What do you think?
Rate this book
Holt Sisters Trilogy #1
Beauty and the Spy
SHOCKING!
London's belle of the ball, Susannah Makepeace, is the last person who should suddenly be stuck in the sleepy village of Barnstable. In town, she would never have seen a man swimming naked in a pond. And she certainly would have resisted the urge to draw every single bit of him in astonishing detail!
SIZZLING!
Very few people know that Viscount Kit Whitelaw is the best spy in His Majesty's secret service. But his high-flying life has finally banished him from London. Not to worry --- if Susannah's erotic sketches are any indication of her nature, she'll be a delicious stand-in for the thrill of espionage.
SCANDALOUS!
When odd accidents follow in Susannah's wake, Kit's spy senses start tingling. For what better mystery is there for England's greatest spy than the secrets of the delectable puzzle that is Susannah?
London's belle of the ball, Susannah Makepeace, is the last person who should suddenly be stuck in the sleepy village of Barnstable. In town, she would never have seen a man swimming naked in a pond. And she certainly would have resisted the urge to draw every single bit of him in astonishing detail!
SIZZLING!
Very few people know that Viscount Kit Whitelaw is the best spy in His Majesty's secret service. But his high-flying life has finally banished him from London. Not to worry --- if Susannah's erotic sketches are any indication of her nature, she'll be a delicious stand-in for the thrill of espionage.
SCANDALOUS!
When odd accidents follow in Susannah's wake, Kit's spy senses start tingling. For what better mystery is there for England's greatest spy than the secrets of the delectable puzzle that is Susannah?
377 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
About the author
Julie Anne Long
37 books2,999 followersWell, where should I start? I've lived in San Francisco for more than a decade, usually with at least one cat. I won the school spelling bee when I was in 7th grade; the word that clinched it was 'ukulele.' I originally set out to be a rock star when I grew up (I had a Bono fixation, but who didn't?), and I have the guitars and the questionable wardrobe stuffed in the back of my closet to prove it.
But writing was always my first love.
I was editor of my elementary school paper (believe it or not, Mrs. Little's fifth grade class at Glenmoor Elementary did have one); my high school paper (along with my best high school bud, Cindy Jorgenson); and my college paper, where our long-suffering typesetter finally forced me to learn how to typeset because my articles were usually late (and thus I probably have him to thank for all the desktop publishing jobs that ensued over the years).
Won a couple of random awards along the way: the Bank of America English Award in High School (which basically just amounted to a fancy plaque saying that I was really, really good at English); and an award for best Sports Feature article in a College Newspaper (and anyone who knows me well understands how deeply ironic that is). I began my academic career as a Journalism major; I switched to Creative Writing, which was a more comfortable fit for my freewheeling imagination and overdeveloped sense of whimsy. I dreamed of being a novelist.
But most of us, I think, tend to take for granted the things that come easily to us. I loved writing and all indications were that I was pretty good at it, but I, thank you very much, wanted to be a rock star. Which turned out to be ever-so-slightly harder to do than writing. A lot more equipment was involved, that's for sure. Heavy things, with knobs. It also involved late nights, fetid, graffiti-sprayed practice rooms, gorgeous flakey boys, bizarre gigs, in-fighting—what's not to love?
But my dream of being a published writer never faded. When the charm (ahem) of playing to four people in a tiny club at midnight on a Wednesday finally wore thin, however, I realized I could incorporate all the best things about being in a band — namely, drama, passion, and men with unruly hair — into novels, while at the same time indulging my love of history and research.
So I wrote The Runaway Duke, sent it to a literary agent (see the story here), who sold it to Warner Books a few months after that...which made 2003 one of the most extraordinary, head-spinning years I've ever had.
Why romance? Well, like most people, I read across many genres, but I've been an avid romance reader since I got in trouble for sneaking a Rosemary Rogers novel out of my mom's nightstand drawer (I think it was Sweet Savage Love). Rosemary Rogers, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Laurie McBain...I cut my romance teeth on those ladies. And in general, I take a visceral sort of pleasure in creating a hero and a heroine, putting them through their emotional paces, and watching their relationship develop on the page. And of course, there's much to be said for the happy ending. :)
And why Regency Historicals? Well, for starters, I think we can blame Jane Austen. Her inimitable wit, compassion and vision brought the Regency vividly to life for generations of readers. If Jane Austen had written romances about Incas, for instance, I think, we'd have racks and racks of Inca romances in bookstores all over the country, and Warner Forever would be the Inca Romance line.
But I'm a history FREAK, in general. I read more history, to be perfectly honest, than fiction (when I have time to read!) these days. When we were little, my sister and I used to play "Littl
But writing was always my first love.
I was editor of my elementary school paper (believe it or not, Mrs. Little's fifth grade class at Glenmoor Elementary did have one); my high school paper (along with my best high school bud, Cindy Jorgenson); and my college paper, where our long-suffering typesetter finally forced me to learn how to typeset because my articles were usually late (and thus I probably have him to thank for all the desktop publishing jobs that ensued over the years).
Won a couple of random awards along the way: the Bank of America English Award in High School (which basically just amounted to a fancy plaque saying that I was really, really good at English); and an award for best Sports Feature article in a College Newspaper (and anyone who knows me well understands how deeply ironic that is). I began my academic career as a Journalism major; I switched to Creative Writing, which was a more comfortable fit for my freewheeling imagination and overdeveloped sense of whimsy. I dreamed of being a novelist.
But most of us, I think, tend to take for granted the things that come easily to us. I loved writing and all indications were that I was pretty good at it, but I, thank you very much, wanted to be a rock star. Which turned out to be ever-so-slightly harder to do than writing. A lot more equipment was involved, that's for sure. Heavy things, with knobs. It also involved late nights, fetid, graffiti-sprayed practice rooms, gorgeous flakey boys, bizarre gigs, in-fighting—what's not to love?
But my dream of being a published writer never faded. When the charm (ahem) of playing to four people in a tiny club at midnight on a Wednesday finally wore thin, however, I realized I could incorporate all the best things about being in a band — namely, drama, passion, and men with unruly hair — into novels, while at the same time indulging my love of history and research.
So I wrote The Runaway Duke, sent it to a literary agent (see the story here), who sold it to Warner Books a few months after that...which made 2003 one of the most extraordinary, head-spinning years I've ever had.
Why romance? Well, like most people, I read across many genres, but I've been an avid romance reader since I got in trouble for sneaking a Rosemary Rogers novel out of my mom's nightstand drawer (I think it was Sweet Savage Love). Rosemary Rogers, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Laurie McBain...I cut my romance teeth on those ladies. And in general, I take a visceral sort of pleasure in creating a hero and a heroine, putting them through their emotional paces, and watching their relationship develop on the page. And of course, there's much to be said for the happy ending. :)
And why Regency Historicals? Well, for starters, I think we can blame Jane Austen. Her inimitable wit, compassion and vision brought the Regency vividly to life for generations of readers. If Jane Austen had written romances about Incas, for instance, I think, we'd have racks and racks of Inca romances in bookstores all over the country, and Warner Forever would be the Inca Romance line.
