One Night With a Spy (The Royal Four, Book Three): Celeste Bradley

"For years, Lady Julia Barrowby has acted the part of an old man's ornamental bride, never revealing that she has secretly helped the ailing Lord Barrowby in his work with the Royal Four. Now that her husband has died, Julia believes his place in the Four is hers by right. But convincing the remaining members will not be easy, especially with Marcus Ramsay, Lord Dryden, distracting her at every turn. Somehow, the mysterious Marcus seems to see into her very soul, effortlessly satisfying all her secret, forbidden longings...

"Marcus stood next in line to be chosen for the Four, and he is not willing to be displaced by a woman, no matter how intriguing or beautiful she may be. Under orders to investigate Julia, Marcus discovers her diary, overflowing with years of loneliness and yearning. Fulfilling Julia's fantasies is the perfect way to get closer to her, but seducing this fascinating creature is fast becoming more than a means to an end--it s his soul's deepest desire..."

So the first thing I did when I woke up this morning was finish the last, like, ten pages of this book...I completely ate it all up in about two days. Not bad for a novel! The completion of this third book in the Royal Four series marks my completion in reading this amazing series (remember how I said that I read the fourth book first?) and I am happy and at the same time, slightly sad. I want so badly to read more of the Royal Four's exploits!

Anyway, The plotline stayed true to the rest of the books in the series. The leading female role went to a hard-headed, strong young woman and the male role was for a "man among boys" kind of guy. Marcus previously had a role as Dane's apprentice for the Lion in the second book of the series and this novel is all about his quest for power and accidentally encountering love. The Chimera rears his ugly head--with a completely unforseen twist! A few of the plot elements boardered on the edge of unbelieveable (you'll see exactly what I mean when you read it), but overall it was very well-written. It was a real page-turner and stayed true to Celeste Bradley's style of writing. This book only solidified my love for her works!

I have gotten my hands on the first book in the Liar's Club series which I previously mentioned in the blog before this one and cannot WAIT to read it. (Like I said, try to read the Liar's Club before the Royal Four so it will all make more sense, but they can be read out of order.) There is another book that has been sitting on my shelf which I have been eyeing and maybe I will give myself a break from Bradley for that one--agonizing though it may be--because it will make her other books that much sweeter!