An unusual heiress meets her match in this USA TODAY* bestselling Regency romance!“Unique and romantic and emotional and simply amazing.”~ NetGalley reviewerLetitia Trentham is noteworthy for three reasons. One, she’s extremely wealthy. Two, she can distinguish truth from lies. Three, she’s refused every man who’s ever proposed to her.Until Letty receives a proposal she can’t turn down.Icarus … Letty receives a proposal she can’t turn down.
Icarus Reid barely survived the Battle of Vimeiro. He lives for one thing—to find the man who betrayed him to the French. He doesn’t want to marry Miss Trentham; he wants to use her talent for uncovering lies.
Suddenly, Letty finds herself breaking the rules, pretending to be someone she’s not, and doing things a lady would never do. But her hunt for the truth may uncover more than one secret—including the secret that haunts Icarus day and night. The secret he intends to take to his grave…
“An amazing book which I read in one sitting.”
~ Roses R Blue
*USA TODAY bestseller, Jan 2018.
Finalist in the 2018 NZ Romance Book of the Year award.
Q & A with the author
How would you describe this series?
It’s Regency England with a dash of magic. I hope to take readers on a journey from the glittering ballrooms of the aristocracy to the dark underbelly of Regency England – with passion, danger, adventure, romance, and a little magic thrown into the mix.
I think the series could also be labelled Regency Noir, because it falls on the darker, grittier side of the romance fence, although each book contains humor, too. The stories are emotional, but not sweet (there’s sex, violence, and my heroes do swear rather badly at times!).
Why did you write this series?
I wanted to get my well-bred heroines out of the drawing rooms and put them in the way of adventure and romance. But I didn’t want to write a series where magic is common; I wanted to write a series where only a few characters have magic, and it’s a deep, dark secret, and no one else knows.
But … do magic and Regency England go together?
Definitely! Many, many years ago I read Sorcery and Cecelia (or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot) by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, and totally loved it and ever since then I’ve thought that Regency England and magic go very well together.
What was the catalyst for this series?
A magazine article I read in which celebrities were asked what magic power they’d choose and why. That got me thinking! (I’d choose shapeshifting, by the way.)
How would you describe your writing?
Several reviewers have likened my writing to Georgette Heyer, which is the hugest compliment ever. I adore Georgette Heyer! She’s why I write historical romance, and I reread her books over and over. (If you’ve not read The Grand Sophy, please do so!) I’ve also had readers compare my writing to Courtney Milan and Mary Balogh, which are also massive compliments.
Who would like this series?
This series will appeal to readers who enjoy the historical backdrop of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, the dark and sensual ‘noir’ feel of Anna Campbell, the emotion of Mary Balogh or Courtney Milan, and the magic of Patricia Rice and Mary Robinette Kowal. Quite a broad range, really!
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Ooo! I would have loved to have had this particular ability when I started dating. I think that what really happens in life is that most males are afraid of hurting our feelings or try to tell us ‘gullible’ females what they think we want to hear rather than the truth.
Emily Larkin has again written a delightful story, one that I really didn’t want to put down until I’d finished it, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every book of hers that I’ve read so far.
This one deals with the drama and the ugliness of a past torture, the love and trust of two people who really didn’t expect to fall in love, a mystery and the solving of it and it has been written with true understanding of the range feelings that two people getting to know each other go through. There is also a fair amount of clever wittiness and I just loved Miss Trenthams truth-ability and how it sometimes frustrated her and also how she used it to help others.
A very clever and well thought out story which I am more than happy to recommend.
I’ve wanted to read one of Emily Larkins books for so long, and what an amazing beginning! I adored this book! I adored the characters, the wittiness, the gut-wrenching emotion…
I absolutely cannot wait to read more of her historicals!