But I'm a history FREAK, in general. I read more history, to be perfectly honest, than fiction (when I have time to read!) these days. When we were little, my sister and I used to play "Littl
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
June 24, 2023
I am just kind of disappointed in this book. JAL wrote one of my all time favorites and this..... It has been a bit of a slog with little action. I am leaning towards a 3* but can definitely see where some would rate it a 2* I read half way through the book waiting and waiting for a reason to continue it. Others love it and some dislike it. I guess just put me in the middle it passed the time and the end of the book was every bit as boring as the rest. So, it gets a 2.5*
January 24, 2010
Here's the good news: I just read the four novels Julie Anne Long has out. Historical romance, mostly regency. And she's good. She can write a sentence, she can tell a story. The first two novels are light(er) reads. With her third one -- Beauty and the Spy -- she really finds her footing.
There's an interesting plot here, one that actually had me wondering how things would resolve themselves -- and that is unusual. This is not bragging. This is somebody who reads and writes for a living just stating a fact: it's not unusual for me to get to page three in a book and know pretty much everything that's going to happen, and how. Within the romance genre, there are some givens. You know who will end up together, but you don't know how they'll get there or what the roadblocks will be.
JAL manages to tweak some expectations. That's an excellent thing. I think that she has a good chance of evolving into a major name in historical romance if she continues along this trajectory.
So it's with a heavy heart that I have to report this flaw.
Has nobody ever talked to this woman about how she portrays dialect? Because there's only one word: sloppy. Or maybe two words: sloppy and uninformed. There seems to be a formula:
1. Is this character of a lower or working social class? If your answer is yes, pepper his or her direct dialog liberally with any and all of the following:
dropped h
replace every instance of 'you' with 'ye'
don't stint on the tortured spellings
lots of apostrophes (and don't forget the exclamation points!!!)
sprinkle with an occasional dinna or couldna
2. Is the character Irish or Scots? If so, double up on all the features mentioned. No need to distinguish between them.
For example:
This poor Biggs guy is linguistically schizophrenic. He is possessed by speakers from all over the British Isles. His symptoms:
He's dropping initial h sounds as though he just escaped from a My Fair Lady Cockney casting call.
'avena seen you since' -- What is this compulsion to hang Scots verb morphology like a caboose on the back of working class London phonology?
Poor Biggs, he's possessed by a torment of second person pronouns, Yorkshire and Middle English and ... what, exactly? Some terrible mixture. Tha and ye and your... put the man out of his misery. Please.
I will admit this was a particularly bad bit of dialog, but all JAL's novels have this sad problem. Looking at this example, I'm wondering how I managed to get through at all. And so here's the compliment: the stories were compelling enough to keep me going. Though I winced. Winced, I tell you, every time I saw an apostrophe coming.
You might think this is nitpicking. Unimportant to the story. But when you've got a duke's eldest son posing as an Irish groom, it would really help this rather standard plot device if the duke could actually sound Irish. Because it's likely that the upper class English household that employs him would notice right away if he claimed to be Irish but instead sounded.... confused. The way to do that is not with ye, and absolutely not with dinna, but with lexical choice and syntax. If you really want to pursue writing dialog so it evokes English as it is spoken in Ireland, there are places to go for that information. There's a great list of features on Wikipedia, which includes lots of examples of regional phonology (you'll note -- the Irish do not drop initial h), as well as word choice and syntax. for example, you might hear:
"Why did you hit him?" "He was after insulting me."
Wikipedia has a nice, concise article of the origin of that usage.
Ms. Long will likely never see this review, but if she does I hope she will take this in the spirit it is meant. Such promising work deserves more attention to detail.
PS A word of caution: Don't confuse Irish with Scots -- it will make them cranky
There's an interesting plot here, one that actually had me wondering how things would resolve themselves -- and that is unusual. This is not bragging. This is somebody who reads and writes for a living just stating a fact: it's not unusual for me to get to page three in a book and know pretty much everything that's going to happen, and how. Within the romance genre, there are some givens. You know who will end up together, but you don't know how they'll get there or what the roadblocks will be.
JAL manages to tweak some expectations. That's an excellent thing. I think that she has a good chance of evolving into a major name in historical romance if she continues along this trajectory.
So it's with a heavy heart that I have to report this flaw.
Has nobody ever talked to this woman about how she portrays dialect? Because there's only one word: sloppy. Or maybe two words: sloppy and uninformed. There seems to be a formula:
1. Is this character of a lower or working social class? If your answer is yes, pepper his or her direct dialog liberally with any and all of the following:
dropped h
replace every instance of 'you' with 'ye'
don't stint on the tortured spellings
lots of apostrophes (and don't forget the exclamation points!!!)
sprinkle with an occasional dinna or couldna
2. Is the character Irish or Scots? If so, double up on all the features mentioned. No need to distinguish between them.
For example:
"'Tis I, in the flesh, Biggs."
"Well, Tommy, as I live and breathe!" Big Biggs shifted his pistol into his other hand nd seized Tom's hand to pump it with genuine enthusiasm "'avena seen you since those days at Bloody Joe's! Still a pretty bugger, ain't ye? Biggsy laughed a richly phlegmy laugh nd gave Tom a frisky punch on the shoulder. "Ye've gone respectable, 'ave ye, Tommy? Looka tha' fine coat!"
This poor Biggs guy is linguistically schizophrenic. He is possessed by speakers from all over the British Isles. His symptoms:
He's dropping initial h sounds as though he just escaped from a My Fair Lady Cockney casting call.
'avena seen you since' -- What is this compulsion to hang Scots verb morphology like a caboose on the back of working class London phonology?
Poor Biggs, he's possessed by a torment of second person pronouns, Yorkshire and Middle English and ... what, exactly? Some terrible mixture. Tha and ye and your... put the man out of his misery. Please.
I will admit this was a particularly bad bit of dialog, but all JAL's novels have this sad problem. Looking at this example, I'm wondering how I managed to get through at all. And so here's the compliment: the stories were compelling enough to keep me going. Though I winced. Winced, I tell you, every time I saw an apostrophe coming.
You might think this is nitpicking. Unimportant to the story. But when you've got a duke's eldest son posing as an Irish groom, it would really help this rather standard plot device if the duke could actually sound Irish. Because it's likely that the upper class English household that employs him would notice right away if he claimed to be Irish but instead sounded.... confused. The way to do that is not with ye, and absolutely not with dinna, but with lexical choice and syntax. If you really want to pursue writing dialog so it evokes English as it is spoken in Ireland, there are places to go for that information. There's a great list of features on Wikipedia, which includes lots of examples of regional phonology (you'll note -- the Irish do not drop initial h), as well as word choice and syntax. for example, you might hear:
"Why did you hit him?" "He was after insulting me."
Wikipedia has a nice, concise article of the origin of that usage.
Ms. Long will likely never see this review, but if she does I hope she will take this in the spirit it is meant. Such promising work deserves more attention to detail.
PS A word of caution: Don't confuse Irish with Scots -- it will make them cranky
November 30, 2021
Susannah Makepeace has always been the toast of the ton, until her father dies, and she’s left with nothing but a few gowns and sent to live with her aunt in the small village of Barnstable. Susannah is expecting abject boredom but is surprised to find the country offers delights she’d never have found in London, the first of which is a beautiful man enjoying a naked swim in a pond near her house. Of course, she has to draw him in detail, and he catches her watching him.
Christopher Whitelaw, Viscount Grantham, is known as a playboy amongst the ton, which he is, but he’s also a highly skilled spy in His Majesty’s service. Unfortunately, his rakish reputation has gotten a bit out of hand, and he’s been sent to rusticate at a small estate his family owns near Barnstable. He’s meant to be preparing a naturalistic folio on the flora and fauna of the area and Susannah’s artistic talents make her the perfect assistant to help with his illustrations.
After several potentially fatal accidents around Susannah, Kit realizes they aren’t accidents at all and sets out to solve the mystery that began during her childhood, all that while he avoids succumbing to the allure she holds for him.
I’ve been working my way through the Pennyroyal Green series lately so I have to say you can definitely tell this book is an earlier work. The writing is still excellent, but I don’t think this will make my list of new favorites. That said, I really enjoyed the characterization of both Susannah and Kit, as they felt very real and well-developed. I think what didn’t jive for me here was the incredibly slow burn and equally slow pacing. I struggled to stay invested, which is clear if you look at the date I marked this one as currently reading; it took me quite a while to finish. I also think Kit went on a bit too long noticing the attractiveness of other women, especially doing so openly in front of Susannah. Of course, this is realistic, but I’m not a fan of it in my real-life men or fictional heroes. It also frustrated me that Susannah did eventually tell Kit how she felt, but he struggled mightily to give her the actual words and now I can’t remember if he ever even did. However, I must say that despite his lack of verbosity and tendency to let his eyes/thoughts stray, Kit’s feelings for Susannah were made clear by his actions, probably even before he admitted them to himself. In that respect, I did come to appreciate the simplicity of the admission of feelings between these two, nothing dramatic, no big declaration, just a quiet acceptance of the inevitable. I’m not saying I want this in all my romance, but I’m surprised at myself for finding it romantic in hindsight, even if it was a bit underwhelming while reading.
I think the mystery/spy aspect here was well done and gave me just enough answers to satisfy me as to the HEA for Susannah and Kit while still leaving me with questions that make me want to continue the series. I have this as a two in one novel so I will definitely at least read the next book, likely after the Christmas romance reading season. Anyway, I think the best feature here was the fact that Susannah and Kit both learned who they truly were when their circumstances changed and they wound up in the country, so I really enjoyed that they found their true selves and found love at the same time. I loved that there was never any question about Kit’s intentions toward Susannah, i.e., they weren’t intimate before they’d acknowledged their feelings and he never asked her to be his mistress (I hate that!) and I think Susannah’s aunt stole the show in her scenes, so I was happy she was included in their HEA. All in all, I enjoyed this story and Julie’s excellent writing.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
Christopher Whitelaw, Viscount Grantham, is known as a playboy amongst the ton, which he is, but he’s also a highly skilled spy in His Majesty’s service. Unfortunately, his rakish reputation has gotten a bit out of hand, and he’s been sent to rusticate at a small estate his family owns near Barnstable. He’s meant to be preparing a naturalistic folio on the flora and fauna of the area and Susannah’s artistic talents make her the perfect assistant to help with his illustrations.
After several potentially fatal accidents around Susannah, Kit realizes they aren’t accidents at all and sets out to solve the mystery that began during her childhood, all that while he avoids succumbing to the allure she holds for him.
I’ve been working my way through the Pennyroyal Green series lately so I have to say you can definitely tell this book is an earlier work. The writing is still excellent, but I don’t think this will make my list of new favorites. That said, I really enjoyed the characterization of both Susannah and Kit, as they felt very real and well-developed. I think what didn’t jive for me here was the incredibly slow burn and equally slow pacing. I struggled to stay invested, which is clear if you look at the date I marked this one as currently reading; it took me quite a while to finish. I also think Kit went on a bit too long noticing the attractiveness of other women, especially doing so openly in front of Susannah. Of course, this is realistic, but I’m not a fan of it in my real-life men or fictional heroes. It also frustrated me that Susannah did eventually tell Kit how she felt, but he struggled mightily to give her the actual words and now I can’t remember if he ever even did. However, I must say that despite his lack of verbosity and tendency to let his eyes/thoughts stray, Kit’s feelings for Susannah were made clear by his actions, probably even before he admitted them to himself. In that respect, I did come to appreciate the simplicity of the admission of feelings between these two, nothing dramatic, no big declaration, just a quiet acceptance of the inevitable. I’m not saying I want this in all my romance, but I’m surprised at myself for finding it romantic in hindsight, even if it was a bit underwhelming while reading.
I think the mystery/spy aspect here was well done and gave me just enough answers to satisfy me as to the HEA for Susannah and Kit while still leaving me with questions that make me want to continue the series. I have this as a two in one novel so I will definitely at least read the next book, likely after the Christmas romance reading season. Anyway, I think the best feature here was the fact that Susannah and Kit both learned who they truly were when their circumstances changed and they wound up in the country, so I really enjoyed that they found their true selves and found love at the same time. I loved that there was never any question about Kit’s intentions toward Susannah, i.e., they weren’t intimate before they’d acknowledged their feelings and he never asked her to be his mistress (I hate that!) and I think Susannah’s aunt stole the show in her scenes, so I was happy she was included in their HEA. All in all, I enjoyed this story and Julie’s excellent writing.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
April 15, 2012
Really disappointed with this one, because Julie Anne Long is one of my favourite authors and so far she hasn't had a single miss. But this one - made it to page 64 and had to set it away. A few of my reasons:
1. Huge age difference between the hero and heroine (17 years).
2. The hero is supposed to be 37 years old but his personality is portrayed as if he were at most about 24 years old and in the scenes with his father he acts about 18 years old. But because of the plot, the hero has to have some sort of second- or third-hand connection, in his adult life, to the event in the book's prologue (the murder of the heroine's father 17 years previously). It would have made some sense if the hero had been portrayed as a 37-year-old, but without that, it made no sense.
3. The hero's father is immensely powerful and wealthy, and the hero is his heir. It is just not credible that the 37-year old heir of a powerful and wealthy English nobleman in that period would be playing at cloak-and-dagger things, and still a happy bachelor, instead of being deeply involved with the family concerns, as well as married (or at least widowed) and busily raising a family to carry on the dynasty. Age 37 back in 1820 was already well past middle age, because the average life expectancy was about 40 back then - the hero's teenagerhood should have been long in the past!
4. The heroine is simply told that their engagement is over by her fiance when her adopted father is killed and turns out to be deeply in debt. This is illegal - men could not legally jilt their fiancees at that time, although women could jilt theirs. The fiance could have set things up so the heroine has almost no choice but to jilt him (e.g. offer her a payout), but the author chose not to do this for whatever reason.
5. The situation with the adopted father being deeply in debt is also very sketchy - the debts are not gambling debts, just lifestyle debts - but there is no explanation for why he needs to maintain such a lifestyle and not tell the heroine about the situation, or how he had planned to get out of it.
There were lots more errors, inconsistencies, just plain hard-to-believe things going on in the story, and that was just the first 65 pages! One or two things wouldn't bother me, but this was too much.
1. Huge age difference between the hero and heroine (17 years).
2. The hero is supposed to be 37 years old but his personality is portrayed as if he were at most about 24 years old and in the scenes with his father he acts about 18 years old. But because of the plot, the hero has to have some sort of second- or third-hand connection, in his adult life, to the event in the book's prologue (the murder of the heroine's father 17 years previously). It would have made some sense if the hero had been portrayed as a 37-year-old, but without that, it made no sense.
3. The hero's father is immensely powerful and wealthy, and the hero is his heir. It is just not credible that the 37-year old heir of a powerful and wealthy English nobleman in that period would be playing at cloak-and-dagger things, and still a happy bachelor, instead of being deeply involved with the family concerns, as well as married (or at least widowed) and busily raising a family to carry on the dynasty. Age 37 back in 1820 was already well past middle age, because the average life expectancy was about 40 back then - the hero's teenagerhood should have been long in the past!
4. The heroine is simply told that their engagement is over by her fiance when her adopted father is killed and turns out to be deeply in debt. This is illegal - men could not legally jilt their fiancees at that time, although women could jilt theirs. The fiance could have set things up so the heroine has almost no choice but to jilt him (e.g. offer her a payout), but the author chose not to do this for whatever reason.
5. The situation with the adopted father being deeply in debt is also very sketchy - the debts are not gambling debts, just lifestyle debts - but there is no explanation for why he needs to maintain such a lifestyle and not tell the heroine about the situation, or how he had planned to get out of it.
There were lots more errors, inconsistencies, just plain hard-to-believe things going on in the story, and that was just the first 65 pages! One or two things wouldn't bother me, but this was too much.
July 10, 2021
I've used most of my extra energy from this book to well, revel in it, but also in the buddy read w/ Whiskey, Lorien, and Joanna. Some was predictable in the suspense/mystery, but as I've said I don't real Julie Anne Long for her math skills, her suspense, plots, etc. This very well could be a favorite of hers, which is saying something! Might update this inadequate review later, might have to be on a reread.
July 25, 2012
Holy guacamole, straight up awesome beginning. The prologue has the Holt sister's dad being murdered, their mom going on the run, and them being given over to their parents friend James Makepeace. I hope Long can keep this pace and amount of intrigue throughout the book!
Wonderfully written characters, can not wait for Kit and Susannah to meet. They both seem very immature and I am interested in how Long will get them to grow up.
Great. First. Meeting. Between Kit and Susannah ;)
Ooh the character Caroline is really intriguing to me. I was completely prepared to loathe her and then when she finally appears I find myself fascinated by her instead.
I enjoyed how Long wrote these two characters falling love. Strangely I felt like it was a slow gradual process and at others I felt like they fell in love instantly.
All the characters are extremely multifaceted, even the villain Thaddeus Morley. As with the other villain Caroline you may not agree with what they are doing but it's hard not to understand the choices they made.
I liked how Long wrote the clues to the mystery in the story so that the reader figured it out before the characters. It was fun seeing Kit connect the dots and cheering him on.
Long definitely kept up the pace in the story and I never wanted to put the book down. The ending has a little shocker, hopefully in the next book Long updates the reader on John Carr and Caroline! Beauty and the Spy was a great book; intriguing characters and an actually storyline which was enthralling.
Usually in order for books to receive As from me they have to be "keepers". However, in order to be deemed a "keeper" by me they have to be books I know I will want to read again. This was a great book but for some reason I don't think I would read it again and I'm not sure why I feel that way. So anyway this book is definitely worth your time reading but I don't consider it a keeper for me.
P.S. I chose this book because of the cover, yes I am that shallow but it turned out to be an excellent choice. So my advice for the day: Is be shallow! You never know where it could take you ;)
A
Wonderfully written characters, can not wait for Kit and Susannah to meet. They both seem very immature and I am interested in how Long will get them to grow up.
Great. First. Meeting. Between Kit and Susannah ;)
Ooh the character Caroline is really intriguing to me. I was completely prepared to loathe her and then when she finally appears I find myself fascinated by her instead.
I enjoyed how Long wrote these two characters falling love. Strangely I felt like it was a slow gradual process and at others I felt like they fell in love instantly.
All the characters are extremely multifaceted, even the villain Thaddeus Morley. As with the other villain Caroline you may not agree with what they are doing but it's hard not to understand the choices they made.
I liked how Long wrote the clues to the mystery in the story so that the reader figured it out before the characters. It was fun seeing Kit connect the dots and cheering him on.
Long definitely kept up the pace in the story and I never wanted to put the book down. The ending has a little shocker, hopefully in the next book Long updates the reader on John Carr and Caroline! Beauty and the Spy was a great book; intriguing characters and an actually storyline which was enthralling.
Usually in order for books to receive As from me they have to be "keepers". However, in order to be deemed a "keeper" by me they have to be books I know I will want to read again. This was a great book but for some reason I don't think I would read it again and I'm not sure why I feel that way. So anyway this book is definitely worth your time reading but I don't consider it a keeper for me.
P.S. I chose this book because of the cover, yes I am that shallow but it turned out to be an excellent choice. So my advice for the day: Is be shallow! You never know where it could take you ;)
A
July 13, 2021
RTC
So glad to be prompted for a buddy read for this book. Much was only vaguely remembered. Will try to add more later.
So glad to be prompted for a buddy read for this book. Much was only vaguely remembered. Will try to add more later.
February 3, 2022
Perfection! This was just the right mix of romance, drama and intrigue.
I avoid romances that have a suspense or mystery element because the plot tends to overshadow the romance, but that didn't happen here for a second. For me, this speaks to the author's skill as a master storyteller, given that your attention never flags, even halfway through the story.
The series promises to be very entertaining and I can't wait to meet Anna Holt properly!
I avoid romances that have a suspense or mystery element because the plot tends to overshadow the romance, but that didn't happen here for a second. For me, this speaks to the author's skill as a master storyteller, given that your attention never flags, even halfway through the story.
The series promises to be very entertaining and I can't wait to meet Anna Holt properly!
May 13, 2023
Yeah, I loved this.
I always know quite quickly if I’m going to jibe with an author, and I liked JAL’s style immediately. She’s an excellent writer, with a light touch and plenty of humor. Yet Beauty and the Spy (N.B. Terrible title) still managed to get me right in the feels. The last scene of the book proper made me both laugh and cry.
It opens really well, too, with a cracking epilogue establishing the quick (but never rushed) pace that JAL maintains throughout. Our hero, Kit, and heroine, Susannah, are charming and gorgeous and have so much chemistry. And the side characters are great, from Susannah’s deceptively twee aunt to the antiquities dealer.
It was such good fun, too. At one point it reminded me of The Mummy (film): that kind of energetic comedic adventure with a sexy side. (Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep, anyone? 🥵)
But I digress. Tl;dr: I loved my first Julie Ann Long.
I always know quite quickly if I’m going to jibe with an author, and I liked JAL’s style immediately. She’s an excellent writer, with a light touch and plenty of humor. Yet Beauty and the Spy (N.B. Terrible title) still managed to get me right in the feels. The last scene of the book proper made me both laugh and cry.
It opens really well, too, with a cracking epilogue establishing the quick (but never rushed) pace that JAL maintains throughout. Our hero, Kit, and heroine, Susannah, are charming and gorgeous and have so much chemistry. And the side characters are great, from Susannah’s deceptively twee aunt to the antiquities dealer.
It was such good fun, too. At one point it reminded me of The Mummy (film): that kind of energetic comedic adventure with a sexy side. (Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep, anyone? 🥵)
But I digress. Tl;dr: I loved my first Julie Ann Long.
February 15, 2018
My first read by Julie Ann Long and I enjoyed the story very much. Susannah Makepeace loses everything to go live with in the country with her aunt. She meets a viscount who has to some extent been cast away to the country too by his own father. The murder, mystery and entanglement of romance makes for a nice novel by this author.
The pacing of the story kept me enthralled and turning the pages. The sexual tension between the H/H did not hurt either. I like this one and believe that there are two others in the Holt Sisters series. Welcome reading those and this novel made for a nice comfy read.
4.0 Stars
The pacing of the story kept me enthralled and turning the pages. The sexual tension between the H/H did not hurt either. I like this one and believe that there are two others in the Holt Sisters series. Welcome reading those and this novel made for a nice comfy read.
4.0 Stars
December 30, 2012
Premise: Anna Holt was the much-loved and deeply loving mistress of Richard Lockwood. Together they had three daughters, Susannah, 3, Sylvie, 4, and Sabrina (not much older). One awful night Richard's good friend James Makepeace gave Anna the dreaded news: Richard was dead—and there's a witness who claims Anna was the killer. James advises Anna to flee—without her three tiny girls, since the authorities will be looking for a woman with three young girls. James promises to see Anna's daughters are cared for, and he'll let Anna know when it's safe to return.
Fast forward 20 years. Susannah Makepeace is the belle of the ton until the murder of her father James Makepeace. That's when she learns that her high-flying lifestyle was supported by a mountain of debt. James' creditors are quick to move in, and Susannah has to resort to violence just to keep the clothing on her back.
In desperation, she turns to her best friend and her fiance, only to learn that,
Susannah's last refuge is the home of an aunt she never knew she had. An aunt who does not exactly live in the manner to which Susannah was accustomed. Su finds herself making fires and cooking—without servants!—and wandering about unchaperoned to sketch the local flora and fauna.
Viscount Kit Whitelaw spied for the government during the War (because all the big wars start with a cap as if they're the biggest and last), and lately he's been seeing nefarious plots everywhere. His friend James Makepeace was murdered, and he thinks an old enemy, Thaddeus Morley, has something to do with it. Kit's father ain't happy--Morley is politically connected and Kit's been a bit too free with his opinions. Unless Kit wants to be banished to Egypt, he needs to rusticate awhile at the family estate, maybe write up a study of the local flora and fauna.
The premise alone all but guarantees this book four stars. Historical—check. Thriller/adventure/ mystery—check. Well-drawn characters who are genuine and fresh—check.
One tiny thing missing is the historical detail that always gets me purring. All Long would have to do is study her period and find some really curious factual character or moment to weave into her story and she'd have hit the trifecta.
Even so this is still one of my favorite reads this year--Monica McCarty, Jo Beverley and Jane Feather lead the pack, but Long is not far behind. Four stars—this is definitely a recommended read.
Fast forward 20 years. Susannah Makepeace is the belle of the ton until the murder of her father James Makepeace. That's when she learns that her high-flying lifestyle was supported by a mountain of debt. James' creditors are quick to move in, and Susannah has to resort to violence just to keep the clothing on her back.
In desperation, she turns to her best friend and her fiance, only to learn that,
Susannah's last refuge is the home of an aunt she never knew she had. An aunt who does not exactly live in the manner to which Susannah was accustomed. Su finds herself making fires and cooking—without servants!—and wandering about unchaperoned to sketch the local flora and fauna.
Viscount Kit Whitelaw spied for the government during the War (because all the big wars start with a cap as if they're the biggest and last), and lately he's been seeing nefarious plots everywhere. His friend James Makepeace was murdered, and he thinks an old enemy, Thaddeus Morley, has something to do with it. Kit's father ain't happy--Morley is politically connected and Kit's been a bit too free with his opinions. Unless Kit wants to be banished to Egypt, he needs to rusticate awhile at the family estate, maybe write up a study of the local flora and fauna.
The premise alone all but guarantees this book four stars. Historical—check. Thriller/adventure/ mystery—check. Well-drawn characters who are genuine and fresh—check.
One tiny thing missing is the historical detail that always gets me purring. All Long would have to do is study her period and find some really curious factual character or moment to weave into her story and she'd have hit the trifecta.
Even so this is still one of my favorite reads this year--Monica McCarty, Jo Beverley and Jane Feather lead the pack, but Long is not far behind. Four stars—this is definitely a recommended read.
