Richard Downing may be a viscount of impeccable character, but he’s bored beyond belief of dancing at balls, faking smiles, and making dull conversation. So when he stumbles upon a housemaid with defiance in her striking blue eyes and a dagger hidden in her skirts…well, color him intrigued. Raised with a rather…peculiar upbringing, Lady Victoria Daring is full of secrets and surprises. As … surprises. As part of His Majesty’s personal homeland spy organization and as a master of disguises, Vic is charged with infiltrating high society to uncover the enemies hiding in plain sight.
But Richard is the first man to see through her disguises–and infiltrate deep into her heart. Too bad his family is at the top of her list of suspects…
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Lady Victoria Daring, daughter of the Earl of Gadstoke has had a most unusual upbringing. Raised in China and taught Kung Fu and weapons training since she was a child – she is most definitely not your average debutante. Her mother frets that if she doesn’t return to England for a proper season, she will never marry, so when her father is recalled to England to uncover an opium ring – a season is the perfect cover!
The Home Office has launched Operation Imperial Twilight and assigns Victoria to search the home of Malcolm Egerdon, the Earl of Banebridge. While searching the study she is interrupted by Richard Downing, Viscount Ganwyd. Richard is captivated and intrigued by Victoria but she escapes before he can find out who she is. But as luck would have it, they meet again and Richard demands answers – for her part Victoria is shocked that he recognized her!
I don’t want to go into too much detail and spoil the story, so suffice it to say this was a well written, interesting story with lots of secrets, angst, spies, action, intrigue, featuring a heroine who can kick butt and a very sweet hero who loves her. If you prefer your romances on the less sensual side, this book is for you – it is very low heat. I did find parts of the book that were a little hard to believe and not everything was wrapped up in this book (no cliffhangers – more like unresolved issues), but it was still enjoyable and I look forward to reading the adventures of the other Daring siblings!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me.*
A Lady Never Tells by Lynn Winchester is Book 1 in a new series, “Women of Daring”, and what a beginning.
I was intrigued and held spellbound from the first page. The Daring siblings are a group of agents in the service of the The Darings are in the service of the Prince Regent, to combat enemies of the crown. A Regency Historical Romance set in 1817, from Zhejiang, China to London, where they carry out matters of Imperial espionage.
Well written and well excuted. The characters are colorful, charming, and engaging. The storyline is unpredictable, intriguing, adventurous, captivating and original for sure. Ms. Winchester has once again keep this reader turning pages, although, I did find in spots where the story got a bit confusing, but for the most part this is a great beginning to a new series. However, Be aware that to me not all of my questions were answered, maybe, leaving for the next book.
Meet and Follow,
Victoria Daring and Richard Downing, Viscount Ganwyd on their journey to a HEA.
Victoria works for the Home Office, as part of “Operation Imperial Twilight”, her mission, is to search the home of Malcolm Egerdon, the Earl of Banebridge, but she’s interrupted by Richard.
This story has plenty of spies, secrets, secret identities, danger, intrigue, mystery, suspense, sensual tension and romance to keep readers reading, with a HEA.
I found A LADY NEVER TELLS to be an enjoyable, entertaining and satisfying read. Strongly recommended for fans of Regency, spies, mystery, intrigue, historical romance and much more. A delightful read.
Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewer: AprilR
Absolutely fabulous book! I read Regency romance – around 5 books a week. I found Winchester’s A Lady Never Tells to be wonderfully creative and refreshing. I loved her heroine Victoria Daring. Winchester infuses some humor into her intrigue and romance. And she brings to life a romantic swoon-worthy hero in Richard Downing. “Cursing under her breath, she looked up into the face of a man who couldn’t possibly be of earth… His striking green and gold eyes flashed with self-reproach, but that disappeared quickly, a look of shock rising up to fill his gaze with a brightness that made her heart thud. Dark brows arched to disappear behind a dashing fall of blond locks. And his lips…the bottom one fuller than the top, they quirked into a lopsided smile that made her belly flip.” The Darings are my new favorites. Crossing my fingers that the next book will be about another Daring adventure. I was given a copy of this book.
Series: Women of Daring #1
Publication Date: 9/23/19
Number of Pages: 368
*** 3.5 Stars rounded up ***
Lady Victoria Daring and her siblings Lowell (Love), Honoria, Verity, Faith, and Grace had a most unusual upbringing. Their father, Devon Daring, Earl of Gadstoke (Ambassador to the Orient), saw an opportunity for all of his children to be raised with the skills to provide services to the Crown when he observed his eldest daughter’s interest in their servants practicing Kung Fu. Each of the children had very specialized interests and talents and all were trained without respect to their gender. They were all skilled, lethal warriors, but their mother despaired of ever getting them married and settled if they didn’t get back to England and have a season. Then, the perfect opportunity arose when their father was called back to England to uncover the source of an opium ring – their seasons would be the exact cover they needed.
The Darings are to report to Miles Leigh (Lord Leavenson) who will be their liaison to the Home office during their operation – named Operation Imperial Twilight. Victoria’s first solo assignment is to search the home of Malcolm Egerdon, the Earl of Banebridge for incriminating evidence. As she searches Banebridge’s study, she is interrupted by Richard Downing, Viscount Ganwyd. He is intrigued by her, but she manages to escape before he can find out who she is or anything about her. They soon encounter each other again in a chance meeting outside a shop on Bond Street. He recognizes her! How could he recognize her – her disguise was perfect? But there he is – and she knows he’ll be demanding answers.
This book sets up what I am assuming will be the overarching theme of the series – where each sibling will get their story as they pursue the villains who are part of The House of Cards Society. Those villains are at the highest echelons of London society and the Darings will have to tread very lightly to avoid detection, keep their reputations intact, and still capture the villains.
The premise of the story is good – if far-fetched – and I enjoyed the read. The writing was generally good but was a bit slow in a few spots. Of course, not everything was wrapped up in this story since the future books will solve the ongoing mysteries. One thing that just kept drawing me out of the story is the fact that they kept referring to Richard as a viscount – and I couldn’t see any way he would be one. His brother was a duke, so there is no way he’d have a courtesy title – and the story didn’t say anything about him performing great service to the crown or being given a title for anything. So – every time the story mentioned Richard as a viscount, my mind was off wandering again. The story intrigued me and I am looking forward to the next installment. I will mention though, if you like steam in your books, this one is lacking. I hope you enjoy the read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am such a sucker for spy stories, it is not even funny. Add in an entire family of spies, the eldest child of which has been trained in martial arts her whole life and can practically kill bad guys with one hand tied behind her back? I. Am. So. There!
I loved Victoria and Richard’s story. I adored how he saw everything about her as a strength that Vic saw as a liability, and that he didn’t have any qualms about bowing to her expertise. They are absolutely wonderful together, and I can’t wait to see more of them as all of the Daring women (so many sisters! Though I hope their brother gets a book too…) work to bring down the criminal enterprise that is still at large at the end of the book.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Her best book yet! A delightful new Series! You won’t be disappointed! 5 stars plus
Omg, Lynn Winchester new novel ‘A Lady Never Tells’ will please lovers of Historical romances set during the Regency era, a story with a touch of espionage! Ms. Winchester has truly outdone herself! Her best book yet! It’s well written at a perfect pace! If you love an heroine who is different in many ways, then you’ll like Victoria. She is no ordinary lady and is full of secrets and surprises! I absolutely loved her leading lady! The characters are consistently refreshing and funny in their own way.
‘A Lady Never Tells’ sends the heroine and hero on a journey of many twists and turns. Victoria Daring is a lady of many skills, she can disguise herself and spy on people. Her father and her charming sisters Honoria and Verity, are part of a spy network trying to reveal the men or women hiding behind masks in the House of Cards Society. Their mission, spy on people responsible for drug and money smuggling. Victoria is a master in disguises for the Imperial Espionage Home Office to the Crown. During one of those missions, she is almost discovered by a dashing viscount named Richard Downing, who soon becomes very intrigued with her. He can’t forget her or get her out of his mind! Vic likes fencing, which intrigues Richard even more. All the members of the Daring family are so charming. You’ll giggle during some scenes! As Victoria and Richard embark together on their journey to find the enemies, they will send sparks flare all over.
I enjoyed this enchanting story of spies, secrets, and secret identities. The story is quite thrilling and it kept me entertained from the very beginning until the end. I loved all the characters and enjoyed interactions between Daring siblings. That, I think is the best part of this novel. There are so few books that explore siblings relationship, especially in the romance genre that I always find it refreshing when I do find one such book. As far as historical fictions go this book is a well-written piece and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I’d recommend it to my fellow readers. Especially, if you enjoy a little mystery mixed with mischief.
Lady Victoria Daring was raised in China and was trained to be a spy. She is good at what she does. This is her first solo mission and she must succeed to prove her worth. She also feels that as the eldest child she has a responsibility to prove herself to her father. However, thanks to one annoying Lord Richard, her identity might get revealed before her mission is done. The only good thing is that Richard Downing seems more interested in her than her actions. Maybe she will be able to play it to her advantage and complete her mission without any other problem.
Things get more interesting as the story progresses. Soon Victoria and Richard find themselves getting more and more involved with each other. Will the secrets survive this new development or will they end up ruining their future? Read away to find out.
I find this book an interesting and enjoyable read. The story has enough intrigue, twists and turns to keep the readers entertained. I also enjoyed the romance side of the story. The chemistry between main leads is great and they both seem to be perfect for each other.
Richard Downing may be a viscount of impeccable character, but he’s bored beyond belief of dancing at balls, faking smiles, and making dull conversation. So when he stumbles upon a house maid with defiance in her striking blue eyes and a dagger hidden in her skirts…well, he’s intrigued.
Raised with a rather peculiar upbringing, Lady Victoria Daring is full of secrets and surprises. As part of His Majesty’s personal homeland spy network and as a master of disguises, Vic is charged with infiltrating high society to uncover the enemies hiding in plain sight.
The first in a new series & a refreshing read, the heroine Vic is a delight & somewhat different to the run of the mill Regency belle, I hope the other Daring siblings have their stories. It was a breathe of fresh air & I thoroughly enjoyed my first book by the author – it certainly won’t be my last. Intriguing characters & a story that drew me in from the beginning & held me captivated until the last page
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
The first in a new Women of Daring series, this book showcases the Daring family whom certainly live up to their name. Victoria (Vic) is a well-trained warrior and Richard is a bored viscount. They ban together to fight a group of opium importers. We learn who some of this group are, but the others will be left for the next book and hopefully the other Daring siblings to handle. Lynn Winchester is a new to me author and I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
Wowza! To say this was an entertaining story is putting it mildly! Lynn Winchester has pulled out all the stops to start a new series with the Daring family that will keep us anxiously awaiting for the next story in the series!
An unconventional heroine, Lady Victoria Daring (an apt name must I say!) had grown up in China where her father was a diplomat. He had wanted all of his six children to learn something “useful.” So when each was old enough he employed masters in various specialities to instruct them in everything from languages to kung fu, throwing daggers and acting. What an upbringing!
Their mother was anxious for Vic to get to England and have her debut, to find a husband. Vic herself felt a longing to experience more…
When their father recieved the missive from the Prince Regent that he needed their “skills” for Crown business, the adventure begins for the Daring’s and this one is for Vic!
On her first mission she is posing as a maid at a party to find out information needed by her superiors. Anxious not to mess up, of course she runs into a very handsome gentleman, Richard, Viscount Ganwy. Well he is intrigued right away in looking at the maid, who seemed a bit out of place and had the most amazing eyes!
Needless to say he sees through her disguise and the adventure begins!! I truly loved this story and cannot wait for more!! Thanks for NetGallery and the fabulous Entangled Publishing!
Victoria is a fighting machine built to do the work of the Crown. She is daring and a Daring. She is strong focused and determined. Richard is trying to find purpose in his life when he meets the enigmatic Victoria. He is able to see through her disguise and the beautiful person she is.
