Back in London from Waterloo, Captain Will Endicott goes to see his boss Sir Dominic Hunter to tend his resignation; he's had enough of the Intelligence Service and spying. But his wish is not to be granted: his father, the Duke of York himself, is expecting him along with Dominic; an emergency has come up and Will must obey his father's wishes. It appears that cells of Irish Catholic radicals in London are planning the assassination of either a high ranking member of the government or a Royal within the next few weeks. Miss Evelyn Whitby might be involved, possibly unwillingly: her soon-to-be fiancé is said to have ties with Irish radicals. Evelyn was Will's childhood sweetheart; she was a shy and sweet girl, and although she might be easily influenced, Will cannot believe she could be involved in such a conspiracy. In order to fulfill his mission, Will must get reacquainted with her without telling her the reason, which will be a delicate matter: when Will had left to join the army, Evelyn felt abandoned; he barely kept in touch while she had thought they might one day get married.

HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is the latest instalment in the Renegade Royals series, but can easily be read as a standalone. The premise for HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is based on historical facts and Ms. Kelly has thoroughly researched her topic. The troubles in Ireland are a very clever premise: in addition to being ideal and realistic for a spy story, the Irish question offers the opportunity to delve more deeply in the characters' backgrounds and motivations, thus even richer character development. All the characters are captivating and complex; in fact, the secondary characters are so interesting that Alec and Edie, respectively Will's partner and Evelyn's sister, almost run away with the story! HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY begins slowly, as we get to know the characters and their stories, but soon the action picks up culminating in an exciting conclusion.

HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is beautifully written, the dialogues are witty, and both stories—an exciting spy caper and a beautifully nuanced romance— mesh perfectly into a solid multi-layered tale. Around halfway, Evelyn and her sister are involved in a bit of mischief, and as I was almost rolling my eyes expecting a tired and predictable old trope, Ms. Kelly took me completely by surprise: that's how a master storyteller does it! Vanessa Kelly does not disappoint: HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY is a superb book.

Book Summary

Whether as spies or lovers, the Renegade Royals—illegitimate sons of England’s Royal Princes—are bold, skillful, and a force to be reckoned with…

A war hero returned from Waterloo should be able to indulge in a bit of bad behavior. Instead, Captain William Endicott is summoned by his father, the Duke of York, to investigate an assassination plot. The unlikely suspect: William’s former sweetheart. Will can’t believe that innocent Evie Whitney could be mixed up in anything so nefarious. Then again, almost everything about Evie has changed—except for his body’s instinctive response to hers…

Just as Evie’s life is finally coming together, Will saunters back into it. Should she slap him—or seduce him? Even as she tries to decide, scandal pushes her toward marriage with a man she can neither trust nor resist—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy…

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