February 20, 2015
You know what? Nearly every time I pick up a Julie Anne Long book I am amazed at what an effortlessly fantastic writer she is. Steadily she has climbed in my heart to become one of my most favourite writers. I am quite amazed this book only rates in the 3s. Stupidly I put off reading this because of the rating, thinking it wouldn’t be the best. I was wrong. Even if the story doesn’t enthral (can’t see why it wouldn’t) the writing alone is worth a much higher rating. The story held me riveted right from the start – and I couldn’t help noticing after only a very few chapters, before the hero and heroine had actually met, how much information she’d conveyed in such a short time. She really is a skilled writer. And the meeting between the hero and heroine certainly put a smile on my face … yes, one of the best first meetings!
I was thinking as I was reading and towards the end of the book when the heroine said something that totally made me fall in love with her, that I can’t remember the last time I’ve loved a heroine as much as this one … then it came to me that, actually, the last time was when I reread To Love A Thief a few months ago, and, mmm, Julie Ann Long wrote that too. I realised that this author really knows how to write women that you just love. I kind of feel that it’s easier to write an amazing hero, but that it’s so harder to write an amazing heroine. Even though in this book I loved the hero, he’s a wonderful man, I really loved the heroine. Smart and plucky and rolls with the punches in the best way, with calmness and humour. I’m sure that’s why the hero loved her, and it made me love her too.
I really enjoyed this book for both the story and the hero and heroine and the beautiful writing. I’m really looking forward now to the next two in the series. I’m kind of wondering at this point why I’m taking so long to pick up these older books by Long, but then again savouring them as I get to them over time is just lovely. I’m just wishing at this point that she would finish the Penny Royal series (hello, just do Olivia and Lyon’s book, for God’s sake, and be done with it) and move onto something else!
I was thinking as I was reading and towards the end of the book when the heroine said something that totally made me fall in love with her, that I can’t remember the last time I’ve loved a heroine as much as this one … then it came to me that, actually, the last time was when I reread To Love A Thief a few months ago, and, mmm, Julie Ann Long wrote that too. I realised that this author really knows how to write women that you just love. I kind of feel that it’s easier to write an amazing hero, but that it’s so harder to write an amazing heroine. Even though in this book I loved the hero, he’s a wonderful man, I really loved the heroine. Smart and plucky and rolls with the punches in the best way, with calmness and humour. I’m sure that’s why the hero loved her, and it made me love her too.
I really enjoyed this book for both the story and the hero and heroine and the beautiful writing. I’m really looking forward now to the next two in the series. I’m kind of wondering at this point why I’m taking so long to pick up these older books by Long, but then again savouring them as I get to them over time is just lovely. I’m just wishing at this point that she would finish the Penny Royal series (hello, just do Olivia and Lyon’s book, for God’s sake, and be done with it) and move onto something else!
May 27, 2023
wow that prologue and even epilogue!! I guess I'm going to finish the series because I can only expect a reunion in book 3.
December 20, 2021
This was really great. I am generally hesitant to read authors' early books if they've got a sizable backlist because in a genre where authors are so prolific, it's almost always the case that earlier works are shoddier than later works. But this book very much shows that JAL is just a very, very naturally gifted writer and storyteller. She has this incredible ability to tell rich, inner stories of her characters, and her characters are always these restless, energetic people with something that keeps them moving and striving to figure themselves out. Shoot that shit into my veins!
I particularly like this book because I really enjoyed the external plot of the heroine figuring out her family background and driven to do so because of this sense that she's aimless and untethered. The hero was a tad more underdeveloped by comparison, but he nicely complemented the heroine and provided the catalyst/assistance to help her figure herself and her family out.
I particularly like this book because I really enjoyed the external plot of the heroine figuring out her family background and driven to do so because of this sense that she's aimless and untethered. The hero was a tad more underdeveloped by comparison, but he nicely complemented the heroine and provided the catalyst/assistance to help her figure herself and her family out.
August 17, 2020
Great storyteller! Loved Susannah's story and can't wait to see how the others tie-in and complete the series.
July 7, 2025
cute
December 12, 2019
I liked this premise - three sisters separated as toddlers. The "spy" element is done well. And the humor is not quite as ... broad ... as in the previous series, but still there. Have the 2nd title in my hot little hands now.
January 19, 2013
I wasn't sure how to rate this, or rather what standard to hold it to - in comparison to the majority of other books in this genre (it's better)? Or in comparison to Long's later books (it's not as solid)? And then there's the complication of the fact that I suspect that Long has even better books she's yet to write.
So I'll ambiguously say 3.5 stars here, but click four stars.
Long's greatest strength lies in the depth, intimacy and detail of her characterization. She writes slow, nuanced stories of two people becoming truly known to one another, while coming to know and love themselves. Generally, her characters have aspects of their personalities that have previously gone overlooked by both the world at large and themselves. This is consistent in all her work that I've read, (though some of it is stronger than others) - this tone and care that she takes with her people - and yet the actual characters themselves are gratifyingly varied from book to book.
And this is all here in this book, just perhaps not as dazzlingly so as in others. And I could also say that the spy/mystery/intrigue plot here is neither as clever in its narrative unfurling or in its totality as say the one in The Perils of Pleasure. But in this book it is also true that this is not so much the point - meaning, it's not really a "mystery" in the generic sense, so it is the emotional and psychological effects of the plotty past that matters here rather than the narrative construction of that plot itself. If that makes sense?
I also really enjoyed the lovely relationship between the heroine and her "Aunt Frances," who was shown to be truly kind, funny, and human. I enjoyed it so much that I even googled to see if there was a feminine form of the word "avuncular:" of or relating to an uncle;
kind and friendly toward a younger or less experienced person. And there is! Materteral. Not as aesthetically pleasing as avuncular, but I'm glad it exists.
[Note: I both enjoyed the mildly meta bits where Aunt Frances and Susannah read and discuss Pride and Prejudice together and saw them as further evidence of this book as a more fledgling effort from Long, like she couldn't help herself from showing us her delight with and intellectual prodding at this genre.]
So I'll ambiguously say 3.5 stars here, but click four stars.
Long's greatest strength lies in the depth, intimacy and detail of her characterization. She writes slow, nuanced stories of two people becoming truly known to one another, while coming to know and love themselves. Generally, her characters have aspects of their personalities that have previously gone overlooked by both the world at large and themselves. This is consistent in all her work that I've read, (though some of it is stronger than others) - this tone and care that she takes with her people - and yet the actual characters themselves are gratifyingly varied from book to book.
And this is all here in this book, just perhaps not as dazzlingly so as in others. And I could also say that the spy/mystery/intrigue plot here is neither as clever in its narrative unfurling or in its totality as say the one in The Perils of Pleasure. But in this book it is also true that this is not so much the point - meaning, it's not really a "mystery" in the generic sense, so it is the emotional and psychological effects of the plotty past that matters here rather than the narrative construction of that plot itself. If that makes sense?
