Product Description

New York Times bestselling author Jane Feather has won legions of fans and critical accolades for her sweeping romances portraying a unique blend of sizzling seduction and dangerous intrigue. In this first of two romances featuring two unconventional sisters whose quest to solve the mystery surrounding their lives puts each of them in the path of a dangerously irresistible hero, Jane Feather tells the story of a daring young widow and a master spy engaged in a duel of wits--and seduction--to uncover a dark secret....

To Kiss a Spy

Lady Pen Bryantson had been caught red-handed looking for clues among her mother-in-law’s papers. But the mystery she sought to uncover only deepened with the sudden appearance of a man whose mere presence sent shivers of excitement coursing through her. What could this dangerously seductive man who moved with a courtier’s charm and brandished an assassin’s skill want with someone as ordinary as she was?

But to Owen D’Arcy, the bewitching young woman he’d been assigned to ensnare was anything but ordinary. With a single kiss, the sophisticated spy found that he’d been unexpectedly disarmed. Determined to seduce her on his own terms, Owen offered Pen a devil’s bargain she had no choice but to accept. Now they would both go undercover, only to find themselves drawn into a world of deception and double cross, where anyone could be the deadliest of enemies--and their own uncontrolled passion the most dangerous threat of all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #450626 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-01
• Released on: 2003-01-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 6.86" h x 1.15" w x 4.17" l, .47 pounds
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 432 pages

From Amazon.com
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 her lost child. Passion and intrigue abound in this lusty yet dignified bodice-ripper.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In 1552 England is in a power vacuum as King Edward lies dying. Many opposing factions are hoping to gain control, and the French ambassador wants his best spy, Owen d'Arcy, to gain access to the princess through her lady-in-waiting, Lady Pen Bryanston. Pen is a young widow who has led a dull life serving the deeply religious princess since she lost husband and son. She encounters the charming Owen at a party while secretly searching for information about her child. As Pen wonders why such a handsome man would be interested in her, what starts out as a simple assignment for Owen develops into something more as Pen decides to use the spy for her own purposes, determined to find out what really happened to the baby she was told was stillborn. As Owen and Pen strike a deal, they get more than they bargained for, and so will the reader of this historical romance filled with political conspiracies and lusty encounters. Patty Engelmann
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