Rafe Beaumont, fifth son of an earl, uses his irresistible charm with the ladies to glean dangerous war secrets. Now he’s putting those skills to the ultimate test: capturing an elusive assassin by seducing his daughter. The problem? She’s entirely immune to Rafe’s flattery.
Never before has Collette Fortier met a man as attractive as Rafe. But her father’s life is at stake, and succumbing to Rafe would be disastrous. But when Rafe turns the tables on her, offering support and friendship instead of a fleeting affair, Collette finds herself tempted in ways she never could have imagined…
Titles in The Survivors series include: Third Son’s A Charm – No Earls Allowed – An Affair With A Spare
Title: An Affair with a Spare
Series: The Survivors #3
Author: Shana Galen
Genre: Regency Romance
Published: July 3, 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Put together a young woman who is desperate to save her father’s life, and one confirmed bachelor who is quite good at what he does and you have a good mix to begin with. Add in that the gentleman is a very accomplished spy, seduces women left and right for their secrets and has become a bit jaded about his life. Put a completely inept want to be a spy, declares with regularity that she is an excellent spy, young lady who when nervous can with quite a straight face explain the love life of hedgehogs… well, then you have a humorous situation, a charming couple and a mystery to solve.
Collette feels she has no choice but to find the letter that will free her father. But she really has absolutely no idea of how to effectively spy or search for it… in spite of being convinced that she’s quite good at this spying endeavor, which honestly she is not. I enjoyed Collette very much, her innocence and her determination where her shining shield against the charms of Rafe.
With his usually irresistible charm, Rafe is accustomed to getting what he needs from any woman. Yet Collette is becoming a challenge, an innocent challenge that is starting to feel very different than his usual affairs that support his profession. This young lady is no traditional beauty, but her personality, her natural sparkling attractiveness is getting to Rafe far more than the most established beauty of the ton. And really, her spying leaves much to be desired. He’s learning quite a bit about hedgehogs these days for he certainly does make this young lady nervous. I enjoyed Rafe, he’s just enough jaded with life to make him realistic. He’ll do what he needs to do for his country, but falling in love with Collette wasn’t in the plan… so now he needs another plan, like helping his lady.
Secondary characters can make or break a story for me, and again we get to meet some people that I cannot wait to learn their own stories. There is humor in An Affair with a Spare, the kind that endears a character to me, certainly there are steamy romantic moments, and a slow burn of anticipation as well. Not every woman can be a classic beauty, so as Collette’s charm and natural attractiveness began to work its magic on Rafe I think I fell a bit in love with this hero myself. An intriguing mystery rounds out this story. I had fun, I enjoyed my time in this world – and that’s the whole point. If you’re in the mood for a lovely romance with a bit of suspense between a spy and an expert on hedgehogs, then You’ll enjoy An Affair with a Spare.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
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