The Secret of Flirting

March 5, 2018
In Jeffries’s fast-paced fifth Sinful Suitors Regency (after The Pleasures of Passion), sparks fly between an actress and a baron. Gregory Vyse, Baron Fulkham, is tired of being a spy and hopes to garner a more prestigious position with the government. He’s also one of the noblemen who will help decide the new ruler of Belgium. Gregory meets one of the contenders, Princess Aurore of Chanay, and soon realizes she is Mademoiselle Monique Servais, an actress he met several years before. He’s concerned that exposing her as an impostor could harm his political aspirations, and begins looking into why she is posing as the princess. As he becomes increasingly drawn to the intelligent, beautiful woman, he learns that she’s the target of an assassin. Seeking to keep Monique safe by inviting her to his country home, Gregory uncovers some of her secrets and their mutual attraction culminates in sensuous love scenes. The mystery behind Monique’s deception, coupled with the sinister suspense around a determined killer, add allure to this expertly plotted novel and its magnetic characters.

Narrator Justine Eyre delivers an effortless-sounding narration of this audio romance. Baron Gregory Fulkham is stunned to see actress Monique posing as a French princess at a political conference in London. After she's nearly killed, he has second thoughts about exposing her until he can find the assassin. Furthermore, his passionate feelings haven't faded since they met years ago. Eyre portrays Monique with a smooth, melodic French accent and captures Gregory with controlled tones as she delivers their droll banter with its subtext of pent-up desire for each other. Eyre's multifaceted character interpretations shine during a game of political cat-and-mouse that continues at Fulkham's country estate, where princes, dukes, and counts vie for Monique's attention. Listeners will be charmed by Eyre from start to finish. S.H. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine