The Gentleman Spy, Serendipity Secrets #2 by Erica Vetsch

Book description:


He only wanted a duchess for a day--but she's determined to make it a marriage for life

When his father and older brother suddenly pass away, the new Duke of Haverly is saddled with a title he never expected to bear. To thwart the plans of his scheming family, the duke impulsively marries a wallflower. After all, she's meek and mild; it should be easy to sequester her in the country and get on with his life--as a secret agent for the Crown.

But his bride has other ideas. She's determined to take her place not only as his duchess but as his wife. As a duchess, she can use her position to help the lowest of society--the women forced into prostitution because they have no skills or hope. Her endeavors are not met favorably in society, nor by her husband who wishes she'd remain in the background as he ordered.

Can the duke succeed in relegating her to the sidelines of his life? When his secrets are threatened with exposure, will his new wife be an asset or a liability?

Book review: 

Although these aren't the type of books I normally read, I enjoyed the first one so much that I have been looking forward to reading the second one.Since the main male character was a spy, this book leaned more towards being suspense than the first one, which made it all the more enjoyable to me.

 Both Charlotte and Marcus were interesting and likable characters, which is a big plus for a story, but especially Marcus. He was a rich aristocrat going through the motions of what he had to do in society, yet had a secret life as a spy that even his new wife didn't know about. And Charlotte was intended to be a meek wife to gain approval and help his place in society, but she bucked the system and got involved in helping women who were trapped in prostitution.

 I really enjoyed this story. The author did a great job of portraying life in England in the 1800's, and what a marriage of convenience might look like. Vetsch has a great writing style, and captured my attention on the first page, and kept it all through the book. This book IS a romance, so there was a lot of that in the book, made all the more interesting by the spy activities and by wondering what Charlotte would do next to mortify her mother-in-law and knock her new husband off balance.

 The main characters from  the previous book made a few appearances, and it was cool to have them tied into the story.

 Vetsch has come out with another riveting novel that has left this reader looking forward to the 3rd and last novel in this trilogy.


I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.

About the author:

Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling and ACFW Carol Award–winning author. She is a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota with her husband, who she claims is both her total opposite and soul mate.  

Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks.

A self-described history geek, she has been planning her first research trip to England.

Learn more about Erica Vetsch and her books at www.ericavetsch.com. She can also be found on Facebook (@EricaVetschAuthor), Instagram (@EricaVetsch) and Pinterest (Erica Vetsch).

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