Daring the Duke by Anne Mallory

A Fun Romance
4 stars

Audrey Kendrick has been forced to return to her life as London's most legendary thief - a title she thought she'd managed to leave behind until a family crisis draws her back into the underworld for one last mission.

Stephen Chalmers, the new Duke of Marston is a spy charged with capturing the thief who is terrorising the town and jeopardising government secrets. When Stephen unmasks Audrey as the thief - she is in danger of losing more than her freedom to him. And when a greater danger moves onto the scene the pair realise that the best way to survive might be to work together even with the risk that they might fall in love.


I really enjoyed this book - it was a fun romance with plenty of action to keep you interested and wanting to keep turing the pages to see what will happen next. Stephen is your typical suave gentleman spy who cannot help but be charmed by the unconventional, feisty heroine Audrey. Their romance is believable although possibly slightly overshadowed by all the action.

There was quite a lot going on and although the plot is not overly complicated there are so many characters and plot points that you do have to pay attention to understand what is happening. I would also suggest that you have read Anne Mallory's first book Masquerading the Marquess before you read this book as there are many references to events and characters from that book that not having read it might make things slightly confusing.

However I would still give this book 4 stars as it is an enjoyable read and one that I would recommend. I will definitely be reading more of Anne Mallory's books in the future.

The Earl of her Dreams by Anne Mallory

Very enjoyable regency romance
4 Stars

Anne Mallory's fourth novel is a fresh and enjoyable historical and she is definitely an author that I will be looking for in the future.

Kate Simon is on the run from her despicable half brother who intends to marry her off to his disgusting friend in order to steal her dowry. So, disguised as a male tailor's assistant Kate stays at the Dragon's Tale coaching inn hiding out until she can make enough money to get safely to London.

In order to find his friend's scandalous journal - Christian Black, Earl of Canley is also at the Dragon's Tale and also in disguise. But with no room left at the inn Christian is forced to share with the young tailors assistant who he soon realises is not exactly what he seems.

When a murder occurs at the inn and the occupants trapped by a blizzard - Kate and Christian turn amateur investigators to try and find out the secrets of all the guests while trying very hard not to reveal their own secrets and passions.

I really enjoyed this book. Although I'm not really a huge murder mystery fan this story was written so well that it really draws you in to the story and the characters. Kate and Christian both have their demons and strengths that make them perfect for each other and it really is fun to watch them interact with each other while trying to stay unaffected. The colourful secondary characters really come alive too and having a map of the inn at the front of the book is a fun little extra which again draws you into the story.

The only downside to the book would have to be that as soon as the mystery was solved the end of the story seemed slightly flat compared to the puzzle that had been ongoing for most of the book. But the change of pace certainly didn't ruin the book which still had a satisfying conclusion.

If you enjoy colourful characters, a touch of mystery with good wit and a fast paced story then I really would recommend that you give this book a try.