A Treacherous Engagement (Gentlemen of London – Book 1)

Dinah’s sister Evie is missing. Rather than accept the constabulary’s theory that her sister has run off to get married, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands and hire an infamous Bow Street Runner to track Evie down. Unfortunately, Dinah has no idea where to actually find a real Bow Street Runner, and confides her plight to the first man in a red coat. Nathaniel Calvert is not a runner, but rather a government agent, and also the Earl of Hawthorne. Already given an assignment to find a missing agent, he’s drawn into the young Dinah’s request for help when he realizes the two disappearances may be related. With Dinah’s insistence that she needs to help, Nate manages to solve a mystery, find the missing agent and sister, and save the day. Falling in love along the way wasn’t in the plan.

“A Treacherous Engagement” shows much promise. And as far as the intrigue goes, it delivers on that promise. Unfortunately, it falls down everywhere else. There is no chemistry between the two main characters. Dinah is childish, spoiled, and at times, downright annoying. Nate is, fortunately, much better suited to the story, displaying the consummate spy skills and bravery to get the job done. He also seems to have a soft spot for rather dull women. This is an often used trope with nothing special to set it apart from the other Regency spy romances. The language is stilted with short laundry-list sentences. The story is redeemed somewhat by the overall setting and detailed suspense. If you’re a fan of Regency era intrigue, you may enjoy this book.

N.E. Kelley