This is the start of a great series. The characters are wonderful. The Daring family is like a group of super heroes. The remind me of the characters in the Incredibles movie. They are vibrant, spunky and fun. The story is filled with intrigue as they try to solve the problems facing their investigation. It is also a love story between Victoria and Richard. It is about building a relationship and accepting the person for who they truly are. It is about becoming a unit and working towards a unified goal. I can’t wait to see how the series will unfold.
An enjoyable though rather far fetched story. The characters were interesting and the plot unusual. I might have given it 5 stars but that I found the Americanisms distracting when set in Regency London
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was so engrossed in this story I did not want to put it down.
This story was about Victoria (Vic) and Richard and how their relationship grows. But this book is also about Vic’s family. Vic and her family (4 sisters and a brother) have been trained since they were young to be spies for the Government. They have been taught to fight – with and without weapons, how to blend in society so they can find out information. Richard runs into Victoria while she was on an assignment, and he is intrigue by her. He then runs into her again, dressed as herself, and he knows it is the same person, because he is still intrigue by her. This an also a very clean romance story.
This is the first time I have read a book by this author, and it will not be the last. I feel this book was written well. I hope Lynn Winchester will write books on the rest of Victoria’s siblings.
I received a copy of this book thru NetGalley, with no obligation to review.
Can a woman raised to be on the top of what was expected from her, find someone whom will accept her wholly.
Right from the premise of the book I was intrigued, the Darings siblings were introduced as a group of super agents in the making with an historical background.
Then there were many breaches in the historical rules, how a second son of a duke could be a Viscount, was he rewarded a tittle?
It is the regency period, never a young woman on the shelf or not could have been allowed to go out with a gentleman without someone acting as a chaperone.
The main characters are nice persons, Richard, after some years of wandering among the London society, finds himself bored and looking for giving a true meaning to his life.
Victoria is herself lost, her upbringing made her a powerful weapon but her heart is confused on how combining spying and a family life outside hers. She has so many uncertainties, when her job requires self-confidence.
So when they partner, they also bring focus on themselves and those around them.
I loved the idea and the relationship between the different Darings, each has its own strong personality. But the more the story progressed, the more I had doubts about Victoria, for the eldest and supposed strongest, she was quickly unsettled and lacking reactions. And I am not fond of women with wobbling knees when around handsome men. For all her training, she lacked a bit of strength to control her own feelings. Sure, nobody is perfect, and flaws help to render a character more realistic, I would have preferred her less emotional and perturbed when around Richard, more focused on her mission.
I am very much interested in her sisters’ and brother’s evolution, they all sound a great group of very various and vivid personalities.
In all, it was an entertaining read with a suspenseful background and a bunch of colorful characters.
4 stars
I was granted an advance copy through Netgalley by the publisher Entangled. I purchased my own copy.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.
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A female Victorian spy (that’s a new one on me) thinking it might be part of a new series.
Victoria works with her family, but it’s not a normal family business…. Victoria is a spy!! She works infiltrating London’s society scene (finding out who are traitors to the crown) she a fighter and a good one, she’s also a master of disguise (going undercover is part of the job) her siblings have done their jobs, it’s now her turn……
Richard is bored….. bored with his endless existence. Bored with the same faces, going to the same homes, dancing with the same people. So when he comes across a young maid (he literally bumps into her) he’s curious, and later he sees her again, she has a dagger. Well that has him very intrigued. Who is she? And what is she up to?
Meeting Richard is not on Victoria‘s agenda, she’s here to gather information and he’s getting in the way!! And more importantly he’s on the family’s list of people to spy on!!!
Will Richard find out about the double life Victoria leads? And what will he think when he finds out she’s investigating his family?
The differences in Victoria and Richard’s family life is very different. Victoria came from a large family with lots of love and laughter. Her father brought his daughters up to think for themselves and to have an opinion. Richard had only his brother, his family life sounds very cold and lonely. So meeting Victoria was probably like a breath of fresh air, she isn’t like the rest of the London society, she has a mind of her own, and isn’t afraid to speak out, and to see a woman fight was a novel experience for him too.
I liked the characters very much, and hope to read more of Victoria’s siblings. The writing felt a little stilted at times, and it could have had a little more action, but other than that a nice afternoon read.