Twelfth night secrets A holiday novel

This 1797 holiday crowd-pleaser calls for an afternoon curled up next to the fireplace. No heat? No worries. Feather (A Wedding Wager) provides plenty of sparks between English spies Lady Harriet Devere and Julius Forsythe, earl of Marbury. Harriet is assigned to determine whether Julius is a dastardly double agent who slit the throat of her brother, Nicholas. She's given the perfect opportunity at her grandfather's annual Christmas gala, where Julius is in attendance. Harriet is suspicious from the moment she meets the earl. He assures her that he and Nick were best friends, but she can't recall her brother ever mentioning Julian's name, and later she catches him in a small but undeniable lie. On the other hand, he's thoroughly charmed her grandfather and her 10-year-old twin siblings-and she finds him devilishly attractive. Readers will cheer as Harriet bravely wages dual battles against a pair of French spies and her own desires. Agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Lady Harriet Devere is enlisted by the government to help to unmask the man responsible for her secret agent brother Nicholas's death. She agrees to keep tabs on a possible suspect, her brother's friend and fellow spy Julius Forsythe, Earl of Marbury, during the upcoming family Christmas celebration. Harriet's sleuthing-and the disturbing proximity of the earl-leads to unintended consequences. The more she comes to know-and love-Julius, the more divided her loyalties become. VERDICT Appealing protagonists, a charming, slowly developing romance, and an intriguing, nicely spun mystery will make this a perfect romance for fans who like their holiday fare with a dash of danger. Feather (A Wedding Wager) is a veteran writer of popular historical romance; she lives on Chesapeake Bay. (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpted from Twelfth Night Secrets by Jane Feather All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.