Check out an awesome giveaway from MJ and Piper in celebration of the upcoming release of The Luckiest: http://mjandpiper.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-its-time-to-get-lucky-again.html?zx=b32663719ea975e5

I have just learned that Shana Galen will be coming out with a sequel to Lord and Lady Spy, wonderful historical romp through London. True Spies is due out in Fall 2013. Since that is such a long wait,  I am sharing a review for Lord and Lady Spy I posted on GoodReads. Enjoy!

Favorite quote: How could his breath on her skin feel so good? And wouldn’t he find her utterly ridiculous if she were to ask him to simply breathe all over her? I have to admit, it was the cover that caught my attention on this book. Usually when that happens, it’s the man – his bare chest, muscled arms, smoldering eyes - but in this case, it was the Lady of the title. Most Regency novels feature fawning, fainting women just waiting to be ravished. On Lord and Lady Spy, the Lady in question is standing on a case of dynamite, chest pushed out, a look of defiance on her face. This woman is ready to take on not only her Lord but the world. (The Lord is quite good looking, as well, posed with his pistol.) Both Lord and Lady Smythe are spies employed by the Barbican Agency, an off-shoot of Her Majesty’s Foreign Office. Married out of duty, neither has a clue that the other is working for the same agency. They have each kept their covers superbly maintained – he works in his library and goes off to the club, leaving town on business quite often, she has her charitable works and wears high-necked gowns and glasses to maintain a mousey appearance (and leaves town on business quite often, unbeknownst to him). Early in the book, each is let go from the agency – no longer necessary, they are told, now that Napoleon has been captured. Soon, though, they are each given another chance through a secret meeting. After a brief scuffle, they recognize each other – and then the fun begins. Lord and Lady Smythe are both hired by the Prime Minister to find his brother’s killer. The first one to uncover the murderer retains his or her job at the Barbican Agency. After a rough start, the two decide to work together, albeit each has plans to discover the killer and claim the reward on their own. Right from the outset we can see the marriage is strained. Neither really knows each other due to so much separation during their marriage. They have also lost three children during pregnancy, something else that affects their relationship. But as they work together to solve the mystery, they see each other in a new light and their relationship grows. At the same time, there are trust issues due to circumstances from their past – the murder of her brother and the betrayal of his father. Not only did I fall in love with the cover, I fell in love with the book and Lord and Lady Smythe. This one gets five stars.

This is the fourth installment of the Mahu series (although there is a book of short stories called Mahu Men which takes place between Mahu Surfer and Mahu Vice.) This was a hard book to start. When I read through the first few paragraphs I was in shock. Kimo and Mike had split up? WHAT???


Then something horrible happens - the very first building Kimo's father ever built on his own has burned down and arson is discovered. Now Kimo must work with Fire Inspector and ex-boyfriend Mike Riccardi to find out who set the fire and why.


In typical Plakcy formula, the plot thickens and twists throughout the book, as does the relationship between Kimo and Mike. While both of the men have their issues (and they are not necessarily easy ones to deal with), they still have to work together; but there is a wall of tension, anger, hurt, and humiliation between them. Even though I was heartbroken to find out they had split up, I couldn't put the book down as I read chapter after chapter into the night. 


As I always remind you, if you're looking at this for a first Plakcy/Mahu read, go back to the first book in the series and read through them in order. That way you don't miss out on anything!