The times surrounding Mary, Queen of Scots, and the death of her husband, Lord Darnley, were turbulent and dangerous. Ms. Cullen has delivered another fast-faced and intriguing story involving Elizabethan spy, Tristian Fitzherbert, and one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting, Emma Hamilton. Returning from a dinner, Lady Emma witnesses the brutal beating of a man in the orchard moments before an explosion knocks her off her feet. She lay unconscious and was found by Tristian. These two should be enemies, but their attraction for each other grows each day Tristian nurses Emma back to health, all the way, trying to ascertain what she knows about the king's murder. Did she witness the king's murder first-hand?

I enjoyed this story immensely, but I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. There were questions left unanswered that could have been wrapped up with an epilogue. This is the third book in the Queen's Spies series and I've enjoyed each of them. Ms. Cullen is a talented author that weaves historical fact with a compelling story. Fans of historical romance will definitely enjoy this one.

Sharon Cullen's Lost to a Spy. 4 of 5 stars.
I found Lost to a Spy a compelling story at the time Mary Queen of Scots husband Lord Darnley mysteriously ends up dead and the poorly planned and executed explosion coverup scene begins to quickly show, Darnley was not killed by an explosion, but was murdered. The steady paced storyline and the characters kept my interest following to the end. There were good solid setups that heighten the dangers to come, but the story flatlined for me when none of the dangers scenes were developed. When Tristan was being beaten and arrested I wanted to know what happened to him, how did he fair, what did they say and do to him, did he think of her to get through the infamous Bothwell torture? We only know some of his injuries, but nothing more. Just a little insight would have made this great story, in my opinion, more emotionally enticing and satisfyingly complete. I do look forward to the next novel in this series.
I received Sharon Cullen's Lost to a Spy as an ARC through NetGalley for my honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Great historical read with plenty of drama and intrigue. Emma saw something she shouldn’t have and may be in danger. Tristan is a spy for Queen Elizabeth and rescues her, as the spend more time together sparks fly. Entertaining story and I really liked the characters. The history is well wrapped into the story. A good read.

It was wonderful to step back into Sharon Cullen’s world and to feel that I had just been away for a moment. “Lost” continues the stories started in “Wed to a Spy” and “Bound to a Spy”, with Tristan’s tale. Mary’s court is unravelling. Darnley is dead, and Bothwell’s increasing power is threatening the very fiber of Scotland. Life is becoming more difficult for Elizabeth’s spies, and when Tristan finds an unconscious woman lying a stone’s throw from the king’s dead body, he is forced to make a choice between his own safety and hers.

Although this book can easily be read as a standalone, the plot lines that are woven together in the “Queen’s Spies” series are also entertaining.

Fast paced romance that takes place in Tudor Era England. The chemistry between Tristian and Emma was off the charts. The sex was even better. The intrigue was suspenseful and I was literally on edge at the end of the book. Love this series and can't wait to book 4!!

Danger stalks the night! _____3.5 stars

It's 1567 Edinburgh, turbulent times in Scottish history. Emma Howard, Lady-in-waiting and close confidante to Mary, Queen of Scots, wakes to find herself in the care of a stranger. Lord Darnley, wedded to Queen Mary, has just been murdered and it seems Emma might have seen something suspicious.
All that is moot because she was knocked unconscious as Kirk o’ Field exploded. The stranger, Englishman Tristan Fitzherbert, a spy for Queen Elizabeth had found Emma laying unconscious near to the source of the explosion and taken her to his printing works. Tristan has been printing seditious leaflets, stirring up the people of Edinburgh. This latest happening goes to the heart of the court and Lord Bothwell, Mary's undisputed advisor.
As Emma learns more, both her heart and deep friendship with Queen Mary will be tested.
As she keeps internally declaiming, if she'd only taken a carriage home that fatal night, all would be so different. Her ignorance of what was actually happening politically would have buffered her from the reality in many different ways.
The story focuses on the development of the relationship between Tristan and Emma, with the backdrop of these dangerous times during Mary's reign. I enjoyed this episode of All the Queen's Spies, although I felt the resolution of the story was almost too quick and the fascinating political happenings are overshadowed by the brewing romance/lust between Emma and Tristan. I must say that the bid for safety by Emma is quite heart stopping.

A NetGalley ARC

Engrossing historical, filled with timeless issues of conspiracy, women with no rights, abuse and romance! A spy and a lady, both having failed marriages; both sworn off any hope for love and nuptials. Enjoyed the way this was all brought together! Hoping LaGrange will get his book. Think I know who his mate will be☺
Voluntarily read ARC, through Netgalley and publisher, for honest review.

