This was an excellent enemies-to-lovers story. It is the second book in the King's Elite series, where the members of the Crown's spy agency have been trying to shut down a French spy/smuggling ring that has members in the highest echelons of British society. Though each book can be read as a standalone, they are better read in order as each one builds on the previous ones.

In this book, Lord Peter Flint is tasked with escorting Lady Jessamine back to England to stand trial for treason. He is well-known for his cool, calm devotion to duty, and he is determined to deliver her safely to London. However, Jess does not make it easy for him. She is feisty, brave, and determined to escape from his custody. The opening salvos in their battle are impressive and set the stage for an interesting battle of wills.

I loved both Peter and Jess. There is more to each of them than the other realizes, and their voyage of discovery was a delight to read. Peter's devotion to duty runs bone-deep as he follows in his father's footsteps as a member of the King's Elite. As a young agent, he made a mistake with a female prisoner that had a lasting effect on him; he will not trust anything that Jess says to him. He is also a gentleman who has five older sisters, and his protectiveness for the female of the species cannot be denied. Jess is an amazing young woman. Torn from her home in England when her French mother ran away with her lover, Saint-Aubin, Jess was subjected to unthinkable neglect and cruel abuse. After her mother's death, Jess was forced to help him with his smuggling/espionage ring. More clever than Saint-Aubin realized, Jess found a way to betray him. She is determined to free herself from both the English and Saint-Aubin and live life on her own terms.

The relationship between Jess and Peter was confrontational at the beginning. I had to laugh at the sight of her pelting him with bread as she screamed French insults at him. In spite of that, Peter defends her right to be treated humanely, something that ends up biting him in the butt when it gives her the chance to escape - twice. Though frustrated by her actions, he can't help but be impressed by her cunning and determination. By the time he catches up with her the second time, he has to redo his entire plan for getting her to London while using her as bait to draw out both the French and the English traitors who want her back in their hands or dead. It isn't too long before the sparks of confrontation turn into the sparks of attraction, but both are reluctant to lower their guards. I liked seeing the trust slowly grow between them as they try to keep Jess safe from Saint-Aubin. As their trust grew, so did their love for each other. But until Jess is proved innocent of the charges against her, there is no way that they can be together.

The suspense of the story was fantastic. I was glued to the pages from start to finish. With all evidence pointing toward Jess's guilt, Peter was determined to get her to London to stand trial while at the same time laying a trap to catch those in charge of the operation. Jess's attitude did nothing to change his mind. But as more of Jess's past was revealed, it became clear that there was more to the story than he knew. Peter is wary of trusting what Jess says, and Jess is unwilling to share everything in an attempt to protect herself. It isn't until she spots Saint-Aubin himself that she confesses all to Peter. As the depth of her knowledge becomes clear, the need to protect her intensifies. As all the players converged on Peter's home in Cornwall, the tension was palpable. There was a terrific scene with Peter, Jess, and Lord Hadleigh as Peter finally convinced Hadleigh of Jess's innocence. The final confrontation was a nail-biter as treachery nearly won the day, though of course, the good guys prevailed.

The secondary characters were terrific also. Lord Gray has some great moments as he provides backup for Peter. He is also outspoken in his dismay over some of his friends' romances. This makes me especially eager to read his story and see how Cupid's arrow brings him down. Peter's mother was one of my favorites. Her outspoken attitude regarding any hint of "tomfoolery" made me laugh, even as it frustrated and embarrassed Peter. I also loved her pragmatic attitude toward what was happening, having had years of experience with Peter's father and his activities. I especially loved her acceptance of Jess and the way she pulled Jess into the family circle. Though he was only doing his job, there were moments when I detested Lord Hadleigh's attitude toward Jess. I loved seeing his eyes get opened to the truth and the effect it had on him.

