Love and Let Spy (Lord and Lady Spy, 3) Paperback – August 5, 2014

I picked up this third book in Shana Galen’s Lord and Lady Spy series as soon as it was released. It rated fairly high on RT BookReviews with 4.5 stars and was listed as a top pick for August 2014. RT ratings aside, though, the promise of a historical with a female spy at its core was a little too much to resist. At 384 pages, this book was the perfect length for a novel and the author did not cut corners on detail or plot. This story was so cute and fun to read!Jane Bonde is a hardcore female. One might think that a “hard female” in 1816 might be one of the women who use societal status to smite her foes, but this lady likes to get down and dirty. Jane Bonde would be a hardcore lady in 2014! Working for the Barbican Group to complete missions that keep England safe, Jane is definitely not a quitter who balks at a little dirty work; she dives into danger repeatedly. The only problem that she is having some difficulty tackling is her age and the spinsterhood looming on the horizon – how will all this impact her spy status and ability to complete missions?Dominic Griffyn is an unwilling groom who is being saddled with an unwilling bride. A known rake with the title of bastard looming over him, Dominic is being commanded by his titled stepfather to wed, and Jane is the female his mother has selected to be his partner. In addition to the difficulties already between them, Dominic has an even darker past that permeates his life and shadows his dreams. Every expectation he has of the beautiful society miss that his mother has selected is broken and realigned each time he meets with Jane – will his iron will hold up in time for them to find a way out of this forced marriage, or will they both succumb to the pressure of their families?I thoroughly enjoyed this tale and Shana Galen’s style of writing. I will be purchasing the previous books in this series to catch up, and looking for more in the future!RuckieYou can find the author on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.http://shanagalen.com/https://www.facebook.com/ShanaGalenhttps://twitter.com/shanagalenIf you enjoyed my review, you can find me on my website, Facebook, or Twitter.http://www.romancereviewsbyruckie.com/https://www.facebook.com/ruckasaurusrexhttps://twitter.com/reviewsbyruckie

So I just re-read Lord and Lady Spy and totally forgot that this book was being released this week! This was such a fun read! I adore the premises of the author’s Spy series. The first being a take on Mr. and Mrs. Smith, then True Lies and now James Bond. It’s written with such cheekiness that I couldn’t help but smile as I read how Jane Bonde prefers her drink shaken, not stirred.The story is a continuation of the Spy series Barbican group who are hunting down the master spy Fonce who has been trying to take out fellow spies and key members of the British aristocracy, royalty and government. Jane has been trained by her guardian known as M for this role since he took her in as an orphaned six year old. She is the best. She is cultured, worldly and deadly. However now the time has come for her to marry and a groom has been selected for her. Obviously for someone who is so independent and capable, this is not a welcome interference. She rebels at the idea, even though the handsome man chosen piques her interest.Dominic has NO interest in marrying. AT ALL. He is suffering from what is described as post traumatic stress disorder from being abused as a child. He doesn’t form bonds, he doesn’t fit it with society and his family and he doesn’t want to be married. Of course he is interested in Jane, but expresses the futility of a match.The two main characters dance around one another for most of the story. They come to the realization that escaping the marital plans their families have for them may be impossible. Dominic discovers pretty quickly that Jane is a spy and although he wants to be a caveman and save her, he does understand she is immensely capable and joins her on some missions. For a Regency male, he accepts Jane’s occupation and experience pretty well. It helps make the plot more believable that there seem to be just as many female spies in the Barbicon group as there are men. It was funny to read about M’s assistant Moneypence and Miss Qwillen, aka Q the weapons expert. This nod to the James Bond series was a lighthearted addition to the book.The lust the two feel for each other is tempered by their desire to not be betrothed to each other and because of Dominic’s past abuse. For a moment I thought the book was about to take a page from Fifty Shades of Grey, but the author writes the sex scenes well and realistically for the nature of the couple. Jane is technically a virgin, but experienced enough to know what she wants. Dominic on the other hand, is very new at intimacy and sex. I liked how the author navigated the progression of their sexual encounters and it made it more exciting once they finally got down to it.The spy plot is central to the book and it ties up the series well. Jane is a fierce agent and she has enjoyed her work as a spy, but through the book starts to question her role and what she wants for the future. It seemed inevitable that she would concede to a life with Dominic and you want to cheer when she does agree to be his wife.Both characters are well developed. You learn about Dominic and his past. He breeds horses and cares deeply for the work that he does. This added depth and dimension to the character, especially since Jane is a more developed character. It was great to see the other characters from the series make appearance in the book – Wolf, Saint, Blue, Baron…I liked hearing what they were doing since their story was told. I especially liked reading about Adrian and Sophia’s pregnancy.Overall this was a solid story with good plot developments. It was fun to have such an interesting heroine to read about and see a Regency woman so capable. This was not a typical historical romance per se as the hero had deep personal issues that made him weak and fearful, but it was handled well. He could still be alpha male, but he was her equal in many regards.There is a new series on the horizon from Shana Galen to be explored. Stay tuned….Reviewed for Kiltsandswords

I’m at a loss for words with this one! Wow! This historical romance was incredible and I want more! Yes! Shana Galen outdid herself on this one! Dominic was the perfect flawed character. Normally flawed characters are weak but Galen made him strong regardless. I loved it!

I am a huge fan of Ms Galen’s writing. I also am in love with Sean Connery’s portrayal James Bond. The premise for this book was amusing...up to a point. But, at times it got just too precious for me. I have not read the other books in this series.I really liked Jane and Dominic. She was an amazing athlete and intelligence agent. She was smart and funny and “knock your sock’s off” beautiful. She had been put into the spy game by her uncle. It is basically the only thing she has known since she was an adult.Dominic is a very talented horse breeder, the stepson of an earl, and illegitimate. That has had a great deal of influence on how he has been treated by the upper classes. He is not going to win most popular.The mystery is well done. The villain is about as villainous as possible. There is adventure, lots of humor and lust.But, at times I also felt there were too many pages of descriptions and inner thoughts. When there was action, it was fast moving and very exciting.This is a fun book. Ms Galen writes wonderful stories. This is a terrific story. And I anticipate reading many more of her books.

What a cracker! This is the story of Bonde, Jane Bonde who takes her ratafia shaken, not stirred.Like the earlier episodes in the series, it is well written and highly amusing, although it too has a serious sub-theme. It picks up on Bonde’s mission to deal with the continuing problem of Fonce’s activities against the Barbican group and includes a selection of clever elements of homage to Ian Fleming.I have a strong suspicion that when I come to reread the series, I will not only enjoy the bits I found funny before, but will also find additional smiles that I missed the first time.If you are planning on picking up this story, it would stand alone, but you would probably get more out of it if you start with the first story “Lord and Lady Spy” and then work your way through the whole series. I just wish there were more.

Book is as described. Thank you.

Bit disappointed in this book.Usually Shana is a very good story teller.But Jane Bonde, Q (female), Moneypiece (male), M , this is mi 5 in emergency England.

I loved all the books in the series and I think Bonde is my favourite spy. All the books contain alpha males, feisty women, love, thrills and intrigue. Highly recommended.

Jane Bonde is a breath of fresh air, I loved her. Would love to see more of her.