Compelling and powerfully emotional, I was drawn in from the first chapter of this story and could not wait to see what happened. This is my favorite trope with the damaged hero or heroine who finds redemption in the end. Letitia Trentham has been on the marriage mart and received a copious amount of proposals. She is a heiress after all, but she also has a skill which is beyond the typical person. She is able to tell if someone is telling the truth or not which has revealed to her that all of her suitors were just after her money. Icarus Reid is only living for one reason. To find out who betrayed him and his command in the Battle of Vimeiro which left many dead due to that leaked information. He approaches Letitia for only one reason. To use her skill to uncover if someone is lying or telling the truth and he needs her to go with him to interrogate all the men involved.
There are so many twist and turns to this story and a mystery to be solved. But the big question is what does Reid intend to do once he obtains the information? As Letitia grows close to him, she fears the worst will happen.
This was an exceptional story that I will be thinking about for awhile. I cannot wait to read more by this author and all the books in this series. You will not be disappointed.
I stumbled upon this one by accident and fell in love with the main heroine instantly. You know there sometimes are these characters you just connect to? That was Tish or Letittia Trentham for me. I’ve seen in the other reviews that people cannot understand her drive to help the main hero – Icarus Reid, but I can understand it well enough. She is a woman who runs several charity hospitals, orphanages and so on, she is driven to make the world better. And before her stands a man who tells her he is dying and asks for her help to bring justice to his fallen comrades. In my personal opinion her craving for justice, the force with witch she stands up for people less fortunate than herself, sometimes at great cost, is both admirable and exemplary.
Now the main hero is beyond charming if you like a little broken gadgets, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. He is a man broken by the war and his own experiences in it. Reid is intense, a little frightening at times, but you can still see the hero, the honorable and astute soldier shining through the rough exterior. He may need a little work, but he’s someone worth fixing.
All in all, it was a supremely pleasurable light summer reading. I loved the mature and no nonsense approach to love and relationships that somehow still manages to be romantic. Meaningful, if a little painful, discussions. Fumble-y and clueless first experiences. Basically, read it, have fun and learn a thing or two about the boundaries of human resilience.
Always enjoy her books
A bit better than expected, but seriously don’t see what there is that would compel the heroine to help a complete stranger at the risk of her reputation and position in life. That sense of the necessity to sacrifice for someone just met doesn’t come across at all.
I could not put this down. Letty Trentham agrees to help Icarus Reid find out who betrayed him and his scouts in Portugal. One by one the possible suspects are ruled out as they travel around England, helping some unfortunate and misused servants on the way. This story had me alternately teary and smiling.
Another good book, I don’t read “fantasy” or magic books but for this one I made an exception. I guess the reason I didn’t object to this book was the magic was so underplayed. It’s mentioned how she got her “gift”, but you are not bludgeoned over the head with it. The characters and plot overshadow any magic that is there. A really great book, no matter what genre it’s labeled under. I’m going to read the other books in the series, that’s a serious recommendation from me.
On one hand, I loved the idea of a character who could determine truth like this. I found that aspect very entertaining. But the things the author has the main character doing stretches credulity to far for the setting. That alone tempts me to lower it to three stars. But I will leave it at four.
Started the series with this book and ended up purchasing all the books in the series because this one was entertaining and after reading all the books (except the prequels, reading those now) I found this one to be the best
Over use of sex scenes – otherwise entertaining.
Miss Trentham had it all but not the love she wanted. When she finally met the man he was broken. Really good book, great story.
A wonderful writer. I will read more of her books!
I enjoyed this whole series. Very fun, easy reading.
This is not your average romance. There are interesting plot twists and turns and some real surprises that only add to the readers interest and enjoyment.
Delightful!!!
Really like this author although this book not quite as much as other books.
I enjoyed it very much, it’s one that you will reread.
It was good story to follow although a little sad. It did feel as if many of the smaller stories were introduced and dropped making it a little choppy. I liked the characters and felt like they were vividly described and glad for a happy ending.
So glad I read this book. Complex characters and unique story. Very well written with good dialogue and storyline. You will not be disappointed.
Loved these characters! Great story. Will read it again some time