Whispers and Spies

The Shadow of the Black Rose #1

by Sheridan Jeane

To stop a conspiracy, they must become lovers. To survive it, they must become partners.

The Black Rose Society is plotting treason, and the Crown needs agents inside. Lady Helena Ashford—diplomat's daughter, brilliant observer, and keeper of too many secrets—is the perfect choice. But infiltrating the Society's inner circle requires the one thing she's never had to fake before: a devoted fiancé.

Enter Major James Westwood, a war-scarred soldier with ghosts he can't outrun and a limp that reminds him daily of the men he failed to save. He'll play Helena's devoted fiancé. He'll charm Society matrons and infiltrate treasonous gatherings. What he won't do is fall for a woman who deserves far better than a broken soldier with nothing left to lose.

But as Helena and James wade deeper into the conspiracy—navigating masked balls, decoding secret meetings, and dodging the Society's suspicions—their pretend devotion starts feeling dangerously real. The Raven, the Society's enigmatic leader, is planning something catastrophic: the assassination of a Crown diplomat that could plunge Britain into chaos.

Racing against time, Helena and James must unmask the traitor before the Society strikes. But in a world where one wrong move means exposure and death, the greatest danger isn't the conspiracy they're hunting—it's the feelings they can no longer deny.

Tropes You'll Enjoy:
- Fake engagement/relationship
- Forced proximity
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Spy romance
- Enemies-to-lovers elements
- Partners in danger
- Slow burn

368 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2026

About the author

Sheridan Jeane writes both contemporary, small-town romantic comedies featuring strong-willed heroines and the men who love them, as well as exciting Victorian-era books filled with spies, intrigue, and romance. She has released five historical romances in her Secrets and Seduction series as well as a standalone romance Gambling on a Scoundrel.

Sheridan's newest series is The Way to a Woman's Heart, and the first trilogy in the series is Coming Home>. If features Slow Simmer, Here's the Scoop, and From Bitter to Sweet.

Sheridan is the daughter of an artist/art-therapist/professor mother and an opera-loving/computer engineer/do-it-yourself father. Growing up, she assumed parents routinely converted their garages into well-stocked art studios complete with potter's wheels, kilns, and every color of acrylic paint under the sun. Didn't every second-grader nail shingles on the roof of the new 2-car garage their dad built? And didn't every family host the occasional after-opera cast party?
No?
Go figure!

Surrounded by art and music, Sheridan immersed herself in books. Her parents encouraged this love, and one summer while she was away at summer camp, her dad covered her entire bedroom wall with floor-to-ceiling bookcases.

Sheridan's Books:
Her standalone novel Gambling on a Scoundrel has earned the distinction of being one of the three most checked-out romance novels in the Self-e library system.

Her Secrets and Seduction series includes:
Lady Cecilia Is Cordially Disinvited for Christmas
It Takes a Spy...
Lady Catherine's Secret
Once Upon a Spy, and
My Lady, My Spy

Reviews

[Colorado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victorian romantic suspense

This takes place in the Victorian era during the Crimean war. It's a period of great political and social unrest. While Britain's goals are reasonable - to prevent Russian control of European trade routes - the war is plagued by the consequences of incompetence. Soldiers without supplies, accurate intelligence and leadership are being slaughtered. (This war was the inspiration for the famous Tennyson poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade.) When a conspiracy is launched to destabilize the Crown and cede control to foreign powers, Helena and James are recruited to infiltrate the Black Rose Society and determine their plans. She's a member of the nobility and the daughter of a diplomat. He's a military officer and a veteran of the war. Because they will be less suspect as a couple, a fake engagement is fabricated.

This is a closed door romance and the emphasis is on the plot and suspects and on introducing the wily band of spies investigating the conspiracy. A connection forms between the pair as they follow the clues and protect each other. Helena is no demure or retiring heroine; she's actively engaged in collecting intelligence and aiding James when they are targeted. Each is suspicious of love but their bond is powerful.

[Charlotte Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of Sheridan Jeane’s Shadow Of The Black Rose series starts not with a bang but with intrigue, a woman trying to find her place in good society, and possible treason around every corner.

The female main character Helena is endearing, witty, and surprisingly sure of herself in almost every way that matters. In matters of the heart, however, she doesn’t see herself clearly and doesn’t allow herself to be truly seen by others.
She is drawn into a fake engagement with the quiet, brooding male main character James. James, a wounded war hero, is struggling to find purpose without the military and seeking safety after being betrayed by one of his own men.
James and Helena are tasked with faking an engagement in order to infiltrate a secret society that the government knows is plotting treason.
What follows is a fun flurry of dinner parties, rendezvous in secret places, mild bodily harm, and the constant risk of being discovered. When things do end up exploding, James and Helena have found love in one another and a new purpose in life as a team.

