To Kiss a Spy (Hardcover)

by Jane Feather (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Setting: England, 1552

Sensuality: 7

A beautiful widow, Lady Pen Bryanston is tormented by a mystery she can't resolve, and when sophisticated spy Owen d'Arcy approaches her with a proposition, she strikes a devil's bargain with the handsome, dangerous man. Pen needs Owen to uncover the truth about the baby her vicious mother-in-law claims died at birth, but to buy Owen's services, she must use her position as favorite lady-in-waiting to spy on Princess Mary. The situation is complicated for Pen by the passionate attraction she feels for Owen. A man with a dark past, Owen finds himself attracted to Pen on many levels, and she soon challenges his view of himself and his life. But even as Owen and Pen unravel the web of lies surrounding her son's birth, a dark political storm is gathering about Princess Mary. Before Owen and Pen can resolve their complicated love affair, their lives and the lives of all those around them will be threatened by powerful forces that wish them harm.

To Kiss a Spy is solidly grounded in historical facts and set against a backdrop colored with brilliant detail. Author Jane Feather skillfully blends political intrigue, family loyalty, and heart-stopping romance in this well-plotted novel. --Lois Dyer

From Publishers Weekly
With this second installment in her "kissing" series (after The Widow's Kiss) Feather once again delivers her trademark blend of passion and suspense. Set in 16th-century England during the reigns of Princess Mary and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the historical romance begins when heartbroken yet strong-willed Lady Pen Bryanston suffers a twin loss her frail husband dies, leaving Pen widowed and pregnant, and a few months later, after hours of grueling labor, the child is delivered stillborn or so claims Pen's mother-in-law, the dowager countess of Bryanston. Pen is convinced she heard her baby cry at birth yet the countess insists that Pen was hallucinating. Is Pen just a grieving widow in denial, or did the countess give away the baby in order to secure the earlship for her favorite son? Two years go by, during which Pen recovers from the ills of her labor and obsesses over the child she believes is still alive. Enter Owen d'Arcy, a master spy commissioned by the French ambassador to bed Pen, who happens to be a confidante of Princess Mary and cousin of the Holy Roman emperor. D'Arcy's plan to seduce Pen to secure the royal secrets goes awry when his passionate advances are met with cold laughter. Chagrined and challenged, d'Arcy doubles his amorous efforts until Pen relents when she learns that he is a spy and willing to defect to her cause. Together the two set out to uncover the mystery of he