A Necessary Deception

September 15, 2011

Lady Lydia Gale, widowed during the Napoleonic Wars, should be able to rely on her parents for help, but instead she is forced to take charge of her younger sisters. Following a strange twist of events, Lydia is blackmailed into helping a mysterious French prisoner obtain release. As the London social season begins, Christien de Meuse returns, and Lydia finds herself drawn to him. Can she trust him when he says he wants to expose an English traitor, or is he the spy? VERDICT Masquerades, English manners, romance, and intrigue abound in this historical series debut by the author of "The Midwives" series (Lady in the Mist). Regency romance aficionados and fans of Nicole Jordan will adore this.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Award-winning Eakes maintains her streak of inspirational historical romances with the first in the Daughters of Bainbridge House series. Tensions between the English and the French are high as Napol'on continues his crusade against Europe. Lydia Bainbridge, a young widow, fulfills a promise she made to her husband and unexpectedly finds herself in the midst of high-level espionage and social scandal. Can she trust the mysterious Frenchman, Christien de Meuse, or is he working against her family? As Lydia struggles with the threat of blackmail, she also manages the social lives of her two sisters. Cassandra is engaged, but she fears her fianc' may prove to be as controlling as her father. Honore is about to make her debut, although her free-spirited ways may deter her from finding a good match. Lydia wonders how to secure independence as a woman, and wonders if she will ever marry again. Eakes seamlessly blends romance and intrigue, faith and history into a story that readers won't want to put down.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)