Full review will appear on Reader's Edyn on 9/22/17 http://bit.ly/2vOiisE

Derick Aveline, Viscount Scarsdale is a spy – traitor hunter to be exact - for the English government. He hasn’t been home in many years and just on the cusp of retiring, he is pulled back to the responsibilities of his viscountcy as a ruse to conduct an investigation. He never could have imagined just how deep this investigation would take him, or that there could possibly be a murderer in their midst. Also knocking him for a loop is the highly intelligent, mathematician, Emma Wallingford. She was a bit of a pest in their younger years, but she has grown into a force Derick has not yet encountered; nor one he can resist. She stirs feelings he has shut down for so long, dreams he has thought impossible. But Derick believes himself unredeemable – unable to atone for his past sins as a spy – not worthy of his deep desires.

Emma Wallingford is a brilliant mind. She looks at everything as a math problem – something that can be solved and rationalized logically. Her brain, in fact, is a bit of a handicap in that she flopped in her London season. Women like her are few and far between; definitely not marriage material within the ton. Emma has also been in love with Derick since childhood. His sudden appearance doesn’t quite make sense and she’s determined to figure out what he’s doing there and what his future plans are. Emma never thought he might be continuing to work for the government. She discovers that he does not see himself as “good enough” for her. After all the lies of omission are cleared away, she’s renewed with new purpose. Find the traitor and save Derick from himself.

I just love Ms. Snow. She has a magical way of tuning bookish, highly intelligent women, into some of the best female leads I have come across within HR novels. I remember reading the first book in this series as an ARC, and somehow never got around to this one. Not quite sure how I overlooked this gem, but you can be sure I’ll be reading the rest of the series as well. I truly enjoyed Emma’s literal mind and her difficulty with colloquialisms. There were several fun areas in which she unknowingly misinterprets a common idiom, eliciting a chuckle from me each time. Derick was quite a fun character to spend time with as well. I always enjoy the inner thoughts of the male struggling with new emotions and trying to figure out where the devil they came from. 😊 Also entertaining is the fine line balanced with Derick’s struggle with revealing too much, versus not precisely telling a lie. Ah, the life of a spy.

Knowing the first book, and now reading this one, I can say it is not necessary to read SWEET ENEMY first. There are brief mentions of the previous main characters, but nothing that interferes with the assimilation of this story. This book is a fabulous Historical HEA that is guaranteed to satisfy. I highly recommend the first two books in the series and am confident the others would just as wonderful. Heather Snow I easily an author who is an automatic read that will hold a coveted place upon my bookshelf. If you haven’t experienced the pleasure of her books, you are committing a disservice to yourself.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.