The whispers and spies the title calls out are extensive, enthusiastic, and entertaining. The novel is a fun and flirty tale that is sure to entertain. James and Helena’s relationship starts with a spark but seems to flicker for quite some time. I think much of their relationship is forged under pressure and the threat of danger but they do seem to find true love with one another in the end. Parts of the book are a bit of a reach. A young woman of good breeding knowing how to defuse a bomb is fun but the brief interlude about her father teaching her how to fiddle with codes and clocks doesn’t totally explain it. There is an extensive cast of characters that I sometimes struggled to follow. Although Aunt Prudence might now be my new favorite meddling aunt character. Her presence and dialogue made me laugh every time.

Despite some issues along the way - the chapter headings weren’t consistent, the plot sometimes wavered, and the romance development wasn’t always strong - Whispers And Spies was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a dash of danger with their historical romance.

Many thanks to Dragonblade Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader copy to review.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just think it's so odd. The blurb made the book seem so interesting and right up my alley, but the book fell flat for me. In fact, I was so bored that I dropped the book for almost 2 weeks, and only picked it back up because it was expiring on NetGalley. DNF 50%, 2.5/5, rounded up.

First thing you should know about me, I'm literally obsessed with this genre of espionage/secret society/mystery novels. I eat them up. But Whispers and Spies just didn't do it for me. I liked both characters fine: Helena was just SO. COOL. She's brave, she's smart, and just such a wonderfully written character. James was okay too, but I didn't care for him as much as I did Helena.

The romance... well. I'm kind of confused why they fell in love in the first place (and still not sure I 100% bought it). Even still, I liked watching them fall, push each other apart, and then slowly come together. I rooted for them, even if I didn't know why I was supposed to. Basically, I saw a fire, enjoyed said fire cause I could roast s'mores, but how did it start? Who knows. But at least I have my s'mores.

My big problem with the book, and truthfully, I'm surprised by it, was I found the mystery boring. We were literally crawling at a snail's pace, and frankly, I should've read this before bed, because it would've put me right to sleep. How can nothing be happening in an espionage book??? Other than that though, I found the writing okay.

Another issue I had was I was never too invested in them catching the people behind this secret society. And honestly, I don't even know what was so different about this book's antagonists from other espionage books that it made me not care whether or not our MCs would catch them in the end. The combination of "oh my gosh, can we get a move on???" and "yeah okay, whatever dude" just. Didn't bode well for the plot, thus, me dropping at 50%.

I really liked Prudence! I actually considered continuing the book solely for her, but ultimately, I just couldn't.

2.5 stars, for great characters and a romance I enjoyed. Sadly, I couldn't get through the mystery plot.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whispers and Spies is a fun and quick read in the historical spy romance genre. It features a fake engagement between Lady Helena Ashford, who is trained in espionage skills by her father, and Major James Westwood, a soldier left injured after battle on the Continent.

I especially loved the opera and ball scenes, where they needed to prove to society that they were madly in love, and the infiltration scenes in which they had to try to prove their loyalty to a secret treasonous society.

The story is told through third person POV from both Helena and James, and I loved seeing both of their perspectives as they really fell in love while faking their relationship. I felt that their chemistry could have been a bit stronger—maybe the story would have benefitted from a few more opportunities for them to work together and build their chemistry. But overall, I really enjoyed the dynamic of a lady falling in love with a soldier from lower social standing, and I loved seeing how their skills matched as well as their personalities and goals. Over the course of the story, they found a sense of belonging and made each other stronger.

My main criticism is that I found some portions of the writing to be repetitive. Certain ideas or even certain phrases were repeated from one chapter to the next in a somewhat distracting way. But this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the development of the story.

This is book 1 of The Shadow of the Black Rose series, and I would definitely read more based on this one.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whispers and Spies by Sheridan Jeane is the first volume in a planned series set during the Crimean War, and my first read by this author. I picked it up mainly because the Victorian espionage angle sounded interesting, and I like spy themes in historical settings.

Overall, the book was too long and felt repetitive in places. Some of the story beats and conversations are repeated a bit too often, which affected the pacing for me.

I did like Helena and James as a couple. I liked how they’re thrown together and end up working side by side for their country. They work well together, have mutual respect, and gradually build trust over time before falling in love. The romance felt steady and is a closed-door HEA.

The main strengths for me were the premise and the relationship between the leads. It just could have benefited from tighter pacing and less repetition to keep the story moving more consistently.

