpected position of needing to rely on each other by pretending to be husband and wife, but then they like pretending even more than they thought they would. Only one bed + sickbed trope (Laura injures her ankle at the beginning of the book and needs to be cared for for a while) + fake married + spies = a pretty winning formula for me, and I also appreciated that the couple didn't even really undergo any major strife or experience a dark moment on-page in terms of splitting up from the relationship; they only recommitted to each other once they knew their feelings were real.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the premise of this story, I even liked some of the characters but it just fell flat in many areas and left me with some questions.
First off the main storyline here has to do with spying and yet this is precisely where the story falls short. There was never any thrill to this story it just goes along nicely. It is a good story don't get me wrong, it's just kinda all that though- a good story that doesn't seem to thrill.
I liked Lady Sterling (Laura) and her mission in life to bring down men who abuse women. When she ends up in a compromising situation, Jeremy comes to her rescue, I did like the premise of them being newlyweds, it is always a fun situation to read.
Now, why would the author name the two main characters the same? This made for really confusing reading and wasn't pulled off as well as the author wanted it to be. But I did like Jeremy and Laura together, they made a cute, caring couple. But again, the story is just that, a cute romantic story without any thrills or adventure. It could have been so much more than it was written and it just frustrates me that the author wouldn't put these two in some sort of adventure given what their occupations are.
Im not discounting the writing in this because I actually thought it was good, but overall, the story didn't live up to its hype for me as the storyline blurb promised.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

How I loved honorable kind Jeremy, a man who never wanted to become Viscount Sterling, who was happy as his life was going on. So when a mountain of debts landed on his lap attached to his unexpected inherited title, his future is upended for ever. Trusting him into a new life journey. One of shadows and secrets even if he is not a fields agent. Until when his superior asks him to discover who is hiding behind the Lady Sterling’s name, as well as what secrets she has gathered which might be interesting for the crown. I cannot wait to read more by this author. This author has now become a go-to author.

Laura Hopkins, the heroine of this book, uses the alias of Lady Sterling in her secret life. Ostensibly a young well bred woman, she secretly avenges and spirits away girls who have been mistreated or abused by their employers. What people might call theft and blackmail Laura sees as the only justice the girls will receive.

Captain Jeremy Addison is a spy for the crown and also Viscount Sterling, ordered to investigate the mysterious Lady Sterling and her penchant for embarrassing men.

When they meet, they are forced to pose as newly weds and into an alliance. They are also very much attracted to each other.

This forced proximity, only one bed, fake marriage scenario was beautifully done, we have a a dynamic and interesting heroine who was prepared to put herself in harms way to help others, and a dashing and very sweet hero pushed together by fate, and slowly they go from acquaintances, to working together, and finally being together.

Susanna always writes such well developed characters, and this was a real treat from start to finish.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

This book is setin a period that I don’t love reading about…although the story does move slowly, it is still worth reading to the end…a satisfying conclusion…likable characters…try this for a fun read…

When Laura meets Lord Sterling, while she is posing as Lady Sterling, sparks fly. Laura is out to help women put in bad situations by men in authority, Lord Sterling has been set with a task from the Home Office of discovering if she is good or bad. What they find is that they are both after the same person, but will they find love in the process.

Susanna Craig writes wonderful romance full of adventure.

Had to say this story really didn’t call to me, despite my feeling so enthusiastic initially. The mishmash of two main characters with the same surname having to bounce around sustaining their characters had immense appeal. Particularly when you add in Laura Hopkins, alias Lady Sterling’s avid pursuit of powerful men who abuse women, especially those in their employ. And then there’s the reluctant Jeremy Addison, Viscount Sterling working as a spy and code breaker for government, who is charged with finding the renegade Lady Sterling and turning her skills towards the cause, winning the Napoleonic war.
A slow read for me.

Not typically one for spy stories but I really like this series. Romance, intrigue, a little suspense, vigilante heroine and fake marriage… what’s not to love about it? Looking forward to reading more in the series in the future this 3rd book was a nice addition.

A charming "road" romance with a fake marriage. A very enjoyable read.

Laura Hopkins goes undercover as Lady Sterling in order to help women who are taken advantage of by their employers and works to get restitution for them. Little does she know that Lord Sterling truly exists.

Our hero, Jeremy Addison inherited a bankrupt viscountcy from a distant cousin and doesn't use the title. Jeremy works as a code breaker for the Crown and is ordered by his superior to investigate Lady Sterling to make sure she is not dangerous to the Crown.

He discovers she is on the way to the home of a disreputable Earl and follows her. Laura is stranded at an Inn after a carriage accident in a storm and the disreputable Earl has stopped there on his way to his home. Jeremy comes across them and accidentally gives her away when he sees a watch she had stolen from "a victim" Jane claims to be his wife and Jeremy plays along. Jane has suffered an ankle injury in the accident and the Earl invites them both to his home to be seen by a physician and enjoy their wedding night.

So, Jane and Jeremy pretend to be married and use the time to discover the Earl's secret and try to help his female employees who are afraid of him.. They fall in love but Jeremy doesn't believe he can ever marry.

There is danger when the Earl discovers that he's been found out.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley but the opinions expressed are my own.

You should read this book if you, like me love some of the best tropes.
-Spies
-Forced proximity
-Only one bed ( let's be honest, we all love this one.)
- Fake relationship

I have truly enjoyed all three books in this series so far! Better Off Wed was no exception.
Laura Hopkins is righting wrongs done to women employed by wealthy and titled men as her alter ego Lady Sterling. Lord Sterling is a spy and codebreaker for the crown and is sent after her while she is on her latest mission. The two of them are forced into pretending to be newlyweds. I love how they play act scenes from bad plays to further their farce!

This was a very enjoyable and cleverly written book. I can't wait for the next installment in the Love and Let Spy series!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 3 in the Love and Let Spy series and we meet spy and viscount, Jeremy. He doesn’t like using his title, Lord Sterling, until he’s ordered to, because they need to find out what the woman calling herself Lady Sterling is doing. Lady Sterling is really Laura Hopkins, who robs men who abuse women. When they discover a conspiracy, things turn interesting when they try to get to the bottom of that mystery while faking a marriage which leads to many funny moments but a sweet relationship with a little bit of spice.

Laura and Jeremy were a great H/h and watching them grow closer while trying to figure of who’s sending messages to the French. I do wish they were developed a little better as individual characters. What I thought felt flat was the actually spy plot. Once we connect all the dots and that story come together, there actually are a ton of plot holes that are never explained.

I read the first book in the series, but not the second. Maybe the critiques I have for this book would have been answered if I read both books but I don’t think I’m going to go back and read that one. I’m sure other people enjoyed this more than I did. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because there were still enjoyable and funny parts to this book.

I have not had the opportunity to read other books by Ms. Craig, so I've missed out on the first two books of the series. But I can guarantee you that after reading and enjoying this one, I will be going back to read those as well. This is an entertaining and engaging story that was a delight to read. It captivated me from the very start and held my attention all the way through. There is just a certain thrill when it comes to spies in the context of Regency. Laura is an avenging angel of sorts, taking from men who are predators and giving to the women they have wronged. Jeremy is a spy and has been given the task of investigating and recruiting her. They end up joining forces and pose as a married couple to take down a disreputable earl. As dangerous as their charade may be, there's no stopping the sparks that fly between them. This was such a fun and romantic read with just the right amount of mystery and suspense. I had such a great time reading this book! I will definitely be looking for more by this author!

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Lady Sterling meets Lord Sterling, sparks fly and mystery is solved. Great characters, things got a little slow in the middle of the story while Lady Sterling was laid up with an ankle injury. 3 stars.

I've been reading Susanna Craig since her debut. It wasn't long before her witty banter, impeccable research, complex storylines, and intriguing, fully-developed characters made her one of my auto-buy authors. All of those facets, and more, are on full display in her newest novel: Better Off Wed.

If you've been reading this series, and you were around in the 80's, you may have already noticed that each book is inspired by a popular 1980's television show. This one takes its inspiration from one of my favorites, Remington Steele, offering up original characters and a fresh storyline - set in a different era - but imbued with the wit, charm, and chemistry that made the TV series so enjoyably addictive.

Laura and Jeremy are wonderful together and I adored them both. How could I not love Laura's determination to protect those women and girls with no voice or agency, at the mercy of entitled men? And kind, honorable, brilliant, bookish, virginal Jeremy. ::Sigh:: I do love a hero who is a virgin - for reasons - and Jeremy is one of my favorites. These two together had my heart happy dancing for so many reasons. The chemistry, respect, understanding and support of one another that grew, along with love, over the course of their story had me firmly in their corner, cheering them on the whole way.

I especially enjoyed how Craig intertwined the evolution of their romantic relationship with the mystery element of the story. Both sides progressed forward apace, never falling too heavily to either side, keeping me eagerly turning pages to discover what would happen next.

One of the things I like about this series is that while there is a common thread - a matchmaking spymaster - each of the books in the series stands alone and they can be enjoyed in any order. If you haven't started reading the Love and Let Spy series yet, feel free to jump in with Better Off Wed. It has my enthusiastic recommendation.

4.5 Stars
ARC received for fair and unbiased review

I absolutely loved the first and second books the Love and Let Spy series with the second one being my favorite so far. Better Off Wed is the third book in this series and a bit different in my opinion than the prior two. You don't need to read any of these books in a particular order or they can be read as stand-alone books.

This book follows a fake marriage trope, which I don't actually read all that much of. I loved how it was written into the plot and interwoven with the mystery and suspense of Laura Hopkins pulling off her ultimate act as Lady Sterling. I loved how much of the hero's (Captain Jeremy Addison aka Vicscount Sterling) best traits were revealed while posing as Laura's husband and helping her further her agenda as Lady Sterling. Jeremey is trustworthy, dependable, somewhat demure and completely swoonworthy. He is very much a gentleman through and through.

All in all I loved reading this and the only reason I ended up giving it four stars was because it took me awhile to get into and I did not love it as much as the second book in the series. I am looking forward to the next book in the series that you get a preview of at the end of this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington book for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the above opinions are of own.