Vienna Woods

Mary
Lancaster
Genre: 
Historical

Esther Lisle never thought a ride with her royal fiancé would result in murder and suspicion from the Austrian secret police, but when she wakes up from a blow to the head, she finds her betrothed dead and Agent Z asking awkward questions. As the daughter of a general turned diplomat, Esther knows her engagement is suspicious, but to prove her innocence, Esther might have to trust a man with even more secrets than her own. Agent Z knows Esther wasn’t involved, but when she is targeted, his only option is to kidnap the beguiling lady to his own home full of young and partially reformed criminals despite the risk to her reputation and his heart. With enemies closing in on their location, it’ll take everything Agent Z has to save Esther, especially the truth.

 

A thrilling second book in “The Imperial Season” series, “Vienna Woods” focuses on the Austrian spy from the first book and a new plot of intrigue. With characters from the first book making an appearance, the plot has some interesting twists and turns, combined with even more quirky characters. Agent Z particularly has a great backstory and shows real depth. Unfortunately, Esther is mostly a damsel in distress with a penchant for getting into trouble, and the romance between the two is rather sudden, as so much focus is on the spies and backstories instead. Still, the story has a lot to recommend it, and readers can look forward to future books in this series.

 

Sarah E Bradley