Published By: Central Avenue
Pages: 288
Released On: 05/09/2023
Emily March, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Henry March, has all she needs: bountiful wealth, ample beauty, and abundant talent. But will this be enough to secure the one thing she truly wants: a loving marriage and her own family? However, it’s not her illegitimacy that stands in her way, but a mystery her father—an agent of the crown—has never been able to solve.
Max Warthon has twice rescued Emily from the machinations of his sinister grandfather, the Earl of Warthon, enemy of Sir Henry. Max knows that getting too close to his daughter will lead to certain peril, but he cannot resist her. Played out in front of London’s high society, their whirlwind romance attracts everyone’s attention — and raises the ire of the Earl.
With old secrets standing in their way, will Emily and Max be able to unravel the mystery of an ancient hatred and unmask the true enemy? Their happiness and their lives depend on it.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This is the fourth and final installment of the Gentleman Spy Mysteries series, and I have loved every single one of them. I didn’t know a fourth one was coming and so I’m very excited that I get to revisit this world that Bianca has created. I’m sad that this is the final one though and I hope that this isn’t the last of Bianca’s writing.
Book 1: The Innkeeper’s Daughter
Book 2: The Gentleman’s Daughter
Book 3: The Memory of Her
Book 4: The Spy’s Daughter
Bianca has always managed to balance everything in her stories. There’s romance – some of it rather explicit – mystery, thrill, violence, comedy. It is so detailed and layered that it had the potential to be too much, too complicated to read, but I think she just shines in this series.
I did have to refresh my memory slightly before I read this as I couldn’t immediately remember what happened at the end of book 3, but it soon felt familiar.
The thing I find most impressive is her description of clothes. It may not be a big thing or of much importance, but you can practically feel the material it’s made of, the description is so visual. It really helps set the scene and the time period and makes the characters a bit more real.
It’s not quite as brutal as the others. Yes there are some explicit scenes – both of a sexual and violent nature – but this one, to me, focussed more on the characters themselves rather than what they might be or not be doing. But for some it may feel a bit underwhelming given the extremes of the previous books, but for me, I thought it was a refreshing change and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
The level of storytelling she has created and maintained over these four books is just sublime. The pacing is perfect, it never feels too rushed or too slow. Every character is given ample time to shine. And that they do.
I would definitely recommend reading this as a series. I mean, you could read this alone and most of the story would make sense, but by reading the previous ones, you get more of an insight into the characters and emotions, and I think it would be a detriment to the writing to not value that.
It is a satisfying conclusion to this fabulous series, and whilst I know it’s the final book, I think I’ll miss not having anymore to look forward to. It’s been wonderful getting to know these characters and following them through the years and I’ll be sad to leave them.
Books By Your Bedside 