A fast paced adventure involving intrigue, murder and spies, what more could you ask for in a historical romance? Sharon Cullen has placed the reader in Scotland at the time of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots and all of the turmoil during that period. She brings the times alive with her descriptive prose and engages you in the characters and their lives. Lady Emma Hamilton is fortunate. She had lost her parents and is taken into the royal court by Queen Mary as a courtier. She accidentally sees a murder and is rescued by none other that Tristan, a lowly printer. But as fate would have it, people are not always as they appear! Tristan is really an English spy sent to Scotland to spy on the Queen. What follows is an intriguing tale that will keep you glued to your seat with all the twist and turns. As Emma and Tristan get to know each other, there is no telling what will happen. This is a well written tale, that although part of a series, can be read as a standalone. I cannot wait to read more from this author and know you will really enjoy this story..

Eyes being opened….Emma, a widowed Lady in Waiting for Queen Mary, was satisfied with her life in court until she witnessed a murder and was caught up in an explosion at Kirk o' Field. Tristan rescues her and brings her to his home to care for her. His motives are not all pure since he realizes that Emma might be an eye witness and Tristan is a spy for Queen Elizabeth. Tristan opens Emma's eyes to the bad influence on Queen Mary by Lord Bothwell.. Emma had been married to a brutal and powerful Lord and Tristan opens Emma to love. When Emma realizes that Tristan is the printer who is posting the papers against Lord Bothwell, she goes back to the palace. Emma soon realizes that Tristan is in danger.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Net Gallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.. This book started out slow for me and I originally didn't connect with the characters. As Emma realizes that Queen Mary is changing from the benevolent ruler that she knows, I became more pulled into the story. When she realizes that Tristan’s life might be threatened, her loyalty is divided. This was the first book that I have read by this author. I plan to go back and read the other books in the series and hope that there will be more. I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

The fear, Emma had it from being married to an abusive husband and the fact that she had seen the king killed. She didn't know who to trust. Tristan was an English spy and a printer. He saved Emma and picked her up, took her to his place and nursed her.
This was a great read, the characters were considerate, loving and curious. There were some very interesting turns to this tale like Tristan gets arrested, tortured and hurt very badly. According to descriptions, the land is green and lush, beautiful. He does not want to settle down, he feels guilty about his wife. I so loved the action, all the secrets and the love beginning to grow. The author did an excellent job of the plot being smooth, even paced and gathering the bits to make sense. An excellent read.

The intrigue at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots continues in the third installment of this series. I enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that I felt it ended abruptly. I would have enjoyed an epilogue. I really liked Emma and Tristan together. How he took care of her and healed her heart made me swoon. I love the mystery and intrigue surrounding Darnley's death. It adds depth to this story. It was also nice to see characters from the previous books. I'm hoping LaGrange get's his own book!! Maybe with Margaret? Will definitely being keeping my eyes out for it.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

These were very turbulent times in Scotland. In the last book, Bound to a Spy, we learned that James Hepburn, the fourth Earl of Bothwell, was plotting the death of Queen Mary’s husband, Lord Darnley. This book begins in February 1567, only about five months before Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate. The story is an exciting roller coaster ride of non-stop action that you absolutely won’t be able to put down once you start reading. So – be warned – and have snacks and drinks ready and at your side – and if you can read in the restroom, that would be a plus. This book is the third in a series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone. However, the whole of the series just adds so much more to the enjoyment. I absolutely can’t wait for LaGrange’s story – probably paired with Margaret who, I’m sure, has more to her than meets the eye!

Lady Emma Hamilton, widowed and friend to Mary, Queen of Scots has chosen to walk home from dinner with friends. It is cold and she and her maid are moving quickly. As she wonders what in the world possessed her to choose to walk rather than accept a carriage ride from her friends, she notices a group of armed soldiers behind them. Then she sees the soldiers split off and head up into the orchard area of Kirk o’ Field. As she walks further along she notices the soldiers surrounding a man lying on the ground, flailing his legs in the air, and one of the soldiers bent over him. Finally, there is a tremendous, huge explosion in the Kirk o’ Field and Emma is flung back by the explosion and knocked unconscious.

Tristan Fitzherbert, printer, and spy for Queen Elizabeth of England is checking out the area of the explosion to see what he can learn when he trips over Emma’s unconscious body. He has a choice, he can leave her there and allow her to freeze while he continues on his mission or he can take her home with him to see what he can learn from her if she survives. After all, Lord Darnley has died and Tristan needs to get the details back to England. He chooses to save her.

Lady Emma is staunchly loyal to her friend, Queen Mary, but then, Lady Emma has led a pretty sheltered life. She was married to a horrible man who mistreated her at every turn, but still, she was sheltered. Queen Mary had saved Emma by bringing her to court and restoring her dowry. Emma is also very, very afraid of men and is definitely not comfortable when she awakens and finds herself in the home of Tristan.

