The Pretender (The Liar's Club, Book One): Celeste Bradley

"RULE #1: NEVER FALL IN LOVE.

"She had a secret she'd do anything to hide.

"Agatha Cunnington, a headstrong beauty from the country, has come to London in search of her missing brother James. The only clue she has is a cryptic letter signed 'the Griffin.' Agatha decides to disguise herself as a respectable married woman so that she can go about the city unnoticed. But for her charade to work she needs a suitable 'husband,' preferably someone tall, elegant, and rakish--someone like Simon Montague Rain.

"He had a secret he'd do anything to hide.

"Simon Montague Rain is a member of the Liar's Club, a renegade group of rogues and thieves in the service of the Crown. When someone begins murdering members of the undercover cabal one by one, Simon is given the mission to bring in the Griffin, one of his comrades who is suspected of betraying his brothers. Simon goes undercover and infiltrates the home of 'Mrs.' Agatha Applequist who he believes is the Griffin's mistress. Before Simon knows what's happened, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Agatha's soft, feminine charms--and he is tempted beyond reason to break the first rule of the Liar's Club: Never fall in love."

So, this is the first book in the Liar's Club series and I was absolutely enamored of the characters! I read the Royal Four series before this one and--though this one came first and you do not necessarily need to read them in order--this has only helped to further my reflective enjoyment of the Royal Four. The Liar's Club is filled with its own mysteries and dangers, as well as its own breed of handsome men whose lives are loyally bound to England while their hearts are dragged in another direction.

I believe I shall go as far as to say that Simon is my favorite character of Bradley's thus far, and that certainly is saying something! The plot was slightly unbelievable at first, but once I got to know the characters better, it seemed entirely plausible. The story was extremely entertaining and I must admit that there was a point near the end where I actually laughed aloud at the awkward comedy. Bradley truly is a master at the awkward situations, but I would not trade anything in the world to stop reading.

I thoroughly look forward to reading the next novel in the series, though I only got four of the five in the series and it just so happens that the one that I forgot is the one I need. So, I fear that I shall have to take a short intermission in my reading of Celeste Bradley to read another of the novels I picked up on a whim. Hopefully it is able to maintain my joy over Bradley's writing!