Is it possible for love to persist if it was built on a lie?
Mr. Guy Stewart, now an agent of the Crown, has been sent to determine if an illegal labor union has formed in the town of Anmore. It is a simple enough assignment, but nothing seems to go as planned when he arrives, and he quickly learns that one wrong move can lead to his death.
Miss Daphne Locke has just received the most extraordinary news—she has just been named her grandmother’s heir! When her meddlesome cousin shows up unannounced, she must do her best to ignore his constant criticism of her and focus on her new responsibilities.
When the two stranger’s cross paths, neither can deny the instant attraction between them. But Guy is under pressure to complete his assignment and doesn’t have time for pesky feelings, and Daphne is far above his station.
As his heart tugs him in an impossible direction, will Guy do what his conscience dictates, or put duty above all?
Laura Beers is an award-winning author. She attended Brigham Young University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management. She can't sing, doesn't dance and loves naps.
Laura lives in Utah with her husband, three kids, and her dysfunctional dog. When not writing regency romance, she loves waterskiing, hiking, and drinking Dr Pepper.
Lots of beautiful details and in-depth characters in this book that constantly hold your attention. It’s full of tension and chemistry that’s just so good to read.
The twists are interesting and entertaining and it’s a very enjoyable read throughout.
I loved the rest of the series too, Laura in most definitely on my go to list.
I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review
Guy Stewart, former Bow Street Runner, now agent for the Crown has an important assignment--find out if there's an labor union in the town of Anmore. Guy gets more than he bargained for in this seemingly simple assignment when Miss Daphne Locke enters the picture.
I loved Daphne and Guy together! She was so kind-hearted and he understood well the plight of the workers, especially when the owners of the mine showed so little concern the people who risked their lives working for them. Labor unions were illegal even though it wasn't illegal to underpay or mistreat the workers. I can't imagine working in those conditions. This put Guy in a rough spot as he was sympathic toward the workers but as an agent to the Crown he had to follow the laws. I wondered how he was going to get himself out of that sticky situation.
I liked the second storyline with Daphne and her unexpected inheritance a lot. Of course I didn't figure out who the bad guy was at first (I'm not good at that at all). Daphne and Guy were so good together I wondered how the author would get them back together after he had to admit who her really was. I'm happy Guy and Daphne got their happily ever after. I loved Daphne's grandma, she was my favorite secondary character.
This book was a favorite of mine. I loved the characters, and how much they changed by the ending. I loved that it also had an epilogue. The writing was very enjoyable ,and it was a clean recency mystery. Five stars
Mr. Guy Stewart was a successful Bow Street Runner but now is an agent of the Crown. His latest assignment is in the mining town of Anmore & he's tasked with determining if an illegal labour union has been formed. Miss Daphne Locke has just received the most extraordinary news—she has just been named her grandmother’s heir! When her meddlesome cousin Phineas shows up unannounced, she must do her best to ignore his constant criticism of her and focus on her new responsibilities. Guy & Daphne’s paths cross & neither can deny the instant attraction between them. However a brick mason’s son & a lady can have no future. This is the fourth book in the series & is very easily read on its own. A well written book with strong characters & a well paced story. I really liked both Guy & Daphne & loved how their relationship grew & deepened. There were other characters who I really disliked as they were snobbish, unfeeling, uncaring & self centred but they were meant to be. There were secrets & misunderstandings so things were bound to go pear shaped once truths were revealed but I loved how the author handled these. An engrossing read My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
England 1814 Guy was now working for the crown, elevated from being a Runner, and taking on his toughest assignment yet. In the disguise of a banker, he was to ferret out the working conditions of the miners and gain their confidence.
Daphne was determined to help the children who worked in the mine. The conditions were deplorable and she went almost every day to give them food and help their other needs. Of course the owner. Then she met Guy!
A very interesting story, with a little suspense, a villain who wants to marry Daphne for her future inheritance and a building attraction that cannot be denied!
