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Dangerous Deceit
Please note this is a reissued version of Dangerous Deceit, which was first published by Champagne Books, Canada, in 2011 with a different cover. I have redrafted the novel and changed it to British spelling and grammar as I am a UK author.
England, August 1813.
Lydia Hetherington is uninterested in society balls or marriage, until her brother's friend, Lord Marcus Sheldon, rides into her life to unseat her from her horse and unsettle her heart. An undercover spy for the government, Sheldon is equally unsettled by Lydia.
Complicated by a French spy, her friend's unrequited love for Lydia's brother, James, and a traitorous villain, Lydia gradually finds her emotions stirred by Lord Sheldon. But what is his relationship with the beautiful Lady Smythe and his part in an old scandal? Lydia faces danger before all deception is uncovered and love claims its reward.
Reviews: This is the first Regency romance I have ever read, but Dangerous Deceit has made me eager to read more…
The author wears her knowledge of the period lightly but her familiarity with the Regency period gives pace and flavour to the intrigue of the plot…
This is an excellent read which takes us back to the romance, excitements and pleasures of Regency society. The writer is obviously thoroughly at home in the period's history and morality and acutely aware of the repressions that contemporary women had to suffer…
England, August 1813.
Lydia Hetherington is uninterested in society balls or marriage, until her brother's friend, Lord Marcus Sheldon, rides into her life to unseat her from her horse and unsettle her heart. An undercover spy for the government, Sheldon is equally unsettled by Lydia.
Complicated by a French spy, her friend's unrequited love for Lydia's brother, James, and a traitorous villain, Lydia gradually finds her emotions stirred by Lord Sheldon. But what is his relationship with the beautiful Lady Smythe and his part in an old scandal? Lydia faces danger before all deception is uncovered and love claims its reward.
Reviews: This is the first Regency romance I have ever read, but Dangerous Deceit has made me eager to read more…
The author wears her knowledge of the period lightly but her familiarity with the Regency period gives pace and flavour to the intrigue of the plot…
This is an excellent read which takes us back to the romance, excitements and pleasures of Regency society. The writer is obviously thoroughly at home in the period's history and morality and acutely aware of the repressions that contemporary women had to suffer…
210 pages, ebook
First published May 1, 2011
8 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Romy Gemmell
8 books5 followersRomy Gemmell’s short stories, articles and poems have been published in UK magazines, in the US, and online (as full name, Rosemary). She is now a published historical and contemporary novelist for adults, and Middle Grade age group (as Ros). She likes to tackle a variety of writing genres and styles!
She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and the Scottish Associations of Writers.
She is a member of the Society of Authors, the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and the Scottish Associations of Writers.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 10, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging Regency romance. It has all the feels you would expect of it—a spirited, independent woman and a handsome man she is not quite certain of. Visits to London and Brighton, balls, a French spy and an exciting ending.
The story is well-developed and very enjoyable with wonderful characters.
I highly recommend it.
The story is well-developed and very enjoyable with wonderful characters.
I highly recommend it.
March 30, 2012
Lydia is a feisty Regency heroine. She reads Mary Wollstonecraft and evades all attempts by her parents to marry her off. She prefers her horse to the wealthy, elderly, Lord Merton who presses his suit (no – he doesn’t do his own ironing! – in Regency parlance, he’s trying to seduce her) regardless of Lydia’s aversion to him, and she is bored enough to relish an escapade or two.
When she’s rudely unseated from her horse by the enigmatic Lord Sheldon’s Phaeton, her life suddenly becomes much more exciting. He claims to be a friend of her brother, but is closeted in the study with her father for serious conversations and has some odd acquaintances. Lydia, more attracted to Lord Sheldon than she wants to admit, is curious to find out what is going on and inadvertently involves her friend Elizabeth (romantically attached to Lydia’s brother) in the dangerous deceit of the title.
In the great tradition of Regency romances, this novel is peopled by unsympathetic parents, dandified, steely-eyed heroes, gullible brothers, spirited women, sinister villains and Napoleonic spies. Who is the mysterious Lady Smythe? Who is the Frenchman Lord Sheldon meets in the garden after dark?
Lydia finds herself drawn into political as well as romantic intrigue and no-one, not even her father, is who they seem to be.
I have always been a great fan of Georgette Heyer, and at one time owned all her novels. It’s hard to match her exacting standards, but this novel didn’t disappoint in its period feel and historical detail. I sometimes felt that my credibility was being stretched too far by the plot stratagems, but it was always entertaining, and recommended by this reviewer for a light romantic read.