My only problem with this book, as with the first one, is one of the author's writing quirks. I'm told it is a British thing, though I haven't come across it in any other British author I've read. Phrases such as "she was stood" or "Jess found herself sat" instead of "she stood" or "she found herself sitting" tended to pull me out of the story because they sound wrong to this American reader. I expect I will get used to them the more I read from this author, but it's hard going right now. ( )

Well that was an interesting story, more about the adventure sometimes than the romance but you could see that sparks would fly in this relationship and that they really did care for each other. The slow build from enemies and captor and prisoner worked for me. She really wants her freedom from all the imposed barriers to her freedom and eventually she finds what she needs from life.

Lady Jessamine Fane is charged with treason, helping a French smuggler who is in collaboration with some fairly high-up English lords. She protests that she's a victim here but Lord Peter Flint is charged with bringing her to justice. The more he knows her the more he doubts the simplicity of the charges.

I liked the story and the characters. ( )

This was an excellently written, fast-paced, action-packed story that includes a lot of intrigue – not to mention a lovely and unlikely romance between two seemingly very different people. There were some humorous moments and a breath-holding ending. This was the second book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. You do get some visits with characters from the previous series as well as the first book in this series, so it was nice to say hello – although there was so much action going on there wasn’t much time to visit. Now, I can hardly wait to read the next installment in the series.

Lady Jessamine (Jess) Fane has not had an easy life. For all intents and purposes, she has been alone and on her own for her entire life. While that is a very sad thing, it has also made her very strong and resilient. Now, she needs every ounce of that strength and resilience. She’s been captured in France and arrested as a traitor. How in the world did a sweet and lovely English rose come to this? Well, it is a long tale and it isn’t an easy one. It begins with her French mother taking twelve-year-old Jess away from her father and England and returning to France. Her father didn’t care and went so far as to renounce her and divorce her mother. Jess was then totally at the mercy of her mother and Comte de Saint-Aubin-de-Scellon – her mother’s lover. When her mother died, the cruel Saint Aubin tortured and forced Jess to participate in his smuggling/espionage ring. She couldn’t stand doing that and managed to send hints to the Engish, but, now they’ve come for her and captured her and are taking her to England to stand trial as a traitor. Can she escape both the English and Saint Aubin? If not, can she convince the English she really isn’t a traitor? Whatever the case, she knows she cannot trust her captor(s) and that she’ll just have to save herself from her situation.

Lord Peter Flint is twenty-seven years old, very rich and titled – and he’s also a member of the Kings Elite. A large part of his self-identity comes from that – his life purpose is to serve the Crown by being an effective, respected and disciplined agent. He once made a mistake with a female prisoner that almost cost his father his life, and he will never EVER make that same mistake again. As a lead agent, it is his responsibility to see that the traitor arrives in London to stand trial as a traitor and he has decided to see to that task personally rather than assign someone else to do it. Above all, he knows that he absolutely cannot trust her or believe anything she has to say.

Peter’s first encounter with Jess was to find himself being pelted with a hailstorm of stale breadcrumbs and having “English pigs!” shouted at him. She was behind bars on a Royal Navy frigate that was being used as a floating prison until they could get her from France to London. Being a proper English gentleman with five older sisters and a doting mother, he wanted to assure that she was treated with respect (until she was found guilty) and was afforded at least some comfort even though she was behind bars. His gentlemanly considerations only gave Jess the opportunity to escape – more than once. He certainly had to learn to respect her cunning, determination and resilience.

Her escapes caused him to have to revamp his entire plan for getting her to London. The other traitors in England as well as those in France were after her and wanted her dead. It had been Peter’s plan to lure them out by using Jess as bait – until he learned what a valuable asset she really was.

I absolutely adored both of these characters. Each had every reason to mistrust the other, but somehow they managed to find their happily-ever-after even while being chased by villains.

I will also mention that for American readers, there are some grammar usages that will throw you a bit. Those usages are the standard in England, so don’t think that they are oopses. For example – “Jess found herself sat on the exact same...” instead of “Jess found herself sitting on the exact same...”.

I can highly recommend this book. It is an excellent read and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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