In the midst of turmoil, greed, and trouble, romance emerges as Miss Daphne Locke encounters Guy Stewart. I enjoyed the interaction between Guy and Daphne, even though Guy has ulterior motives in cultivating her friendship. Although the main plot revolves around the brewing discontent amongst the coal miners and rumors of the formation of unions, there are two other sub-plots that work their way into the storyline. We take so much for granted in our lives today, but this novel brings out the sacrifices made by ordinary people, allowing us to enjoy the privileges we now have. Guy does not believe that he is entitled to pursue an heiress of Daphne’s standing, but as the situation is resolved and with the encouragement of his superiors, Guy follows his mother’s advice and grovels. This is the fourth book in this series and although part of a series, it is a standalone and comes to a hope-filled solution. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
A man from the working class. A woman with wealth. It simply can’t work or can it? This is a great read that you will not want to put down. It is engaging and compelling from its opening pages. Guy is the son of a brick mason, scholar from Eton and Cambridge, an ex-bow runner, and now an agent for the crown. He has endured many struggles and surprising twists some of which were very unpleasant but he is determined to continue supporting his sister and their sick mother. His latest case is to root out the main union leaders/organizers in the coal mining industry. Daphne was orphaned at a young age and raised by her wealthy grandmother. She feels a responsibility to help the community and that frequently leads her to the coal mines, where men, women, and children are treated poorly. Delivering food and blankets one day, Daphne meets Guy, who is in disguise as a bank examiner. A dinner invitation to Guy soon leads to more interactions and Guy begins to better see and understand the struggles of the miners. But his job is to stop the union. At the same time someone is trying to stop him from seeing Daphne, going so far as violence. Daphne is under pressure to stop seeing Guy. But it is unclear who is behind the threats. How can Guy balance his assignment, his empathy for the workers, and his attraction to Daphne when everything says there is no way things can work out? This is a great read. It is fourth in a series but can easily be read as a standalone. I highly recommend all four books. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy. This is my review and all thoughts are my own.
A Dangerous Scheme by Laura Beers is part of the Regency Spies and Secrets series. I found his book to have a good story, but to contain pages and pages of stilted conversation. Everybody was ultra-polite and spoke with no feeling. I distracted from the story and was an annoyance Other than this flaw, the story was a good one and the characters were interesting, although Phineas made a quick-turnaround for no apparent reason.
Guy Stewart has found himself dressed in clothing not his own and riding in someone else's driver... all to go to a small town to try to catch the people trying to put together a labor union. Labor unions are against the law and as an agent of the Crown, it is his responsibility to stop them before they get started, lest they do damage to the crown. This is a mining town and what he sees is appalling: small children, pregnant women, all working 14-hour days and wallowing in filth. They are beaten at the drop of a hat and if they dare complain, they are fired on the spot. While he is visiting the mine, he observes a young passing out bread to the children. It is enthralled. It turns out, not only is she compassionate, but she can lead him to the unionizers.
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Dangerous Scheme by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #dragonblade #adangerousscheme
Spare me. This series is filled with the same phrases over and over. "You are right" and the reply, "I am rarely wrong." THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO REPLY TO THAT SENTENCE THAN baffling SELF CONFIDENCE. I also don't want to hear things like this in more than one book and SURELY not twice in the same book.
Speaking of dialogue being repeated more than once, if I hear "he joked" and "she joked" on the same page one more time. I am going to go INSANE. "Said" is not a word you can overuse. It is largely ignored and moves the story along just fine. Using other words like, "assured," "answered," "replied," "joked," or "pressed," more than i hear the word, "said" it doesn't sound clever it sounds tedious and INFURIATING. A casual use of each of these is fine. But there are multiple on a page.
On top of that, being asked a question and always answering, "I am" or "she is" or "they do not" every single time is SO irritating.
I could make a drinking game out of the repetition of this book. If I drank, I'd get alcohol poisoning from how much I'd consume.
The best thing that I can say about this series is that the stories are fine enough to keep me reading.
I'm giving this 3 stars because the author does have a story to tell. But holy moly, please, please say "said" more often if you write another book, which I'd love for you to do!
My First Book by this Author. Guy Stewart, due to his photographic mind, was able to obtain a scholarship to both Eton and Cambridge, despite being the son of a brickmason. However his dreams of becoming a Cambridge professor came to an end when his father was robbed and murdered for the sum of two farthings. Guy had to leave university and find work to keep a roof over his mother’s and sister’s heads, first as a Bow Street Runner and then as an agent of the Crown. On his latest case he feels conflicted, firstly there is a beautiful woman to whom he is attracted but whom he is deceiving. And, secondly nothing seems so black and white and he feels sympathy for the cause of those he is investigating. An interesting story with a side helping of romance and a villain unconnected with the case. Fans of Julia Justiss will enjoy this book focusing as it does on the need for employment law reform in the C19th. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Mr. Guy Stewart was a Bow Street Runner but has accepted a job as an Agent for the Crown. He has been sent on his first case alone to Anmore, trying to find out about unions. They are afraid the unions are a threat to the crown and he has to learn the truth. Miss Daphne Locke lost both her parents to disease and none of the rest of her family wanted her but her grandmother and she was happy to live with her. She had just found out that she was going to be an heiress. Her grandmother left her a mansion and a lot of money. She also left some for her cousin, Phineas. I very much enjoyed this story. It was cute, funny, and still a little serious about the coal miners. They were treated horribly and the upper crust didn't feel they needed to do anything to make life a little better. It was a fast-paced, even flowing tale. The twists to the story kept it interesting, entertaining, and exciting. The interaction between the hero and heroine was delightful. A thrilling novel. I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed this wonderful book.
I've read all the stories in the series and they are stand alone. But, as with most series they have cross over character's. It was nice to see a few show up in this story.