This is Romy Gemmell’s first novel, though she’s published – and won prizes – for her short stories. She's definitely one to watch!
When she’s rudely unseated from her horse by the enigmatic Lord Sheldon’s Phaeton, her life suddenly becomes much more exciting. He claims to be a friend of her brother, but is closeted in the study with her father for serious conversations and has some odd acquaintances. Lydia, more attracted to Lord Sheldon than she wants to admit, is curious to find out what is going on and inadvertently involves her friend Elizabeth (romantically attached to Lydia’s brother) in the dangerous deceit of the title.
In the great tradition of Regency romances, this novel is peopled by unsympathetic parents, dandified, steely-eyed heroes, gullible brothers, spirited women, sinister villains and Napoleonic spies. Who is the mysterious Lady Smythe? Who is the Frenchman Lord Sheldon meets in the garden after dark?
Lydia finds herself drawn into political as well as romantic intrigue and no-one, not even her father, is who they seem to be.
I have always been a great fan of Georgette Heyer, and at one time owned all her novels. It’s hard to match her exacting standards, but this novel didn’t disappoint in its period feel and historical detail. I sometimes felt that my credibility was being stretched too far by the plot stratagems, but it was always entertaining, and recommended by this reviewer for a light romantic read.
This is Romy Gemmell’s first novel, though she’s published – and won prizes – for her short stories. She's definitely one to watch!
June 18, 2011
Regency is not my usual genre - but romance is - and Dangerous Deceit, which came highly recommended, was for me a fabulous introduction to Regency Romance. The heroine of the story, Lydia, is strong-minded, a little naive and foolhardy at times, and uninterested in society balls or marriage. Until, of course, she meets the handsome not-what-he first seems Lord Marcus Sheldon. This novel is as proper and well-mannered as Lydia is expected to be - there are no sex scenes - but it transports you back in time to when Britain was at war with France, to a time of adventure and when the threat of danger and deceit abounds, with friends and foes, rouges and dandies, spies and traitors. The sexual tension between Lydia and Lord Sheldon positively crackles from the page. Romy Gemmell knows the Regency period so well, yet portrays the history with the lightest of touches, leaving you as breathless and satisfied as the lovely Lydia is in the end. Highly recommended.
February 4, 2012
This is a wonderful, gentle and absorbing read. I love the detail in the speech, dress and historical period of Romy Gemmell's Dangerous Deceit. Lydia and Elizabeth share in each other's quest to capture the heart of their men.
Set in the time of Napoleon's battle with the Duke of Wellington, and ending up in Brighton, where the Prince Regent is in the Pavillion there.
Excitement builds as Lydia goes undercover dressed as a male cousin of Elizabeth. Spies and undercover government agents are woven in a plot that keeps the pages turning.
Above all, the romance wins through in this charming and old fashioned book. If you like period romances, this one's for you.
Set in the time of Napoleon's battle with the Duke of Wellington, and ending up in Brighton, where the Prince Regent is in the Pavillion there.
Excitement builds as Lydia goes undercover dressed as a male cousin of Elizabeth. Spies and undercover government agents are woven in a plot that keeps the pages turning.
Above all, the romance wins through in this charming and old fashioned book. If you like period romances, this one's for you.
December 8, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book though I don't usually read romances. This book took me away to another time and place where I became part of the scenery and the action, watching and listening as the story unfolded. I particularly enjoyed the sense of setting, the details with which the place and the characters were described, right down to the language. The bit of espionage/mystery elements lent more depth to this story than I recall romances, regencies or otherwise, having. Highly recommend.
June 4, 2011
I hadn't read a Regency novel since my love affair with Georgette Heyer's books many years ago, so wasn't sure whether I would enjoy this after my normal diet of hard-hitting crime. I needn't have worried. All my love of Regency novels was rekindled by this superb romance. It had everything - headstrong heroine, mysterious hero, despicable villain, spies, intrigue, romance, I could go on and on. Suffice it to say this was a really satisfying read, and I would recommend it.
June 8, 2011
I loved it! I'd read other historical novels but never realized there was a name for this period until I got involved with Romance Writers of America and the local Ottawa chapter.
I think I'd be very much like Lydia... not what one would call a proper 'lady' of her time.
Romy's writing drew me in and her characterizations and descriptions were so lifelike, I felt transported back to that time.
I think I'd be very much like Lydia... not what one would call a proper 'lady' of her time.
Romy's writing drew me in and her characterizations and descriptions were so lifelike, I felt transported back to that time.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews