Johsua Sinclair, Earl of Wolverton—“Wolf” to his friends—returns home late one night to find a young woman waiting in his bedchamber, with a pistol pointed at his most prized possession.  Sara Coverly is there to avenge the rape of her friend Samantha by a man calling himself the Earl of Wolverton.  Wolf knows it wasn’t he but it takes some fancy verbal footwork on his part to convince Sara.  He promises to find the villain and clear his own name and avenge Samantha and in doing so doesn’t realize it but falls in love.  Sara’s an independent young woman, not wishing any romantic commitments but simply to help young women make their way in the world--after being disgraced for one reason or another.  Wolf, just returned from the war with Napoleon on the Continent, is an adept code decryptor, bound to his work and not looking for a romantic liaison but because Fate has a way of ignoring an individual’s preferences and working these things out.

Soon Wolf is involving Sara in his plans.  Discovering the mysterious phrase “the third rose” in a cipher, he learns that one of three noblemen may be involved in a plot involving the present war with the French.  Having refused invitations into Society since his return, he now needs to get into those houses and pretending to be engaged to Sara will give him access.  Things don’t quite work out as planned though Wolf gets his information.  Sara is now in danger and the only way he can think of to protect her is to marry her so he can keep an eye on her at all times.  It’s to be a marriage of convenience only, of course, he swears that--but soon knows he’s going to have a very difficult time keeping his word as Sara realizes she cares for the handsome Earl and wants the marriage to be more convenient than it already is.   Love, of course, will find a way.  Soon, they uncover a plot to assassinate Lord Wellington himself and that will definitely damage morale to the point where the war will turn in favor of the French. A wedding trip to the continent, a meeting with His Lordship, and an eyewitness account of the Battle of Waterloo follow in short order as Wolf once more joins Wellington’s staff and places himself in mortal danger to protect his commanding officer.

MY OPINION:  This is a lovely book with a lovely cover--a white rose with a bloody dagger blade lying across it--and I’ll admit that’s what first drew me to it….  Initially, I thought it would be the usual “Regency Romance” but its swift-moving story, sweeping from England to the Continent and the turning Battle at Waterloo give it that little something to make it different.  There’s an authenticity, such as the hospital scenes where volunteering physicians aren’t allowed to treat patients and those who do are encouraged to amputate and move on rather than trying to save both men’s lives and their limbs.  The characters are well-developed and sympathetic, especially the secondary and lesser ones, written in such a way the reader cares what happens to them.  There’s sympathy when Samantha rejects Robert Bradford, Wolf’s London agent, because she doesn’t feel worthy of a “decent” man’s love.  There’s hope that Bram, Wolf’s best friend, won’t be harmed during the intrigues the two wade into. The frustration of Dr. Hudson at the obstinacy of the staff doctors is shockingly understood.  The hero is noble and stalwart but filled with doubts and concern for those he loves and the heroine is feisty, headstrong, and just as in love with him as he with her, and the give-and-take between the two as they alternately frustrate, anger, aid, and realize they love each other make this a story to enjoy.

(The copy of this novel was supplied by the author and no remuneration for the review was involved.)