As Emma and Tristan spend time together, she begins to see a different reality than the one that is presented at court and she comes to believe that it is possible that things in Mary’s court might not be the best thing for Scotland. She also comes to care about and to trust Tristan – maybe all men aren’t brutal abusers. As the noose tightens around the city and Bothwell’s men start taking in the printers to question (read that torture) them – Tristan is caught in the net. Can Emma save him? How? She is surrounded by Scots who love their Queen. She’s determined – and the solution won’t be easy. You’ll just have to read it to find out all of the exciting things that happen – and what they have to endure to get their HEA.

I absolutely loved the book – even though I did catch a few very modern phrases – “Don’t I know it”. Anyway – I certainly recommend this book and the series.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Lost to a Spy by Sharon Cullen is book Three in the "All the Queen's Spies" series. This is the story of Emma and Tristan. I have read the other book in this series, but I do feel this can be a standalone book.
Emma survived an awful marriage and now is staying at the Queen's palace. Tristan is a spy for the Queen but fronts a printer. When the death of the King it sets off having Emma in need of protection and Tristan being there for her. With their feelings starting to grow will they be able to walk away from each other?
Really exciting story....Loved it!

Received an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

Lost to a Spy grabbed my attention from the start, being (for once!) a non-Regency historical involving espionage in Scotland during Queen Elizabeth I's reign. The action kicks off early and the characters have interesting backstories that slowly unfold as they learn to trust each other. However, I found myself frustrated with forgotten plots and what felt like a zero-to-sixty romance.

Lady Emma Hamilton is walking home with her maid when she passes the explosion that (she later learns) kills the king of Scotland. As a friend to Queen Mary, Emma was on her way back to the palace but was thrown by the blast and hits her head. Hero Tristan finds her and takes her to his home to recuperate, later learning who she is, and as an English spy he prepares to try to get information out of her.

Emma was in an abusive marriage and is distrustful of men, so her growing trust in Tristan and his struggle between being a good spy and using that trust versus being someone worthy of her trust is sweet... then suddenly Emma comes to his room and asks to spend the night with him and the plot kind of spins into crazysauce from there. Emma physically flinches at his touch at first but somehow he is able to heal years of trauma in one glorious night, apparently (because that's how abuse victims work). He also appears to have no qualms about sleeping with a woman he knows has been abused and who he is lying to?! This is our hero.

The secrets come out, there's action and adventure, there's a return of the couples from previous books in this series, I gathered (but this works as a standalone). Lost to a Spy was fun enough but the bait-and-switch gave me whiplash. I started reading a slow-burn romance about trust with a dash of political intrigue only to find myself halfway through when it becomes a rollicking bodice ripper.

Book three in the All the Queen's Spies brings us the murder of Darnley, the King of Scotland, which was hinted at in book two, Bound to a Spy. Lady Emma is walking home when she witnesses the murder right before a massive explosion lands her in the care of Tristan, an English spy turned printer. Tristan isn’t sure why he brought Emma to his home, he just knew he couldn’t leave her in the streets. It doesn’t take him long to see it as the opportunity it is when he discovers she witnessed the murder of the king. She is very reluctant to believe Queen Mary knew of the plot or that Bothwell, a close adviser to Mary, was in on it. But she can’t refute what Tristan says or what she hears on the streets. The people don’t trust Bothwell and she comes to realize the Queen she loves isn’t woman she is now. Tristan and Emma get to know each other during the week she spends in his home and she comes to trust him, the first man ever since her abusive husband’s death several years ago. So she puts into Tristan’s hand her full trust, and what comes out of that is beautiful and passionate. However, the morning after she comes to discover evidence that paints Tristan as not so honest or innocent and she fleas back to Holyrood palace where she speaks with the Queen and overhears Bothwell speak of rounding up printers for questioning. She rushes to warn Tristan and the resulting adventure adds drama, suspense, hope, and determination to an already successful plot. I loved how everything unfolded. I liked the escape from Scotland and the scene with Tristan, Emma, and Queen Elizabeth shortly after arriving in England.  I hope LaGrange gets his own book and I want to find out what happens next in the intrigue and drama at the Scottish court.

Lost to a Spy by Sharon Cullen is the third book in 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 fictional couple that meet during the real events of that time.

In this installment of the series on of Queen Mary’s ladies, Lady Emma Howard, is walking from a friend’s when she spies some men that look to be doing something to a man on the ground. Before Emma can figure out what is going on though there is a huge explosion and she’s thrown knocking her unconscious.

Tristan who is in Scotland at the request of Queen Elizabeth, sent to spy on Queen Mary, is masquerading as a lowly printer and happens to see Emma lying unconscious. Scooping her up he takes he back to his shop as the rumors fly in the village that Lord Darnley had been murdered by Bothwell, a close confidant of the queen herself.

Having read all of the books in this series I am once again impressed at how well the author has woven her characters into the events that took place during this time in history. This real setting and events made the series just immediately grab my attention each time I picked up the books to read as I’m moderately familiar with the events of this time period so it made the stories that much more exciting.

