Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Pleasured By the English Spy by Bronwyn Scott
Historical romance eBook short story released by Harlequin Historical Undone 1 Feb 09

Besides being a fan of tasty bite-size morsel reads, another thing I really enjoy about the Harlequin Historical Undone short stories is that it allows authors to explore multiple characters and story arcs within their created universe. I can’t be the only reader alive who has gotten burnt out on series. At some point it happens to all of us. But when the series gets fleshed out using the quicker and faster short story format of the Undone line? It’s hard for me to get burnt out. Especially when the author keeps it lively with steamy love scenes and interesting locales.

Bronwyn Scott’s second Undone short story takes place in Italy, and she really makes it shine in what could have been a run-of-the-mill English spy story. It’s this setting, and the lushness that Scott is able to convey that really stood out for me.

Andrew Truesdale lived in Italy until he was 15, so when his superiors are looking for someone to go to Italy and ferret out information about a potential nationalist revolution, they naturally tap him. His job is to get close to a widowed contessa, Olivia di Montebaldi , and discover what she knows about the plot. Is she the one in charge? Or is she just protecting someone else? Andrew figures this will be an easy task. He assumes Olivia is middle-aged widow, lonely for companionship, and she’ll be more than susceptible to the charms of a dashing Englishman. Then he arrives at the villa to discover his assumptions were way off. Olivia is young, vivacious, beautiful, and knows exactly who he is and why he’s there. Oh, she’s not opposed to an affair with the man, but it’s not like she’s going to willingly cough up her secrets during pillow talk!

The common complaint about short stories is that they’re “too” short, and the reader is often left wanting. Scott does an amiable job with her short word count. I never felt this story was rushed or lacking, and the author ties up all her loose ends to a satisfactory conclusion. Some readers might see the traditional happy ending as a bit of a rush job, but it worked for me because the author does a nice job of showing the passion between Olivia and Andrew.

My one quibble is that I wished there was a bit more dialogue in this story. This is mostly for selfish reasons, since after reading one full-length novel and another Undone story by Scott, I’ve discovered she’s quite talented with dialogue. Her characters have been known to engage is some delightful verbal sparring matches. But this is only a minor, and mostly selfish, “complaint” on my part. All in all, this is a nice story with an interesting and lovingly depicted Italian locale. A perfect afternoon read, preferably with a glass of wine by your side.

Grade: B

Summary:
English spy Andrew Truesdale has been sent to Florence on a mission–to befriend widowed contessa Olivia di Montebaldi and discover if she’s plotting a nationalist revolution in the aftermath of Napoleon’s defeat. Andrew expects the assignment to be easy. After all, his job with the British Diplomatic Corps required him to perfect the art of flirtation and become a consummate seducer of women.

Everything changes, however, when he arrives at Olivia’s villa. Instead of the middle-aged woman he expects, Andrew finds a vivacious young beauty who piques his interest…and his lust.

But while Andrew may be taken aback by the contessa, Olivia knows exactly who Andrew is…and that he is dangerous. She may let him claim her body, but can she trust him with her secrets?

No excerpt found.

Other books in this series: