Stella Riley is a new author for me. This book was an ARC. It is second in a series featuring the Brandons. In this installment, Adam, the second son and an expert swordsman, returns to England after spending some time in France teaching his craft and thwarting blackmailers. Upon his return, he is recruited to join a covert ops group headed by an irascible Earl who just happens to have a niece with a photographic memory and a deep distrust of men.
What follows is an unexpected story with traitors, smugglers and an unlikely heroine who threatens men with a cheese grater to the point they spill the beans! Add Finch, Adam's valet who isn't a valet at all and Viscount Rainham, a peer with a penchant for disguise and inappropriate humor and you have a cast of characters who will keep you up reading and laughing way past your bedtime. I really, really liked this book and I'll bet you won't guess the true villian's identity.

One if my favorite authors who writes detailed historical books.

Just started. Full review will be published shortly.

Im a big fan of Stella Riley's romances and while this one wasn't in my top five, it still was very good. Ms. Riley is at her best with historical fiction set in England, usually around the Civil War or Regency, and is a wonderful option if you have read all of Georgette Heyer and need more! I thought this book was very entertaining, and I raced through it to see how it ended. I also liked the strong heroine as well. Overall, a very enjoyable read.