Overall, it’s a decent read. I liked parts of it, especially the characters and the setup, even if it didn’t fully hold my attention throughout. I’d still consider trying more from the author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the review copy. My opinions are my own!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Black Rose Society is plotting treason, and the Crown needs agents inside. Lady Helena Ashford—diplomat's daughter, brilliant observer, and keeper of too many secrets—is the perfect choice. But infiltrating the Society's inner circle requires the one thing she's never had to fake before: a devoted fiancé. Enter Major James Westwood, a war-scarred soldier with ghosts he can't outrun and a limp that reminds him daily of the men he failed to save. He'll play Helena's devoted fiancé.
A new author to me & a new series. I enjoyed the book, which started slowly but the pace did kick up in the second half. There was quite a bit of scene setting & there are interesting secondary characters. I liked both James & Helena but felt that all important chemistry was lacking, although it did improve but for me it never sizzled. I was intrigued about The Black Rose Society & look forward to seeing how things develop
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

[Bridget Love to read Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have Lady Helena Ashford brilliant and fearless in her own right!
She has been gathering information at balls and other events in service to the crown.
She has been tasked to take her patriotism to a new level. She has to end her attachment and possible engagement to another to pretend to be enamored of one Major James Westwood. He is handsome, brave and totally dedicated to the success of every mission! Helena believes love is a farce and it greatly diminishes a person.
They are engaged and keep it at first strictly to the mission. But lies become truth and it becomes increasingly difficult to discern if their feelings are real! When society itself questions their devotion they have to convince them and the Black Rose that their love is true!
Helena had never been seen as herself with all ye difficult parts of her being revealed intimately to James! There love story reads like an espionage novel and less like a love story!
There is tension and intrigue on every page! I received an ARC copy for my unbiased opinion!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a super interesting premise. It has a cast of engaging characters and the book is a good set-up for the rest of the series to come. Some aspects of the writing style weren’t my cup of tea (e.g., sometimes quite heavy-handed) despite many beautiful descriptions, and I also didn’t feel much of a spark between the two romantic leads before they were suddenly kissing. But I am still intrigued enough to try the rest of the series.

Side note: I love supporting Dragonblade authors because I believe their writing and covers are all human-created with no AI. They are also usually clear about whether books are "spicy" or "clean" for readers who want to know.

Thank you to Dragonblade and NetGalley for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.

Content notes:
Violence: injuries, fighting, mentions of death during war
Romance: kissing
Language: some mild profanity (e.g., ba*****s, "God" used as an exclamation)

[Winnifred D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: fake engagement; MC's team up to solve a mystery
Steam level: low
First in a series

3.5 stars rounded up. This is intelligently written and I enjoyed the premise and the overall plotting. I love a good spy/mystery yarn and was prepared to be all in on this, but at times the pacing was slow, with an overage of details occasionally bogging down the action (the habit of alternating chapters from each character's POV with their name, date, and location was often unnecessary and a bit stagey). The romance didn't have a lot of emotional depth or passion, but I did root for the MC's.

I feel if this had just been a bit more closely edited and had a touch more spark between the MC's, it would have been a solid 4 or even 5 stars from me.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my honest, voluntary review. Thanks to the author, Net Galley, and Dragon Blade for this opportunity.

[Pat Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

,This is my first novel from this author and I found her to be thoroughly enjoyable. Two people , afraid to love and trust, are thrust together as spies and find what each were not looking for. I adored watching Helena and James’ love progress and the attention to detail made this story one hard to put down. Aunt Prudence is an absolute hoot- I loved her wit and style. The back stories were well developed and the angst was very real. Not real sure about the “scandal newspaper” scene… felt very contrived, especially when someone yelled, “Prove it” This is part of a series, so there is a bit of a cliffhanger , though their mission is resolved. I also enjoyed getting to see the ‘debriefings’ , but was confused on the villains’ punishment- I thought treason would bring more than what was handed out. No crass language (thank you Author!) and very sweet )kissing only). Anxiously awaiting the next in the series.

I received this story for free and these are my own views.

[Cri · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the blurb of this book I was sure I was going to love it. I am always eager to jump into new series and get to meet new characters.

The plot I liked, what fell short for me was how the whole story was orchestrated. I felt some concepts were repeated a bit too many times, that the thread of the plot sometimes was lost and then found again but with a slightly different nuance and some discrepancies were evident.

I hope that the next book solves these issues as the story could really be entertaining.

I received an advance copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily, thanks to the author for it.

[Anna Boliker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb was promising.
The book was slow. And indecisive.
A lot of very short sentences. A lot of watching. Cataloguing. Chessboard metaphors. Very tense writing style. So tense, the romance was only oozing through.
It was like watching kids playing spies. Taking themselves too seriously. Slow story and situations you would not believe were possible in that time.

If you are good with this style, the book is worth a read. But do not expect to be sitting on the edge of your settee.

Thanks netgalley for the arc. Opinions are my own.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the characters of Helena and James. Helena is very strong and courageous. James has withstood a lot of pain. I liked the mystery, but it moved slower than I hoped it would. It felt like it got a little repetitive, also. It was a nice story and others might enjoy it.