The Spy Wore Silk

They were once orphans from London's roughest slums. Now they are students of Mrs. Merlin's Academy for Select Young Ladies, learning the art of spying and seduction. Bold, beautiful, and oh-so-dangerous, they are England's ultimate secret weapons. The most skilled of Merlin's Maidens, Siena must unmask a traitor lurking among an exclusive club of book collectors. Armed with only her wits, her blades, and her sultry body, she joins the gentlemen at a country house party. But her prime suspect, disgraced ex-army officer Lord Kirtland proves as enigmatic as he is suspicious-and sinfully sensuous. Kirtland's instincts tell him the enticing "Black Dove" is hiding more than a luscious body beneath her fancy silks. Yet as he starts to plumb her secrets, a cunning adversary lays plans to destroy them both. To live, Siena must end her tantalizing dance of deception and desire-and decide whether to trust her head or her heart.From Publishers WeeklySword fighting and martial arts may not interest the typical Regency heroine, but Pickens, known for such traditional work as The Storybook Hero, fits them nicely into her new action-filled historical series. At Mrs. Merlin's Academy for Select Young Ladies, street urchins are trained in both the ways of society and the deadly arts, for the purposes of countering England's foes. On her first assignment, the resourceful Siena is charged with sniffing out a Napoleonic spy while posing as a courtesan in search of a new protector. Apparently one of the six highborn members of the Gilded Page Club has been smuggling documents in the guise of acquiring valuable old books, but who is it? As Siena challenges each club member to a series of competitions to win her favor, the sensuality of one prime suspect—the earl of Kirtland, a disgraced former officer in the Royal Army—threatens Siena's self-control and secret identity. The introduction of an enigmatic outsider and some helpful intervention from another of Mrs. Merlin's young ladies thicken the plot and build momentum for the sequel. Regency fans should enjoy this innovative and adventurous foray. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review'Well written, filled with engaging characters and intrigue, A Kiss of Spice is a most appealing romance.' - ROMANTIC TIMES BOOKCLUB