I also really enjoyed the lovely relationship between the heroine and her "Aunt Frances," who was shown to be truly kind, funny, and human. I enjoyed it so much that I even googled to see if there was a feminine form of the word "avuncular:" of or relating to an uncle;
kind and friendly toward a younger or less experienced person. And there is! Materteral. Not as aesthetically pleasing as avuncular, but I'm glad it exists.
[Note: I both enjoyed the mildly meta bits where Aunt Frances and Susannah read and discuss Pride and Prejudice together and saw them as further evidence of this book as a more fledgling effort from Long, like she couldn't help herself from showing us her delight with and intellectual prodding at this genre.]
June 11, 2009
After a sudden murder a widow Anna Holt, suspected off killing her husband must leave and break away from her 3 very young daughters in order to protect them and stay alive. Hoping one day to be able to see them again. Susannah Makepeace, who was the eldest daughter taken in by one of the widow's and her husbands close friend, James, is doing very well off and she is engaged. Suddenly, James who was investing the murder of his best friend realizes the killer, who is a consultant who got to where he was by selling information to the French, dies before being able to expose him. Susannah moves in with her 'aunt' and then at the same time meets a spy who keeps saving her from quick death scenes and then realizes that someone has been trying to kill her. Him being a spy can not fight the urge to help her out and save her life. While on a journey to figure out who Susannah is she discovers she has two other sisters and that she is not alone. She also discovers that her 'real father',Richard Holt, was murdered and her mother may still be alive in hiding somewhere in London, Paris. Along the way they wall in love and get married.
January 24, 2016
When Susannah Makepeace loses everything she has to go live with her aunt in the country. There she meets Kit, a viscount exiled to the country by his father. Throw in mystery and murder and you have an engaging romantic novel.
I have read Julie Anne's Pennyroyal Green series and going back to her earlier books has been a treat. She writes to beautifully and eloquently, I'm jealous. I adored the interplay between the hero and heroine and can't wait to meet Susannah's sisters in the next two books. Julie Anne has woven a beautiful world with her words.
I have read Julie Anne's Pennyroyal Green series and going back to her earlier books has been a treat. She writes to beautifully and eloquently, I'm jealous. I adored the interplay between the hero and heroine and can't wait to meet Susannah's sisters in the next two books. Julie Anne has woven a beautiful world with her words.
February 27, 2025
LOVED! Were there holes? Sure. The resolutions for a couple of secondary characters were ridiculous, but the core story was great. Kit and Susannah were fantastic characters, funny and smart and a blast to follow and to root for. The central thriller was interesting and somewhat believable. Best of all Julie Anne Long is a very good writer, and that is essential for me. Her prose is lovely, things happen in their own time. This is my first book with this author, and I can't wait to jump into another.
April 27, 2010
It was so cute! Not as good as Celeste Bradley, but very sweet..
I would give it 3.5 stars if I could: I enjoyed it because of the relationship between Kit and Susannah, but I would have liked more of a threatening element. I just didn't feel that gut clench I got in Celest Bradley's The Pretender, for example (when Agatha finds out the truth about Simon).. Kit was a sweet and strong Beta hero (for me):-)
I would give it 3.5 stars if I could: I enjoyed it because of the relationship between Kit and Susannah, but I would have liked more of a threatening element. I just didn't feel that gut clench I got in Celest Bradley's The Pretender, for example (when Agatha finds out the truth about Simon).. Kit was a sweet and strong Beta hero (for me):-)
March 18, 2014
Loved this trilogy!!! If you get the chance, read it in order as it will make more sense. I read the trilogy in reverse order and was annoyed with #3 because I didn't understand a lot of the stuff that it built upon.
I liked this one the best in the trilogy because I loved KIT!!! Swoon!
I wrote a review for this on Amazon already, I read this before I got on GR.
I liked this one the best in the trilogy because I loved KIT!!! Swoon!
I wrote a review for this on Amazon already, I read this before I got on GR.
April 10, 2011
The book didn't totally blow me away, but I thought it was rather sweet and fun to read on a rainy day.
October 28, 2011
3.5
Nicely written with an interesting story, but loooooong. :D
Nicely written with an interesting story, but loooooong. :D
May 13, 2016
Love all Julie Anne Long's books. So cool - I like a good spy novel and this was excellent. Storyline was fab and the characters wonderful.
July 18, 2022
Witty dialogue, complex main characters, and an intriguing mystery made this a highly enjoyable read.
March 29, 2020
Si le reste de la série est égale à ce premier tome, quelle aventure époustouflante!
Les soeurs Lockwood (on ne fera connaissance qu'avec la plus jeune pour le moment) ont été séparées lorsqu'elles étaient en bas âge et ignorent l'existence l'une de l'autre. En voulant piéger un traître, leur père a été assassiné et leur mère, injustement accusée à tort, a dû fuir le pays, abandonnant ses trois filles.
Un ami de la famille a recueilli Susannah et ne lui a jamais révélé la vérité sur ses origines. Lorsqu'il est à son tour assassiné, l'héritier d'un marquis qu'elle devait épouser dans deux semaines la laisse tomber et elle apprend en même temps que son père l'a laissé sans le sou et qu'elle doit quitter la maison qui sera saisie. Fort heureusement, une tante qu'elle n'a jamais rencontré a eu vent de son malheur et l'invite à venir habiter avec elle à Barnstable, à la campagne.
Christopher "Kit" Whitelaw s'est distingué à la guerre mais 5 ans plus tard, il a une réputation de coureur de jupons et la facheuse manie d'insulter les officiers supérieurs lorsqu'il a bu. Son père, exaspéré de son comportement, lui donne un ultimatum pour le moins saugrenu : se faire exiler en Égypte ou accepter un poste de naturaliste à Barnstable. Le choix n'est pas bien difficile pour notre héros et c'est devant un étang qu'il fera la connaissance de Susannah, à qui il demandera de travailler pour lui, pour illustrer ses observations, après qu'elle ait oublié un dessin derrière elle.
Au début, Susannah apparaît comme une jeune femme un peu vaniteuse et gâtée, mais elle se transforme rapidement car elle n'est pas une geignarde, elle s'habitue vite à sa nouvelle vie et l'adversité lui permettra de découvrir son plein potentiel. Malgré sa réputation de vicomte scandaleux, Kit est un être charmant et honorable.
Il y a une décision que les personnages prennent vers la fin que je ne comprend pas. Est-ce pour emmener d'autres obstacles pour les prochains tomes?
Les soeurs Lockwood (on ne fera connaissance qu'avec la plus jeune pour le moment) ont été séparées lorsqu'elles étaient en bas âge et ignorent l'existence l'une de l'autre. En voulant piéger un traître, leur père a été assassiné et leur mère, injustement accusée à tort, a dû fuir le pays, abandonnant ses trois filles.
Un ami de la famille a recueilli Susannah et ne lui a jamais révélé la vérité sur ses origines. Lorsqu'il est à son tour assassiné, l'héritier d'un marquis qu'elle devait épouser dans deux semaines la laisse tomber et elle apprend en même temps que son père l'a laissé sans le sou et qu'elle doit quitter la maison qui sera saisie. Fort heureusement, une tante qu'elle n'a jamais rencontré a eu vent de son malheur et l'invite à venir habiter avec elle à Barnstable, à la campagne.
Christopher "Kit" Whitelaw s'est distingué à la guerre mais 5 ans plus tard, il a une réputation de coureur de jupons et la facheuse manie d'insulter les officiers supérieurs lorsqu'il a bu. Son père, exaspéré de son comportement, lui donne un ultimatum pour le moins saugrenu : se faire exiler en Égypte ou accepter un poste de naturaliste à Barnstable. Le choix n'est pas bien difficile pour notre héros et c'est devant un étang qu'il fera la connaissance de Susannah, à qui il demandera de travailler pour lui, pour illustrer ses observations, après qu'elle ait oublié un dessin derrière elle.
Au début, Susannah apparaît comme une jeune femme un peu vaniteuse et gâtée, mais elle se transforme rapidement car elle n'est pas une geignarde, elle s'habitue vite à sa nouvelle vie et l'adversité lui permettra de découvrir son plein potentiel. Malgré sa réputation de vicomte scandaleux, Kit est un être charmant et honorable.
Il y a une décision que les personnages prennent vers la fin que je ne comprend pas. Est-ce pour emmener d'autres obstacles pour les prochains tomes?
February 16, 2020
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Was lovely to read something from this wonderful author that is not Pennyroyal Green based (I love them too).
The pretty, and vivacious Susannah Makepeace has her life of ease and luxury crumble about her ears when her distant but kind father James is killed and she is left penniless. She only just manages to hand on to her clothes when the bailiffs come, just as she is jilted by her fiancée and propositioned by her solicitor. A cousin of her father’s asks her to come and live with her, and she seizes on this gratefully.
In the village of Barnstable, she meets the altogether fascinating Lord Kit whitelaw , Viscount Grantham, former soldier and now spy for the crown. He has been banished to the country by his father for a month to record the local flora and fauna in a folio, to keep him out of mischief. He has been tipped off by James before he died that he had proof that Lord Morley MP, has sold secrets to the French in order to fund his rise to MP.
When Kit employs Susannah to be his artist, he discovers more and more connections to Morley, and the long ago murder of another MP Richard Lockwood, and the mysterious disappearance of his mistress Anne Holt and their three young daughters. Can Kit unravel the mystery and keep Susannah safe from the potentially fatal accidents that keep happening to her, and prove Morley’s guilt?
The joy of this book was the heroine, she developed from a lonely, and frivolous society Miss with a great talent for drawing, into a brave, kind, resourceful and amusing woman, who absorbed all the losses and hurts of her life and cake out stronger and fighting for the truth and her own happiness. She was a joy to read, and I was charmed by Kit’s vulnerability about his looks, despite his arrogance and his high handed ness with Susannah.
Glorious.
The pretty, and vivacious Susannah Makepeace has her life of ease and luxury crumble about her ears when her distant but kind father James is killed and she is left penniless. She only just manages to hand on to her clothes when the bailiffs come, just as she is jilted by her fiancée and propositioned by her solicitor. A cousin of her father’s asks her to come and live with her, and she seizes on this gratefully.
In the village of Barnstable, she meets the altogether fascinating Lord Kit whitelaw , Viscount Grantham, former soldier and now spy for the crown. He has been banished to the country by his father for a month to record the local flora and fauna in a folio, to keep him out of mischief. He has been tipped off by James before he died that he had proof that Lord Morley MP, has sold secrets to the French in order to fund his rise to MP.
When Kit employs Susannah to be his artist, he discovers more and more connections to Morley, and the long ago murder of another MP Richard Lockwood, and the mysterious disappearance of his mistress Anne Holt and their three young daughters. Can Kit unravel the mystery and keep Susannah safe from the potentially fatal accidents that keep happening to her, and prove Morley’s guilt?
The joy of this book was the heroine, she developed from a lonely, and frivolous society Miss with a great talent for drawing, into a brave, kind, resourceful and amusing woman, who absorbed all the losses and hurts of her life and cake out stronger and fighting for the truth and her own happiness. She was a joy to read, and I was charmed by Kit’s vulnerability about his looks, despite his arrogance and his high handed ness with Susannah.
Glorious.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2021
3.5 Stars. I received Beauty and the Spy as part of a newly published duology from Forever Publishing. I was a little hesitant going in to this book because I did not enjoy the last Julie Anne Long and I'm not a huge fan of spy romances. I was pleased to find that this was not a typical spy romance and a lot more entertaining than the last book I read from the author.
I really liked Susannah. She was just spunky and kinda go with the flow. She's had a lot happen in her 20 years and still managed to keep her humor. I liked Kit and found him to be an all around good romance hero until I realized his age (see paragraph below). I liked that he was a spy but the spying never took over the book. As I said above this was not a typical spy book as the villain was known the whole time and even had scenes showing what was going on with them.
My biggest annoyance with this book was the age gap and the hero's maturity level. The hero is 17 years older than the heroine yet acts maybe one or two years older. I know he's the heir but also, what 37 years old man is so beholden to his father that his father could threaten him into doing his bidding. I it just didn't fit. Again if the hero had been in his early 20s and not 37 this would have been much more believable.
I'm excited to read the second book in this duology, which I believe I about Susannah's sister. Thank you to Forever Publishing for the gifted copy.
I really liked Susannah. She was just spunky and kinda go with the flow. She's had a lot happen in her 20 years and still managed to keep her humor. I liked Kit and found him to be an all around good romance hero until I realized his age (see paragraph below). I liked that he was a spy but the spying never took over the book. As I said above this was not a typical spy book as the villain was known the whole time and even had scenes showing what was going on with them.
My biggest annoyance with this book was the age gap and the hero's maturity level. The hero is 17 years older than the heroine yet acts maybe one or two years older. I know he's the heir but also, what 37 years old man is so beholden to his father that his father could threaten him into doing his bidding. I it just didn't fit. Again if the hero had been in his early 20s and not 37 this would have been much more believable.
I'm excited to read the second book in this duology, which I believe I about Susannah's sister. Thank you to Forever Publishing for the gifted copy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews