THE GENTLEMAN SPY by Erica Vetsch, Reviewed by Paula Shreckhise. #GiveawayEndsAug18

Erica Vetsch continues her Serendipity and Secrets series with another wonderful Regency tale. I have read and loved her stories for quite a while but when I read the first in this series, I saw her shine! This second book wows like the first. I read it very quickly. I love this time period and she showcases it vividly. Spies are intriguing and Marcus fits the bill.

Marcus Haverly has become the Duke due to the untimely deaths of his father and brother. His duties as the new Duke could change his role as a loyal agent for the Crown. Marcus tends to put his different responsibilities into boxes to keep them separate. More difficulties come to light when both his overbearing mother and his boss urge him to find a wife.

Charlotte Tiptree is a lady, but one who is well read and not interested in the usual pursuits of fashion and rubbing elbows with the elite of society. Besides, her father keeps a tight rein on her. She has no real friends except her precious books, which she has purchased on the sly. Give me a heroine who loves books and is not afraid to use her brain. Charlotte ponders: “Any husband would be preferable to spinsterhood under her father’s control...As long as her new husband left her alone...And maybe let her buy books.”

While both Marcus and Charlotte are believers, they show their willingness to learn from God and their friends. Dolly, who runs a refuge for women: “God is not in a fluster about my predicament. He has a plan, and He will reveal it to me in His time and not a moment before. If I did not have to believe without seeing, it would not be called faith.”

They both grow in their faith, learn to trust each other and learn to order their priorities, finding that: “Your worth comes from the God who created you and the people who love you.”

There is excitement and evil, rescue and reformation and lessons in love.

Kudos to Ms. Vetsch for a fresh voice in the Regency genre. I cannot wait for book #3: The Indebted Earl
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Kregel through Interviews and Reviews. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*
I give this 5 stars and a strong faith thread.

BackCover Blurb:
He only wanted a duchess for a day--but she's determined to make it a marriage for life

When his father and older brother suddenly pass away, the new Duke of Haverly is saddled with a title he never expected to bear. To thwart the plans of his scheming family, the duke impulsively marries a wallflower. After all, she's meek and mild; it should be easy to sequester her in the country and get on with his life--as a secret agent for the Crown.

But his bride has other ideas. She's determined to take her place not only as his duchess but as his wife. As a duchess, she can use her position to help the lowest of society--the women forced into prostitution because they have no skills or hope. Her endeavors are not met favorably in society, nor by her husband who wishes she'd remain in the background as he ordered.

Can the duke succeed in relegating her to the sidelines of his life? When his secrets are threatened with exposure, will his new wife be an asset or a liability?
 
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