Emma and Tristan were a wonderful couple to get to know with each having been married previously with their own stories to share. With the background of the story being a time when Scotland was in turmoil it was easy to see how the dangerous events could bring this couple close together relatively quickly.

At the end of Emma and Tristan’s story there was a brief glimpse at the characters from the previous books of the series with a bit of an update on them for those that have followed all three installments. I’m not sure if this means the series is coming to a close or not but if it is it was nice to wrap it up with that update and if not I’ll be sure to grab the next myself.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This would have made a great story, except for modern day usage of language! Spoiled Brat, was not used during the time of Mary, Queen of Scott's, and her cousin Elizabeth the First! Why do Authors, not do proper research on time period grammar? The research of Darnley, and Bothwell, was good, the Spy Angle was good, however, the linquistics drove me crazy.
I cannot Recommend! Thanks!
carolintallahassee 👒

I have to admit it took me a couple of tries to get into this book. I wanted to leave a review so I kept at it. I'm so glad I did. I love this book. I'm very excited to read the two previous books and looking forward to reading any after.

Tristan is living in Scotland and is a spy for the English crown. Emma is a courtier in the Scottish Court. They meet when Tristan finds Emma laying in the street unconscious after an explosion. I don't want to give anymore away, but if you love a good sexy spy novel with intrigue, spying, court life, love and romance, you need this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Sharon Cullen delivers another fast paced, intrigue filled installment of All the Queen's Spies with Lost to a Spy!

Lady Emma Hamilton is pulled into the world of espionage when she is injured and left for dead after witnessing a murder and is knocked unconscious by the explosion of Kirk o' Fields.

Tristian Fitzherbert hears the explosion and goes to investigate, what he finds is an unconscious woman lying in the street. He takes her back to his print shop and tends her injuries. Tristian is a spy for Queen Elizabeth, his primary mission in Scotland has been to incite dissention against Queen Mary, he does this by printing and distributing suggestive placards about the queen, her consort and advisors. He is not sure what to do about the woman he has found, she is obviously well born, but she was alone when he found her, so he is not sure if she was an innocent bystander or if she was part of the plot to blow up Kirk o' Fields.

He has even more questions later when she wakes, he has had a visit from LaGrange and knows that the king is dead and that Lady Emma Hamilton, is missing from the palace and is most likely his mystery guest. Emma doesn't trust men, her marriage to Angus Hamilton was awful and when he died, Queen Mary invited her to live at the palace and restored her dowry to her, giving her the means to live independently. Emma is wary of Tristian at first and doesn't tell him her real name or the whole truth about what she witnessed.

Tristian is kind and attentive to Emma and soon she feels comfortable with him in a way she has never felt with a man. She confides in him about her past and finally about what she witnessed the night of the explosion. She is upset when he tells her the king is dead and wants to return to the palace to comfort Mary. But she is too weak from her injuries and Tristian urges her to wait.

Emma and Tristian become close, she is amazed how he makes her feel safe and she asks him to be her lover. Hesitant at first, Tristian gives in and soon they both know that what they share is rare, but any relationship between them is impossible.

When Emma learns that Tristian is responsible for the inflammatory placards, she is hurt and returns to the castle. But with fresh eyes Emma begins to realize that maybe Mary is not as innocent as Emma believed and when she overhears Bothwell demanding that the town's printers be brought in for questioning, she knows Tristian is in danger.

Emma doesn't know what to believe or who to trust, but she knows that she has to warn Tristian. But will she convince him to leave? And can she return to her former life now that she has found love and learned that all she believed to be true is wrong? Can a highborn Lady and a lowborn Spy have a future?

This was a very well written, well paced novel with wonderful characters, steamy love scenes, lots of intrigue and suspense. I personally felt that there was a little too much modern verbiage and that Tristian and Emma love happened too fast and was not as believable as I would have liked. But overall, it was a good read and I enjoyed the story. This is the third book in the series, but it could be read as a stand alone title with no problems. I am happy to recommend this book and can't wait to see what Ms. Cullen has in store for LaGrange and Margaret!!

Rugged British spy Tristan has been stirring discontent against the Scottish nobility and for the Queen of England. Emma Howard is a refined Scottish lass who sees quite plainly that the royal couple are not happy, but she never thought the King would be murdered and she’d witness it! Tristen rescues Emma in the beginning of the book, right after she witness a murder. Tristen nurses Emma back to health she slowly gets to know him better. Emma doesn’t trust any man, but as she gets to know Tristen she confides in him and someone attempts to murder him. What will happen she learns he’s only there for the Queen of England, he’s actually a traitor. This is a fast paced book filled with romance, mystery and intrigue. Loved the characters they literally come to life as you’re reading the story.
This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.