Arc c/o St Martin's Press 
 4 Stars 
 A humourous, fast-paced read. 
 Premise: Daphne Swift wants to annul her brief in-name-only marriage to Captain Rafferty Cavendish so she could marry a gentleman. He agrees to let her go if she helps him once again to uncover some information he seeks for the Crown. But Rafe may have second thoughts about letting her go. 
 The first half has our main MCs circling each other at a house party intended to announce Daphne's engagement. It was hard to put down and had me laughing out loud - I loved that charade scene. I love the sharp dry wit of Sir Roderick, against Delilah's unintended humour. 
 In the second half, Daphne heads out to help Rafe as agreed, and I knew this is where I might struggle a little. Spy intrigue romance stories are just hard to write well, the author has to make it somewhat plausible, have enough action to satisfy readers, and yet of course our MCs are never truly harmed in most cases. But I read the blurb and we all knew this going in. 
 Indeed you have to suspend a little disbelief when you put a lady of peerage from this era who hasn't been trained to work against dangerous killers, just because she knows French and Russian. She does get some training while on the job though which makes it a little better. The part I struggled with was our heroine's role at the end of the mission. (view spoiler)[Daphne captures all the men by herself, using a little bluffing and some skills with throwing a knife. If I were a bunch of men facing possibility of trial for this type of crime, I know I will likely be hanged, and would probably take a risk and make an escape. Also the person who throws the knife should be aiming for the chest, so if it missed her head she has to be very very short. I would have found it all the more plausible if at least she had help from one crew member, if not the hero. (hide spoiler)] 
 I also found Rafe's turnaround on his feelings towards a permanent and meaningful marriage with Daphne somewhat sudden. (view spoiler)[In his internal thoughts, right before he completes his mission, he feels he cannot stay with Daphne because of his lack of rank compare to hers, then after the mission, he says he realizes he needs her and cannot live without her. But the rank part is never addresses directly and two thoughts don't correlate. Does he feel good enough for her now that he has succeeded in the mission? Or does the rank not matter if he needs her? (hide spoiler)] 
 I really did enjoy this story thoroughly, but definitely the first half was my favourite. I'll be watching for more from this series and I would definitely be interested if there was a series that did not involve work for the Crown.