I enjoyed reading about Rose's and Will's adventures. They were meant for each other and I would have loved to see their story continue in England. A very good read! This is my honest review and I read this book voluntarily through NetGalley.

Publisher's Description:

A fierce Highland lass puts her life—and her heart—in the hands of a dashing British spy in this exhilarating romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Wed to a Spy.

Rose Turner’s mother sent her to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, to give her a better life. Raised with rowdy brothers in a notorious border clan, Rose has plenty of experience fighting and thieving—and practically none when it comes to matters of decorum and discretion. Without a single ally, she has little hope of making a good marriage to salvage her family’s reputation. But after overhearing several influential lords plotting to murder the King of Scotland, Rose meets a man after all: a handsome spy trying to shield her from danger.

As one of the Queen Elizabeth’s top agents, Will Sheffield has come up north to keep a close eye on the goings-on at Mary’s court. A consummate professional, Will notices Rose’s presence at the secret meeting . . . and he’s not the only one. The wild, naïve beauty has made a fearsome enemy—and only Will can keep her safe. But after an attempt on Rose’s life pulls them tantalizingly close, Will faces an agonizing choice between professional loyalty or powerful passion.

Look for all of Sharon Cullen’s delightful historical romances:

The All the Queen’s Spies series: WED TO A SPY | BOUND TO A SPY

The Secrets & Seduction series: THE NOTORIOUS LADY ANNE | LOVING THE EARL | PLEASING THE PIRATE | HIS SAVING GRACE | SEBASTIAN’S LADY SPY | THE RELUCTANT DUCHESS

The Highland Pride series: SUTHERLAND’S SECRET | MACLEAN’S PASSION | CAMPBELL’S REDEMPTION

My Thoughts:
This is a well written story with a plot for murder behind the storyline.
Will is a spy for Queen Elizabeth in Queen Mary of Scotland's court. Having been schoolmates with an influential member of Mary's court gives him the perfect cover for being there.
He is secretly listening to other members of the court plot the murder of the king when a young lady stumbles in and also overhears the plot. He has no idea who the lady is.
Rose, in her haste to flee loses her shawl giving Will the perfect excuse for finding her.
Rose, being a member of Queen Mary's court is naturally horrified to have discovered a plot to murder the king and even more so when she discovers who is behind it.
Will this lead to more than a mutual knowledge of the plot of murder?
This story has it's moments that I really liked, but it bogs down at about the midway point only to pick back up near the end.
I gave this book 3.25 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 2 of 5 flames. Although a historical novel some of the facts of the times were not well represented. The interaction between our hero and heroine lacked an underlying sensual nature and the addition of violence toward the heroine near the end of the book was a turn off.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Book Info
Kindle Edition
Expected publication: October 24th 2017 by Loveswept
ASIN B01N7V1XKB
Series All the Queen's Spies #2
Other Editions None Found
Source:Netgalley EARC

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BOOK BLURB


A fierce Highland lass puts her life—and her heart—in the hands of a dashing British spy in this exhilarating romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Wed to a Spy.

Rose Turner’s mother sent her to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, to give her a better life. Raised with rowdy brothers in a notorious border clan, Rose has plenty of experience fighting and thieving—and practically none when it comes to matters of decorum and discretion. Without a single ally, she has little hope of making a good marriage to salvage her family’s reputation. But after overhearing several influential lords plotting to murder the King of Scotland, Rose meets a man after all: a handsome spy trying to shield her from danger.

As one of the Queen Elizabeth’s top agents, Will Sheffield has come up north to keep a close eye on the goings-on at Mary’s court. A consummate professional, Will notices Rose’s presence at the secret meeting . . . and he’s not the only one. The wild, naïve beauty has made a fearsome enemy—and only Will can keep her safe. But after an attempt on Rose’s life pulls them tantalizingly close, Will faces an agonizing choice between professional loyalty or powerful passion.

Don’t miss the first All the Queen’s Spies novel:
WED TO A SPY

And look for all of Sharon Cullen’s delightful historical romances:
THE NOTORIOUS LADY ANNE | LOVING THE EARL | PLEASING THE PIRATE | HIS SAVING GRACE | SEBASTIAN’S LADY SPY | THE RELUCTANT DUCHESS

The Highland Pride series: SUTHERLAND’S SECRET | MACLEAN’S PASSION | CAMPBELL’S REDEMPTION

This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

My Thoughts


Rose Turner is not your average maiden that has been sent to Queen Mary’s court in search of a suitable, and hopefully wealthy, husband. She was raised out on the border between England and Scotland in a clan of reivers whose rough ways did not lend themselves to teaching her the finer points of being a demure young lady, or a biddable wife for that matter. Having spent her life outdoors being cooped up for hours at a time in a crowded palace was torture as she could only grab a few precious outdoor moments at a time due to frigid winter weather curtailing her longing for more outside explorations.

Will Sheffield finds himself in a quandary when, having discovered a group of men having a deadly secret meeting behind closed doors deep in the bowels of the castle, the scene is stumbled upon by young Rose and she leaves evidence behind of her being there. Evidence found by one of the conspirators and Will recognizes him but is constrained by duty from confronting the man or letting Rose know that she is in danger until it is too late to stop certain events from transpiring later on.

This second book in the series combined wonderful elements of mystery, history, suspense, action and romance together which worked well as the story unfolded and Will and Rose drew closer despite their many reservations or any future consequences.

On a different note, I suspected the truth about the plot to kill the King of Scotland early on in the story. It was an interesting twist to get the full details about not only those involved but who actually orchestrated the plan in the first place. A twist made all the more diabolical because it was not obvious until exposed fully.The common practice

The lure of conspiracy and intrigue suggested by the book description was the hook to read this historical romantic suspense. The main characters made the book even more enjoyable as between the feisty Rose and her reluctant admirer/protector Will the romance in the plot fleshed out what was quite an interesting look at a period in Scotlands history that piqued my curiosity long ago.

Set during the latter part of the 1500’s this particular piece of fiction was for me a fascinating mix of fact and make believe.

A nice, smooth read that did not suffer from not having read the first book in series prior to this second one.

[EArc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Rose Turner’s mother sent her to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, to give her a better life. Raised with rowdy brothers in a notorious border clan, Rose has plenty of experience fighting and thieving—and practically none when it comes to matters of decorum and discretion. Without a single ally, she has little hope of making a good marriage to salvage her family’s reputation. But after overhearing several influential lords plotting to murder the King of Scotland, Rose meets a man after all: a handsome spy trying to shield her from danger.

As one of the Queen Elizabeth’s top agents, Will Sheffield has come up north to keep a close eye on the goings-on at Mary’s court. A consummate professional, Will notices Rose’s presence at the secret meeting . . . and he’s not the only one. The wild, naïve beauty has made a fearsome enemy—and only Will can keep her safe. But after an attempt on Rose’s life pulls them tantalizingly close, Will faces an agonizing choice between professional loyalty or powerful passion.

Rose Turner is the daughter of a border clan lord who is known for his thieving. She was sent to court to try and find a husband. It’s truly the last place she wants to be as she’d rather be at home taking care of animals, wearing breeches and having a good time with her five brothers. She tries to spend as much time outside of the palace as possible but as it’s horribly cold out those times grown shorter and shorter. During one of her outdoor times she tries to get out of the weather and uses a hidden door she knows about. Unfortunately she happens to hear men behind a closed door plotting to kill the king. She gets away before they see her but drops her shawl.

Will Sheffield is the son of a Viscount but he’s also one of Queen Elizabeth’s spies. He’s been sent to Queen Mary’s court to gather information and is hidden in the shadows listening to the plot to kill the king when Rose arrives. He knows that he has to protect her from the plotting men, but his fellow spies tell him to leave it be. There are casualties in all their missions and she will be another. Will doesn’t exactly feel that way and sets out to meet the beautiful Rose.

Rose and Will spend more time together and Rose starts to care for him – just as Will starts to care for her. She is approached however, by Lord Lysle who starts to pay attention to her. She is fine with it until Will tells her that he is one of the plotters. She has to play her cards right so that Lysle doesn’t have a clue that she is aware of his deeds. Rose is also torn - she knows she should go to the queen to tell her of the plot but if she does but is scared.

Will knows he should stay away from Rose but he finds himself falling in love with her anyway. He knows he can’t be with her or marry her but when it comes down to doing his job or saving Rose, which will he choose?

Bound to a Spy was a lovely story of secrets and intrigue, love and romance. I truly enjoyed reading about Rose and Will’s meeting and falling in love. Though they both knew it was wrong to fall in love with the other they still could not stay away from each other.

Will had had a childhood with no love. His parents had resided in London while he had lived on their country estate raised by nannies and governesses. He knew he’d never get married nor fall in love as he didn’t believe he knew how to love someone. It was sad to know he thought this way about himself. He was a good man who ended up taking such good care of Rose.

Rose was a wild little thing who was clearly out of her element in the palace. She wanted to be outside in the fresh air and not stuck sitting around doing embroidery (that she wasn’t good at). Rose may have been an outdoor girl but she still had grace and refinement and I liked the dueling parts of her personality. When it came to Will she was a goner from the get-go. Truly smitten from minute one and it only grew from there.

This romance flowed so nicely within the story and blended well with the intrigue aspect of it. Cullen once again did a fantastic job of bringing us the story of Elizabeth’s spies and the love stories. I can’t wait to read the next one as it looks to be just as good as this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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Bound to a Spy is the second instalment in Sharon Cullen's All the Queen's Spies series. It's a steamy, action-packed story that works perfectly well as a standalone, so potential readers can start here, if they so choose.

Rose Turner is not of noble birth. In fact, she comes from one of Scotland's border clans, and her family is barely tolerated by the nobles at court thanks to the countless raids they've participated in over the years. But Rose's mother wants a better life for her daughter, so she uses some family connections to wrangle a place at the court of Mary Queen of Scots where she hopes Rose will make a good marriage and improve the family's standing. Rose herself doesn't care much for the idea of marriage. She'd rather spend her days roaming the countryside, communing with the animals she loves so much. Still, she does her best to be a dutiful daughter, and she knows one day she'll have to give into society's rules and become a proper wife and mother.

Will Sheffield has been sent to Mary's court by Queen Elizabeth of England. He's a top British agent, and his queen has tasked him with keeping a close eye on Queen Mary and her husband. Will has a bad feeling about some of Queen Mary's courtiers, and his misgivings are heightened when he discovers a group of four men who have met in secret to discuss the possible assassination of Scotland's King consort. As the meeting is ending, Will catches sight of Rose, who has inadvertently stumbled upon the meeting. She's obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Will worries that her presence will put her in danger. After all, if he saw her, who is to say one of the conspirators didn't catch sight of her as well?

Rose is shocked by the conversation she overheard, and she has absolutely no idea what to do with the information being discussed. If someone is really plotting Lord Darnley's death, she's sure she owes it to Queen Mary to report it. But, before she can do so, Will engineers an introduction, and pleads with her to keep the conversation a secret for a little longer, while he tries to uncover the identities of the conspirators. She reluctantly agrees, but only if Will allows her to help him. Since he is quite drawn to Rose's spunk and beauty, Will concedes to her demands, and the two of them set about discovering who is actually behind the assassination plot.

The sexual tension between Will and Rose is almost palpable, and I fully enjoyed watching the two of them get to know each other. Will isn't looking for a romantic entanglement, as he thinks it would serve as a distraction from his duty to the English crown, but something about Rose draws him in. He tells himself he's only focused on protecting her, but the reader knows full well there's more to his feelings than his need to keep Rose safe from danger. For her part, Rose has never met anyone like Will. He's handsome and dangerous, and she can't help but feel attracted to him, but Will is a man with many secrets, and Rose isn't sure if she can fully trust him.

I love books that are full of court intrigue, and Bound to a Spy definitely fits the bill there. The Scottish court of Ms. Cullen's creation has a very authentic feel to it, and I loved all the political machinations the story contained. It was obvious that Rose and Will had stumbled upon a dangerous plot, and my heart was in my throat on more than one occasion as they worked to get to the bottom of things.

If you're a fan of sexy historical romances full of danger and intrigue, I wholeheartedly recommend you pick this book up. I'm glad I read it, and I plan to go back and read Wed to a Spy, the first book in the series before too long. Hopefully, it will be as satisfying a read as this one turned out to be.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

Bound to a Spy has Will Sheffield, spy for Queen Elizabeth, trying to protect and, yet, stay away from Rose Turner. He sees her overhearing a plot to kill the king. Then, sees one of the plotters, Lysle, find the shawl she dropped trying to get away. Rose does not realize the danger she is in when Lysle figures out to whom the shawl belongs. Lysle starts courting Rose in order to keep watch over her and determine how much she knows in the process.

Although they just met at court, Will just cannot stay away from Rose. He cannot keep his lips and hands off of Rose. She is just as drawn to him. When Rose goes back to the cellar a second time to try to figure out for sure who is involved in the plot to kill the king, Will saves her from a second discovery. Rose decides he is there because he is a particular friend of the king and trying to get information for the king. Will let’s her believe that rather than tell her the truth.

Their passion is quite heated with Will trying to do the right thing by telling her he cannot marry. He and Rose spend a lot of time talking about Rose’s family and her enjoyment of spending time outdoors. She begins to realize how little he talks of himself and tries to draw him out about his personal life.

Rose determines she must be loyal to the queen and tell her of the plot to kill the king. Life definitely gets more difficult from there. Will knows he cannot protect Rose by himself; so, he goes to her family, taking his life in his hands, and asks for help. She does come from an interesting border family.

This book can be a stand alone, although the first book kind of sets the stage. If possible, read the first book in the series before reading this one. You will enjoy both of these as they include historical settings and events. This time period is not usual for historical romances and it is all the more worth your time for it.

Rose turner had been sent to court by her family, but she didn't want to be there. Her life is put in danger, she is at a loss as what to do. Lord Will Sheffield is a school chum of the King. Darnley is very spoiled and not well liked.
Will is English and here, he is in Scotland at court.
There is danger, intrigue and dangerous plots galore. Rose loves the outside and going to the stables. She does not really care about the rest. The characters are fun, caring and extremely dangerous but they are true to life and the dialogue fits the writing very well. The descriptions of Holyrood Palace and the surrounding area were excellent and helped you to imagine you were there. Ah, this plot has a lot of threads, I have no idea how the author managed to keep them straight but she did a wonderful job. The tale is coherent, balanced and flows smoothly. It is a joy to read.

Rose Turner comes from a family from a notorious border clan in Scotland. Her mother however had always planned to send Rose to the court of Mary the Queen of Scots to see that Rose had a chance at a better life. Rose doesn’t fit into court life very well however as she much prefers the outdoors and the company of the horses in the stables than getting all fancied up to find a rich husband.

One night when Rose was returning from one of her outings she comes in a seldom used door to overhear two men plotting to kill Lord Darnley, the king consort of Scotland. Will Sheffield had also been spying on the two men having been sent to the Scottish court by Queen Elizabeth when he notices Rose. Will doesn’t want anything to happen to her so he chances a meeting with the lovely girl and before they know it Will and Rose find themselves falling for one another amidst the danger of the possible assassination of the King.

Bound to a Spy by Sharon Cullen is the second book of the All the Queen’s Spies historical romance series. While these tales are fiction they are based around the real life happenings back when Queen Mary was on the throne in Scotland and the events that did take place during that time. Each book in the series is a completely separate couple and different events at court so it is fine to read them as standalones.

Having read both books in this series I am quite impressed with the inclusion of the historical events yet again in this installment. I’m moderately familiar with events during that time and the author seems to be working them into her stories rather well. Also, I enjoyed this second couple and their story more this time and thought even the action seemed to be more intense. In the end I’d certainly recommend this steamy, action packed adventure to the historical romance fans.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Just not the time period I expected it to be! I'm a fan of historical romance a few (hundred) years in the future. This is on me for not researching more before I requested. DNF.

Another installment in the All the Queen's Spies series, Bound to a Spy shows is that even those who have never before felt love, can be saved by it. I like the love story portion of the novel, but was a left a bit hanging on the mystery suspense end. I know this is number 2 in the series, so there's more story to tell, but I hate that there wasn't more clarity about the hero and heroines future. It’s almost like a HFN ending rather than a HEA, because there is definitely another show to drop after that rescue.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Took me a bit to get into
This book but once I did I enjoyed it. Would Def Recommend

'Bound to a Spy' managed to transport me to another time and place with perfection. The story of Rose and Will couched in the intrigue of the court of Mary, Queen of Scots was suspenseful, heartwarming and historically instructive. Even though Will's issues of parental isolation and Rose's of being a tomboy were rather modern in perspective, Sharon Cullen never once broke with the language, attitudes or times of the Elizabethan era. It was current while being true to history. I enthusiastically recommend it!

Bound to the Spy by Sharon Cullen is a wickedly delicious Recency Romance. While #2 in this highly anticipated "All the Queen's Spies" series, it can be read as a stand alone.
It's suspeneful, powerful, mysterious and romantic in a dramatic kind of way.

This is the story of Will Sheffield, one of Queen Elizabeth’s top agents and Rose Turner, sent by her mother to Mary, Queen of Scots' court to learn discretion and decorum. But she learns much more, what she learns is dangerous to say the least, as she learns of a plot to kill the King of Scotland, which definitely puts her life in danger. Will, must keep her safe, as well as learn all the players in this assassination plot.

Fast paced with an endearing, and exciting cast of characters and a plot to die for, literally. With romance, passion, spies, secrets, an assassination plot, mystery and suspense, readers will be turning pages, and sitting on the edge of their seats. I was drawn to the characters, the plot, and romance of "Bound to
the Spy" from the first sentence to the last and beyond. Recommended!
I received a complimentary copy, however, all opinions are my own.


Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Steamy
Reviewer: AprilR

This could have been a good book, however, whether the Author needs a new Publisher, or she needs to do more research, either way, it breaks down. The usage of Scottish Language is non-existent, as is wording for this time period. After what happens to Rose, it is sad to say, ridiculous, one day after being attacked? Sorry! I can't recommend.
carolintallahassee 👒

This has been a great series so far. All the hiding and sneaking around is nothing new for Rose. But yet it was a bit of a surprise to Will that she is so good at it. Rose isn't like all the other ladies in the Queen's court. Maybe that's what made her stand out in Will's eyes. Well that and needing to be saved around every turn.
bound to a Spy can be read as a stand alone novel. I can't wait for the next one in the series though.

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley.

Although this is the second novel in the All the Queen's Spies Series, I had no trouble at all following the story even though I haven't read the first book. The author does a great job of weaving fictional, but realistic characters into the actual historical events of the turbulent court of Mary, Queen of Scots during her disastrous marriage to Lord Darnley. The plot was lively and entertaining, and the characters were well-rounded and crafted in a way that draws the reader in quickly. The opening scene delves right into the heart of the action, and the pace is quick throughout. I read the entire novel in one shot. While there was lots of action, danger, mystery and romance, there were also many tender, heart-wrenching and truly tragic elements in the novel as well. Cullen's deft hand also breaks the tension with some humorous moments too, especially courtesy of Rose's rowdy brothers. I also liked that while there is clearly room for additions to the series with some of the other characters mentioned only briefly in this installment, this novel does come to a clean resolution at the end.

I received this title from the publisher for an honest review. Bound to the Spy is the second in the All the Queen's Spies series and can be read as a stand alone, but the previous book provides details about the death of one of Mary's advisors that gives the reader some insight to the current murder plot. Daughter of a minor border clan, Rose was sent by her mother to find a husband and make a good marriage. Used to spending her days outdoors and with her six brothers, Rose finds court stifling and tries to spend as much time outside as possible. While coming in from one of her trips, Rose accidentally overhears a plot to murder the Queen's husband, Lord Darnley. Rose flees unseen, but drops her shawl which is discovered by one of the conspirators, Lord Lysle. Unknown to Rose, Will was hidden in the shadows listening to the plotters as well. A spy for Queen Elizabeth, Will is one of three men who are detailed to spy on Queen Mary. Will is using his school connection Darnley to help his efforts, but he finds Darnley to be a petulant child not able to handle Queen Mary not allowing him to get his own way. Will meets Rose and is torn between his mission and his desire to keep her save as he gets to know her and see just how unique and special she is. The author does a good job showing Will and Rose getting to know each other even though events take place during a relatively short time period. This is a time period I'm not very familiar with so I enjoyed the glimpses into Queen Mary's marriage. I look forward to the last book in the series that features the death of Darnley and the aftermath.

So I always like Sharon Cullen's books and Bound to a Spy was no exception. The characters were well drawn and the first chapter drew you in right away. It was part of a series but could stand alone. I stayed up till 4:30 in the morning to finish it. I do have one tiny little complaint. The sex scenes were short. Normally I really don't have an opinion on sex scenes (except I hate the flowery sex scenes where you wonder if they had sex or just experienced a weather event together) but for some reason a paragraph or two didn't seem to cut it. I know there was a lot going on and there was danger but they were undressed and redressed so fast my head was spinning. Luckily it was a good book and didn't need to rely on the sex scenes. I still enjoyed it. I will still eagerly await the next book in the series.

This novel was a nice read, but I did enjoy the first novel of the series better. You do not need to read the first novel to understand what is going on, but there is a plot to kill the current king of Scotland, Mary's husband.
Rose Turner is a member of Queen Mary's court, even though she would rather be out running about the countryside. Her mother wants her to find a husband, but Rose has no desire to wed. Rose frustrated me a bit since she has a tough mindset, but at times seems afraid and does not fight back, which seems against her nature. When Rose hears a plot to murder the king, it brings her into Lord Will Sheffield's presence.
Will is a spy for Queen Elizabeth and uses him to keep an eye on Mary. Will has no plans for marriage and leads a rather lonely life, due to his own upbringing. He pretends to be a friend of the king, even though the entire court cannot stand the king's behavior. Will is good at gathering information, but when he sees Rose hear about the plot, he knows he has an obligation to protect her. However, there are always casualties in war, and Will struggles with this at first. As he gets to know Rose, his obligation becomes a desire to protect her. Rose and Will seek each others presence, even though both know they cannot be together. Rose has other "admirers", but she does not desire them as she does Will. Both fall in love with each other but cannot admit it since they both have different goals. When Rose's life is threatened, can Will abandon his duty to the crown to his duty to his heart?

eh...a little too simple for me, not that i'm a genius or anything...i need just a bit more substance.