The story has simple dialogue, sometimes felt like teenager's talking, but still sweet. There are several nasty villains and some twists that I didn't see coming.
The author wrote well the plight of the mines with children and parents dying in them. It still shows what greed to make more money is favored over the conditions of those who have no choice but to toil in the mines.
Some romance, sweet H/h and a secret that the H must keep from the h about him being a spy. I dislike secrets that are kept forever, but a spy can't be telling everyone what his occupation is.
This is a clean story with on a few kisses. No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA, loved the epilogue 5 years in the future (perfect) and clean. (ljb)
A solid 4-star book! I was excited to read the next book in this series as I read #3 and really enjoyed it! I loved that she gave Guy his own book. He was a very interesting character in the other book and I wanted to learn more about him. I also REALLY appreciate that this was a clean book! Most books set in this time period are really overly graphic, and this book was not that at all. The characters seemed well developed to me, and the romance was cute. I loved how he proposed to her in the end as well, showing us all that it doesn't matter what we have or don't have, it matters how we act and treat other people that make us worthy of love. The action was well done as well. I read this book quickly as I couldn't put it down! I love this series and will be on the lookout for more books by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Mr Guy Stewart is an agent for the crown, with the task of rooting out a possible illegal union in a mining town. He has the gift of an incredible brain that was to be the family's ticket out of poverty, that was until his father's death. Now he must use different talents to feed his family.
Miss Daphne Locke has been living with her grandmother for years. She has been trying to help the people up at the mine as much as she can.
The compassionate hearts of our characters are going to cause them many difficulties. The terrible conditions at the mine were all too common in that era. Some truths are hard to read about.
This fabulous historical romance is filled with secrets, intrigue and wonderful characters.
This is part of a series but each book can be read on it's own. They are all very good stories.
I enjoyed this story in the Regency Spies & Secrets Series by Laura Beers - prior to this series I had not read any of her work and I am happy to report I will be back for more!
I originally read the other books in this series when they were released but somehow I missed this book. I was able to jump right back into the world Beers created and love how characters from previous books were mixed into this story! Overall I found this to be entertaining with likable MCs, full of fun twists and turns, and the chemistry between the MCs was undeniable.
📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review. 🦄
Laura Beers is able to draw a reader in from the very first page, and she keeps you captivated until last. Every time I read one of Ms Beers’ books I’m impressed by the incredible way she is able to make the story feel more like you’re reading a real life tale rather than fiction. I loved this story and found myself highly invested in the characters and the plight they were fighting for. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
(I was given a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.)
I enjoyed the book and the characters. Guy and Daphne were likable from the beginning. The story was a good one , but I wish the story focused as much on their budding relationship as it did Guy's job for the crown and Daphne's issue with her cousin. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I received this book from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for an honest review.
I loved this book. Guy is so endearing. A self made man who struggles with self worth meets Daphne, a woman who may be an heiress but she’s had quite a few challenges in her life too. Together they help those working in the mines … but Guy has to lie as to why he’s there. What happens next is a fabulous story.
Another awesome Laura Beers book! I was so excited that Guy got his own story! He’s a spy who’s worked hard against all odds to get an education and take care of his family. Daphne is an heiress who spends her time helping the people of her town that are suffering due to terrible working conditions. Some action, suspense, and of course romance. A great addition to this series!
Laura Beers' books never disappoint me. I enjoy the characters, the witty bantering amongst the spies, and the historical information. Those were hard times with horrific working conditions. Guy knew hard times, but even he was affected by the coal mines. I love these men and women who do the right thing for the right reasons and find love along the way.
It was a good story and Guy and Daphne are very likable characters. The writing did feel a little lackluster for me, though. Lots of repetition in responses (“I would” “I do” “that is most unfortunate”). The writing didn’t stir my emotions. But it was a thoughtful story that addresses the moral issue of child labor during that era.
A great addition to the series. I loved the characters and their interactions. I loved the way characters from earlier books were brought in. I especially enjoyed the character development in this one. The journeys that they went on were engaging and made you care.
Laura Beers always delivers a good read. This regency romance is another one of her delightful tales of love, sacrifice and excitement. I recommend this book to all lovers of historical romance.
Great book. Laura Beers writes a great love story that ends with the main characters finding love and heading towards a wonderful life. its a feel good book. I would recommend it to anyone.
This was a book involving a spy, Guy,who meets a young lady, Daphne, while on an assignment for the crown. They share an attraction but due to his occupation there are complications to work out before they find their happy ending
This was another drama filled mystery just like the other books. I absolutely enjoyed Daphne and Guy's characters and how they started falling in love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book was a fun entertaining Read, but nothing special. I finished it a couple days ago and I don’t really remember much of it today, but I remember enjoying the couple and the mystery. The mystery part was probably the best part of the book. I liked the writing and I am intrigued to read more in this series and more books by the author