USA Today bestselling author Madeline Martin delivers a captivating novel of passion and intrigue… Connor Grant is in search of a lady. Not a bride, but a woman to become a skillful and seductive spy in the service of King James. In addition to being the King’s personal assassin, Connor heads a group of female spies who aid him in his work, women with nothing left to lose. Ariana Fitzroy is … to lose.
Ariana Fitzroy is the perfect mark. Destitute, orphaned, and completely alone, she’s missed her chance at an advantageous match at court and cheats at cards to survive. When Connor catches her in the act, he threatens to expose her, unless she joins his elite roster of spies.
She agrees and is whisked away to a deserted Scottish castle to begin her training. Ariana quickly takes to her lessons in seduction, deception, and hand-to-hand combat, but less easy to fight are her feelings of lust toward the ruggedly handsome Connor, feelings she suspects may be reciprocated.
When Connor recruits her help on a mysterious task, the pair must work together to track a dangerous target. But Ariana suspects Connor isn’t telling her everything-not just about the mission, but also about his past. Will the secrets between them threaten their mission? And will they be able to fight their attraction as they wonder who they can trust?more
From page one I LOVED this book. Picture a room crowded with tables of card-players and your attention is drawn to her…. because she’s cheating and because there’s something about her that can’t be ignored. Perhaps an air of desperation, her beauty, or her uncanny way to fool all others at the table. Ariana is all of these things and more.
Connor needs another girl for his circle of spies. But they need to be woman down on their luck so he can take them and train them to be assassins, or spies, whichever is needed. He tries to stay away, he tries to ignore her but his heart always leads him back to her.
OUTSTANDING read, your attention is immediately held hostage page after page as this story unfolds. HIGHLY recommend it.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review of an eARC that I received from NetGalley and the publisher*
I liked this book, I was expecting a sort of “Point of No Return” type story and while there were some similar aspects between this book and that movie, this was definitely it’s own story. This is a very hard book to review without totally spoiling the story, so I am going to just give the basic premise of the story.
Ariana has been supporting herself by cheating at cards since her parents and her brother passed away, and up until she met Connor Grant she was getting away with it.
Connor is a displaced laird of a decimated clan, he runs a spy ring for King James and acts as his personal assassin. He has an agreement with the king, 10 years of service to the crown and then he will be free and his holdings returned to him. Connor uses women as his spies and believes he has found the perfect candidate when he catches Ariana cheating and blackmails her into joining his “girls”. Connor and Ariana share an instant attraction, but neither is in a position to act upon it. Connor never dallies with his “girls” and Ariana is noble born and therefore off limits as he has nothing to offer her.
Ariana reluctantly agrees to work with Connor and soon finds herself and another new recruit (Liv) sent off to the wilds of Scotland with Sylvi (one of Connor’s girls) for training. On the way to the castle, Liv becomes ill and Ariana fears for her life. Once they reach the castle, Ariana meets the other “girls”, Percy and Delilah. Percy is for lack of a better description – their “Q”. She comes up with gadgets and potions for the team and acts as the team’s healer. Percy immediately takes charge of Liv and with Ariana’s help, they slowly set her on the road to recovery.
Ariana begins her training and soon realizes that each girl has her own story and reason for being there. She takes well to the training and is soon ready to take on her first mission.
What follows is a mass of twists and turns in the plot, betrayal, secrets, more betrayal, more secrets, some steamy moments, followed by the hero acting like a jerk, followed by the heroine acting like an idiot, followed by the hero redeeming himself and the heroine learning what love really is. As always, the writing is impeccable and the story is gripping.
I would recommend this book and I am looking forward to reading the future installments featuring the rest of the “girls”.
It’s 1605 & Connor Grant is in search of a lady. Not a bride, but a woman to become a skillful and seductive spy in the service of King James. In addition to being the King’s personal assassin, Connor heads a group of female spies who aid him in his work, women with nothing left to lose. Ariana Fitzroy is the perfect mark. Destitute, orphaned, and completely alone and cheats at cards to survive. When Connor catches her in the act, he threatens to expose her, unless she joins his elite roster of spies. She has no choice but to agree and is whisked away to a deserted Scottish castle to begin her training.
This has been burning a hole on my kindle for a while as I’ve resisted reading it until I could read all three books in the trilogy one after another. My expectations were high as so many friends had recommended the books & also the reviews were very good. I’m very pleased to say this book lived upto my expectations & more. I was drawn into it from the first page & was engrossed all the way through. A heady mix of adventure, intrigue, deceit & of course romance definitely a keeper
Once again Ms Martin has written a book full of feeling, adventure, surprise and romance. She developed the chararcters so well that half way through, I was wondering if there were stories for the other maidens and yes there is. They are all women who where hurt by a variety of circumstance, not of which you find out in this book and where helped by a man with his own pain, to become warriors. There was not a lot of description of the surroundings, which I find can sometimes overwhelm the story . There was lots happening and it kept you turning the page. You will not be disappointed with this book.
Wonderfully interesting and exciting. It is sort of a Mission Impossible meets ‘Q’ from James Bond – only nobody is there willingly. The plot is well organized and revealed a little at a time to keep you drawn in, the characters are all interesting and the ending is spectacular.
Connor Grant came from a warm loving family and admired and adored his father. Then, one day, while Connor and is sister Cora were away from the castle, it was breached, taken and the clan members slaughtered. Connor’s father was mercilessly murdered.
Connor is coerced into becoming King James’ personal assassin and spymaster. He ‘recruits’ fallen ladies, trains them and they gather information for the King. You will love all of the ladies. They may be ‘fallen’, but they are strong, dynamic, and very, very stubborn.
I won’t say a lot more because it can give away too much of the great plot. Just know that Connor is in for betrayal, danger, and – oh yes – romance. Then you add in the beautiful Ariana and you have a story that pulls you in and keeps you until the very end.