“Quick pacing, witty dialogue, and charmingly original characters set Jeffries’ books apart” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), and The Secret of Flirting is the next thrilling romance in the bestselling Sinful Suitors series. The moment spymaster Baron Fulkham meets the stunning Princess Aurore of Chanay, he’s positive her royal persona is a ruse and that she’s actually Monique Servais, the … actually Monique Servais, the mysterious actress he met three years before in Dieppe. But as he pursues his suspicions, he uncovers a plot of attempted assassination and betrayal that could very well destroy his career, expose his own secrets…and ruin the woman he’s rapidly coming to love.
The Secret of Flirting is a sizzling historical romance filled with fast-paced storytelling, an enchanting heroine, and a sexy hero, perfect for fans of Regency romance.
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I just adore Sabrina Jeffries’ books. They always provide great characters, a great story, great humor and this book is no exception.
Monique Servais is an actress in Dieppe and lives with her grandmother, who has developed dementia and it is getting harder to look after her while she has to work. Her grand-maman was born into royalty, but left that life to marry her true love and thus was cut off from her family. Now years later, the Count de Beaumonde, grand-maman’s brother-in-law. was looking for Monique’s help. He would like Monique to pretend to be Aurore, the reigning Princess de Chanay. If she could pull it off, he would take care of her grand-maman the rest of her life. The real princess is ill but she needs to be in London because she is the front-runner to becoming the Queen of Belgium, which is seeking its independence from the Netherlands. It would only be for a short time, and really what could go wrong! 😉
What Monique did not count on while she was pretending to be Princess Aurore was to run into Gregory Vyse, Baron Fulkham, whom she met three years earlier and has not been able to forget. Right away Lord Fulkham realized that it was Monique, but she kept denying it. Now the game was on. As Gregory and Monique spend more time together, their feelings for each other grow. When an attempt on their lives happen, secrets start to unravel and Gregory and Monique have an even bigger issue on their hand. Together they have to work to figure out who is behind all their issues and how they are going to solve their problems.
I loved these two characters. Gregory’s life has always been all about work. Monique’s life has been all about work and taking care of her Grand-maman. Together these two find something wonderful that they were missing in their lives. The mystery that they had to figure out to get to their happy ending was so fun and enjoyable. It kept me constantly guessing at the end results. Overall, I just adored this book and I highly recommend it.
Wow! One of Sabrina Jeffries’ best novels!
This is an exciting and intriguing romance that kept me up way too late. I didn’t care about the clock when I was totally captivated by Monique and Gregory’s exciting tale! I really love this couple. They have such a great dynamic between them, and their flirty seduction was oh so hot! The author is at the top of her game. Bravo on writing such a winner!
The novel is set in Autumn 1830, and it is inspired by the actual events surrounding the choosing of the first monarch of Belgium. The historical foundation is solid, and I love how a few extra characters were inserted into the realistic setting.
I recommend this book to all historical romance fans. It is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone. I received a free advanced reading copy from the publisher via Netgalley, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
When I see a book by Sabrina Jeffries, I know before reading that I will be lost in a wonderful world of the imagination. I picked up a book of hers years ago, “The Truth About Lord Stoneville” and it opened up the world of historical romance for me again after a few years hiatus. I have been hooked ever since! This author has a wonderful prose that draws you quickly into the story and it is easy to get lost in the characters. Such is the case with the hero Gregory, Baron Fulkham, spymaster (yes we have a wonderful spy!) and actress, Monique Servais aka Princess Anne of Chanay (which she isn’t!). Does that get your attention yet? It should because this is a story of things not being what they seem but outside forces make it seem so. Monique is the granddaughter of a Royal princess of Chanay but ran away with an actor years ago and became an actress. Estranged from her family she meets Gregory after one of her performances but nothing comes of it. Fast forward three years later, Monique is taking care of her grandmother and asked to impersonate her cousin and pretend to be a royal. Gregory steps back into the picture and just knows, Monique is the girl he met years ago. This story is full of intrigue, suspense, betrayal and yes a romance. I so enjoyed this tale and although part of a series, this can be read as a standalone. Do not let this one pass you by!
Another wonderful book by Sabrina Jeffries! I love when a man who’s dedicated to his career while excluding love from his life evolves when love enters! The preceding Sinful Suitors books left me yearning to see Lord Fulkham’s story. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next Sinful Suitor!
What a delightful fifth book in the Sinful Suitors series. While the book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone if you haven’t read the previous books. However, all of those books are good and I’d highly recommend reading them. The Secret of Flirting is fast-paced, interesting, well-written and the characters can easily become your new best friends. The book even comes with a lovely epilogue that has some definite sigh-worthy passages – just try this one – Gregory and Monique are speaking about her grandmother’s dementia and that she speaks about her deceased husband as if he were still with her. Gregory says to Monique — “When you love someone, being apart is the worst punishment of all. I know that if I were here and you had gone on to the great beyond, I would pray to see your ghost every day, even if it meant I was insane.” Be still my heart!
Gregory Vyse, Baron of Fulkham is a very self-controlled and ambitious man. You’ll learn why he’s that way as you read the book. He loves his mother and he is determined to have a successful career in politics. The English government is switching parties, Wellington lost the election and is out as Prime Minister and Earl Grey will be replacing him. That means that a number of the cabinet ministers will be leaving office as well – including Gregory’s boss. Gregory is currently undersecretary to the Foreign Office and he wants to become Foreign Secretary. On the side, Gregory takes care of other little things for the crown – as in – he’s a spymaster. You met him in the previous books, but he didn’t play a huge role – just enough for you to become curious about him.
Monique Servais is an actress in Dieppe, France. She is solely responsible for the care of her elderly grandmother who has dementia and is getting worse every day. Monique rushes home from the theater as soon as the play is over in order to care for her grandmother. She has no social life at all, but that is okay with her because she loves her grandmother above all else. Monique’s grandmother was/is Princess Solange of Chanay. When Solange was young, she fell in love, ran away with, and married an actor. They were passionately in love their entire lives. However, Solange’s family disowned her and while Solange didn’t care about that at all, it would have been much easier on Monique to have some help with Solange’s care. Then, rescue comes in the most unexpected manner. She’s offered the role of a lifetime – all she has to do is pretend to be her cousin who is very ill. If she completes her task successfully, her grandmother will be taken back to Chanay and cared for.
Gregory met Monique backstage at the theater in 1827 while he was on a mission. That meeting did not go very well. There was an instant physical attraction, but they seemed to declare battle instantly. Just imagine Gregory’s surprise when, three years later, he is introduced to Princess Aurore of Chanay and he is absolutely sure that it is really Monique. He remembered every line of her face, her walk – he’d thought of her for three years. He is sure that it is Monique, but he has no proof and he’ll need to be sure before he creates a scandal.
Monique is an amazing actress and manages to confuse Gregory. His whole career and all of his ambitions are on the line. He must find out who she really is – and then there is an attempt on her life. As he protects her and tries to find the culprit they get to know each other. How can a man with high political aspirations marry an actress? The answer is – he can’t. He can make her his mistress, but not his wife.
Can they survive the villain? Can they find a way to love and marriage? You’ll just have to read this delightful book to find all of those answers – and more.
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