The second book in an historical fiction series set in a colonial America fighting for independence, The Counterfeit Wife continues the stories of Daniel and Becca, For their second assignment from General Washington, Becca and Daniel pose as a married couple in Philadelphia to identify and stop the flow of counterfeit paper money. The believable bills are being dispersed by the British to upend the colonial economy and the patriot’s confidence in General Washington’s Continental Army to win the war. During their assignment, Becca and Daniel’s mutual attraction grows but Becca has trouble getting over her abandonment issues and the lack of independence she will have as a wife. Lots of twists and turns, nasty characters and a surprise reunion make The Counterfeit Wife a fun and intriguing read. When’s the next installment???

The Counterfeit Wife centers around the main characters, Becca and Daniel ,posing in Philadelphia during the American Revolution as a married couple in high society while really searching for the source of the counterfeit money flooding the city. Apparently the British want to destabilize the economy in order to undermine the revolution.
In addition to the counterfeiting there is a murder mystery to keep the story moving along. Although I found the pace a bit slow at times the story was well-written interesting enough to keep going to the end. and the setting of colonial times in America seemed quite believable too.

I recommend The Counterfeit Wife to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Delightful sequel to The Turncoat’s Widow! This book does not pause, keeping the action flowing from one page to the next. With delightful asides and deep pov the characters are both true to the time and complex, fully dimensional beings. We root for them even while the separate pov sections show there is tragic misunderstanding which will soon hammer them with conflict. The mystery moves nicely with the death of The first suspect, and develops through a sub plot of finding Becca’s long lost mother. Accurate historical details give this story a li I got breathing quality as though one is transported back in time to Revolutionary wartime Philadelphia. Loved every bit of it!

This is the second book in a series set in the Revolutionary War. It works well as a stand-alone; I have not read the first but will go back and look for it now. The story is compelling, with a great sense of time and place and engaging characters. The mystery centers around counterfeiters in Revolutionary Philadelphia and Becca and Daniel’s efforts to find those responsible. Someone from Becca’s past pops up unexpectedly as she and Daniel try to figure out what they will be to each other. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Counterfeit Wife is set against the backdrop of espionage during the American Revolutionary War. It’s a light whodunit with a historical twist.

What I loved:
I really liked the espionage angle that this story tackled. The fact that the British attempted to flood American commerce with counterfeit bills in order to weaken the economy is a less-focused-on fact about the Revolutionary War period that I find really interesting. And the Counterfeit Wife puts the characters in the center of this predicament. Mally Becker’s writing style is smooth and her characters are likable.

What I didn’t love:
Although there are many passages dedicated to bringing the reader up to speed about what happened in the previous book in the series, I sometimes felt that the dynamics between the characters didn’t have a strong foundation and that some of the transitions were a bit abrupt. However, I might have felt differently if I’d read the first book.

But overall, The Counterfeit Wife is a nice, light read based in a fascinating historical context.

Thank you NetGalley and Level Best Books for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

Following quickly on the heels of her debut book, The Turncoat's Widow, Mally Becker has written a wonderfully readable and riveting second book, The Counterfeit Wife. Switching her setting to Philadelphia toward the end of the American Revolution, Becker presents a dramatic world of patriots, loyalists, counterfeiters, healers, and killers, all interacting as Rebecca and Daniel attempt to solve a mystery for General George Washington. Rebecca navigates Philadelphia society--both high and low--while deciding how to deal with her new love, . Highly recommended for fans of historical crime fiction and readers interested in the economic and social aspects of the Revolution.

Full teaser post to be published September 18 at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/09/ill-sleep-when-ive-read-counterfeit.html
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The follow-up to The Turncoat's Widow (which was featured this past Tuesday) was almost as amazing as the first. Of course, I love Becca and Daniel and became quite enamored of Becca's new friend (and Benjamin Franklin's daughter) Sally, but it was missing some of the humor that I loved so much in the first one. There were still humorous moments, but this installment felt generally angstier (it's a word .... really .... at least, now it is). I am very much looking forward to seeing where Becker goes next with Becca and Daniel. Hopefully we'll also see a return of some of the secondary characters from the first who were sorely missed here like Becca's "aunties."

If you know, you know .... and if you don't, do read the first book. (And then, of course, this one.)

I wasn't sure what to expect when I requested this book and I didn't know that it had a book before it but really, you can read this as a stand alone.
I love a good mystery and this book has it all! Yay! Secrets, Mystery, Mayhem and yes forgiveness. Wow!
I stayed up pretty late to finish this story because I didn't want to put it down!
Fear is a person's number one enemy. The author describes Becca's Fear perfectly.
Even though I couldn't really relate to the characters in this one it was still a good story especially since I love a good suspense/adventure.
Hannah Becca's mom is my favorite. I loved how she stood up for what she believed in and went to great lengths to protect her daughter. Yes, it did take some time for them to warm up to each other but I had faith throughout the whole story that they would.
Daniel is a great guy too. Wish I had someone like him.
5 stars for a job well done! I highly recommend this book.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed the Revolutionary War Mystery series, I had enjoyed The Turncoat's Widow so I was excited to read the next part in the series. The characters were what I was hoping for and they worked in the timeline and from the previous book. It was a good mystery and I enjoyed reading both books again.

"Maura’s expression softened. “Ah, I’m sorry, my dear. The years have been hard, and my speech has coarsened. Your mother has many friends in the city. Nothing bad will come to her. You need not worry. I told you. Men come and go. But we women take care of our own.”