When his father and older brother suddenly pass away, the new Duke of Haverly is saddled with a title he never expected to bear. To thwart the plans of his scheming family, the duke impulsively marries a wallflower. After all, she's meek and mild; it should be easy to sequester her in the country and get on with his life―as a secret agent for the Crown.
But his bride has other ideas. She's determined to take her place not only as his duchess but as his wife. As a duchess, she can use her position to help the lowest of society―the women forced into prostitution because they have no skills or hope. Her endeavors are not met favorably in society, nor by her husband who wishes she'd remain in the background as he ordered.
Can the duke succeed in relegating her to the sidelines of his life? When his secrets are threatened with exposure, will his new wife be an asset or a liability?
The Gentleman Spy is the second title in the Serendipity & Secrets series by Erica Vetsch. The narrative picks up shortly after the conclusion of events seen in The Lost Lieutenant, which I enjoyed and reviewed recently. The titular character of this subsequent volume, Marcus Haverly does have a moderate role in the previous work, and events from Lieutenant are referred to on multiple occasions. Similarly, characters such as the aforementioned Lieutenant Evan Eldridge, his wife and other returning characters make appearances in The Gentleman Spy. All this is to say that although this second title is somewhat stand-alone, readers will likely enjoy it more if they take the time to read The Lost Lieutenant first.
Although the title of the novel seems to indicate that the main focus will be on Marcus Haverly, in my opinion, a greater amount of time is actually spent with his bride, Charlotte Tiptree. Although her parents brought her up in a way that kept her highly sheltered, she has a strong desire for education and reading, becoming somewhat of a closeted bluestocking, as her parents frowned upon much of her intellectual pursuits. Charlotte’s desire for education is tied to her yearning for significance, which unexpectedly leads her into charitable work with women trapped in the sex trafficking industry. This shady world of secrets and crime has surprising ties to Marcus’ work as a secret agent, and their worlds collide as events transpire which threaten to dismantle his carefully compartmentalized life.
My feelings about The Gentleman Spy are a bit conflicted. I enjoyed Charlotte’s plotline, as I liked her character and appreciated her quest to liberate streetwalking women, as well as her drive to achieve true intimacy with a man who married her on a whim. At the same time, with the espionage-tinged title, I had hoped for a bit more “cloak and dagger” content from Marcus’ side of the story. I’m not sure how that would have been accomplished, but perhaps there could have been a flashback to his earlier days as a spy-in-training, or a bit more of an explanation as to how he developed his alter ego, the secretive “Hawk”. I think a more apt title for the novel would have been The Gentleman Spy’s Wife, but that’s a bit of a mouthful.
That caveat aside, this second title in the Serendipity & Secrets series was an enjoyable one, with intrigue, romance, interesting characters, and an explosive final act that was quite the page-turner. As a part of the Christian fiction genre, the content of The Gentleman Spy is quite modest, with no colorful language, and the romantic scenes are kept to a “sweet” level. The faith of the main characters does come into play several times throughout the story, but it is not mentioned on every page. There is a death of a character that is very dramatic, but it is warranted, given the circumstances. The prostitutes in the story also experience abuse, but the reader is given details of the after-effects, the physical and emotional wounds that the women must endure. As such, perhaps the appropriate audience for the novel would be mid-teenage on up.
The character development of Marcus reminds me of the booklet story My Heart, Christ's Home by Robert B Munger, wherein the subject of the tale exhibits a compartmentalization of his faith, allowing Christ into some corners of his "home", yet keeping him from others. Marcus has similar lessons to learn in The Gentleman Spy, as his relationship to God and his relationship with his spouse really can't be as "locked away" as he would like them to be.
Erica Vetsch has again brought to her readers a charming tale of Regency society, love, adventure and faith. With likable (and despicable) characters, well-researched historical writing and thoughtful plotting, The Gentleman Spy is a fine follow-up to its predecessor. I am pleased that a third volume, The Indebted Earl, is in the works for the near future. I look forward to re-entering the world of Serendipity & Secrets, and expect to enjoy the next title as I have the first two in the series.
Want to read the first two chapters of The Lost Lieutenant?
Get the PDF here!
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About the Author
Erica Vetsch is a New York Times best-selling and ACFW Carol Award–winning author. She is a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota with her husband, who she claims is both her total opposite and soul mate.
Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks. A self-described history geek, she has been planning her first research trip to England.
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SERENDIPITY & SECRETS GIVEAWAY!!
Kregel Publications is offering an excellent prize pack! Not only does the winner receive the first two books in the Serendipity & Secrets series, but lots of fun swag as well! See the widget below to enter. Contest ends today, August 18th.
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing The Gentleman Spy!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! Best wishes on Book 3!
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