In this new Regency charmer from the beloved, award-winning author Kate Moore, the clues to solving one of life’s greatest mysteries may be found in a slim blue volume of advice for husband-seeking debutantes. But two people engaged in a clever game of cat and mouse just might rewrite the book . . . The daughter of a British intelligence agent, Jane Fawkener has spent most of her life in exotic … spent most of her life in exotic lands abroad, not flirting her way to matrimony among the ton. So when her father disappears and is presumed dead, she’s perplexed as to why he’s arranged for her to receive a copy of The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London. Convinced he has hidden a covert message for her within its pages, Jane embarks on a “husband hunt” with an altogether different aim. But can she fool the government escort who’s following her every move—a dangerously seductive man for whom rules are clearly meant to be broken . . .
Praise for Kate Moore’s previous novels
“Moore writes with a lyrical beauty that will leave no heart untouched.” —RT Book Reviews
“Fans will hope for more of Moore’s sinful delights to come.” –Library Journal (starred review)
“Moore skillfully whets readers’ appetites . . .” ‑‑Booklist
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3.5 stars – I liked the idea of this book, but in my opinion, there are way too many improbable situations for this to be a 5 star read.
Jane Fawkener has been living in the Middle East with her father for years, but when he goes missing and is presumed dead, she returns to London and visits his bankers, hoping that he left a message for her with them. What she finds is not a letter, but a book “The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London” and learns that he left her only the book and £200 to keep her until she finds a husband. She cannot believe her father is dead and thinks the book might have clues to his whereabouts.
Edmund Dalby, Viscount Hazelwood is the disowned son of the Earl of Vange, a wastrel and a spy. He was recruited into service after his father disowned him for his profligate ways and he agreed to spy for a year and in return the crown would pay his debts. Until now his missions have been to collect information from gaming hells and brothels, but now he has been tasked with watching Miss. Fawkener and learning what information her father might have passed to her about the Russians.
Jane meets Hazelwood when she is leaving the bank and passes out – apparently her stays were laced too tight and she is not accustom to wearing English clothing. Hazelwood is introduced to her as a protocol officer assigned to help her prepare for the investiture ceremony being held for her father – he is to be given a knighthood for his service to the crown. Jane wants nothing to do with Hazelwood or the government – she just wants to find her father, so she tries to loose Hazelwood.
Hazelwood is diligent in his duties, much to Jane’s dismay and it becomes clear early in the book, that someone is out to harm Jane. Her rooms are broken into, they are followed and she is physically accosted.
Hazelwood takes Jane to see her grandmother and her uncle and after meeting with her uncle, Jane has an idea of where the key to the clues in her book might be. She attends a musicale at her cousins house to see if she was correct. Hazelwood crashes the party and is jealous of the attention Jane is receiving. He takes her home and they share a kiss.
The next day while shopping with her cousins, she sees a man that was with her father the last time she saw him and follows him into the shop. The man is nowhere to be seen, but Hazelwood steps out of the back room and seems overly familiar with the shop girl. Jane is hurt and thinks that the kiss they shared was just a ruse on Hazelwood’s part to get information from her. She leaves the shop and he follows. While talking to her on the street another attempt is made on her and Hazelwood uses the distraction to steal her book.
Later when Jane realizes her book is gone, she makes a deal with Miranda (the shop girl). Later when they both attend a party, she avoids him, but on the ride back to her hotel, he tells her the truth, that he is a spy and that Miranda is nothing to him. Jane is not sure what to believe and goes through with her plan and with Miranda’s help, steals her book back from Hazelwood. He awakes while she is in his room, and tells her they could work together, she declines and tells him she is moving in with her cousins and will see him at the ceremony.
When another attempt is made on her life, Hazelwood realizes that he loves her and will do anything to keep her safe. They form a plan to remove her from her cousins, but Miranda’s jealousy will cause the plan to go awry and place Jane in more danger.
The story is interesting, but the writing is a bit choppy and the “love story” aspect of the book is almost nonexistent – there are no real love scenes nor are there any “I love yous” – for me this is a necessity in a romance novel – I prefer steamy reads, but if the love story is good, I can do without them, but sadly this was not the case in this story. This book was more like a historical intrigue novel versus a romance. There are also a number of improbable situations that just made the story unbelievable to this reader. So while I enjoyed the idea of the story, I found the execution lacking, but not enough to stop me from wanting to read the next book in the series.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*
The lead female character labors forever about not remembering how non Asian people live. A couple of instances would be informative and maybe interesting, but ever other page has yet another episode of uncertainty for her. Repetition does become boring. The ne’er do well male lead is completely unbelievable as are his cronies. I won’t be looking for any more by this author
It kep me reading
Nicely done for a romance novel. Interesting addition of Arabic world customs. Restrained but quite romantic because of that. And interest kept throughout.
BLA BLA BLA
Great little romantic mystery with enough of both to keep you turning pages when you should be doing something else.
I’m looking forward to the third book in the series. Book two was also excellent.
The Husband Hunter’s Guide was a quick, fun read! I enjoyed the strong, independent female lead, Jane Fawkener, and her search to find her missing father. The compelling plot and the quirky pages from the Husband Hunter’s Guide had me smirking while turning the pages.
This was a very engrossing story that involved intrigue and espionage as well as evocative period descriptions. Strong, at times amusing lead characters who were an equal match for one another. Didn’t want to put this book down till it was finished. Now I want to read the next in series.
I liked this refreshing look at Regency London through the eyes of a woman just back from the Middle East. Her father gone, Miss Jane Fawkener is left with little but a guide to hunting a husband — something she didn’t even want. She doesn’t believe her father is dead and seeks to figure out what message he left her. Thrown together with a “protocol” officer, Jane ends up finding a husband and helping a would-be wastrel, Viscount Hazelwood, redeem himself. She is a refreshing heroine, with a straightforward manner and plenty of smarts. A good, solid read that I enjoyed immensely. (I received an advance copy from NetGalley. Review my own.)
Intriguing read with a mystery and suspense thrown into the mix. Jane Fawkener, daughter of a British Spy has grown up mainly in the Middle East so has not been subject to the typical upbringing. He father goes missing and Jane is at her wits end, so returns to London to visit her father’s bankers, hoping there will be something to lead her to him. Instead she finds a book which would not seem of any circumstance but is determined to figure out if there are clues left. Edmund Dalby, Viscount Hazelwood has been tasked to watch Jane and learn if any information had been passed on to her about the enemy. He aids her when she is in distress and attaches himself to her. As much as Jane tries to shake Dalby, she is glad of his help when she finds someone is following her and she is accosted. One thing leads to another in this action packed story and Jane and Dalby end up depending on each other to solve the mystery. The author brings the characters to life with her vivid descriptions of the surroundings and emotions being felt. Looking forward to the next installment in this series and will leave you with a nudge to read to find out what happens! You will enjoy this book!