Reader favorite Elle James knows suspense…and her heroes are trained for danger… But secret operative Creed Thomas isn't prepared for Emma Jenkins. Creed needs the diving expert to locate a sunken boat off Oregon's rocky coast and lure out an elusive terrorist. But he doesn't need the fiery attraction that tempts the by-the-book agent to break every rule. Emma is everything the man in him wants and the agent in him can't have. As an impenetrable fog blankets the seaside town, one thing is clear: Creed is all that stands between a terrorist and the unspeakable act of violence he's sure to commit. When the moment comes, will Creed be forced to choose between saving his country…and the woman he loves?

Spring 1763. Career diplomat Alec Halsey returns to London to the shocking news his estranged brother, the Earl of Delvin, has not only killed his friend in a duel but is engaged to the woman Alec hoped to marry. The dead man's mother wants Alec to investigate, so he reluctantly attends a weekend house party celebrating the engagement. Houseguests get more than they bargained for when a lady's maid is murdered, the bride-to-be is attacked, and a guest is shot dead. Uncovering a connection between these sinister acts and his brother's duel, Alec confronts a cruel twist of fate and why his brother will go to any lengths to ruin him in Polite Society. Lucinda Brant's Alec Halsey mysteries explore the darker side of her deliciously romantic 18th century world. Along with trademark wit and high drama there are deeper subplots and even quirkier characters that will have you shuddering and laughing in equal measure! Awards for this Book Romantic Book fo the Year Finalist, Romance Writers of Australia Book Details Series: Book 1 in the Alec Halsey Mystery series Classification: Parental Guidance Recommended (mild violence) Length: Full-length novel (102,000 words) Edition: Second print edition Style: Character-driven amateur sleuth Connecting Books Many readers enjoy Lucinda Brant's books as part of a wider series since her characters inhabit the same meticulously-researched 18th Century world with people and events cross-referenced throughout. You can explore the details and delve deeper into the history within each book by visiting LucindaBrantAuthor on Pinterest. Should you wish to read each series in chronological order, here is the sequence: Alec Halsey Mystery Series Spring 1763 DEADLY ENGAGEMENT (Country house murder and mayhem) Autumn 1763 DEADLY AFFAIR (A poisoned vicar and the mysterious Miranda) Winter 1763 DEADLY PERIL (Bloody intrigue abroad) In progress Summer 1764 DEADLY KIN (Evil lurks in Edinburgh) In progress Salt Hendon Series 1763 SALT BRIDE (Magnus and Jane) 1767 SALT REDUX (Antony and Caroline) 1767 A FAIRY CHRISTMAS (Kitty and Tom); a short story in SILVER BELLS COLLECTION, a Timeless Romance anthology Roxton Family Saga 1740s NOBLE SATYR (Renard and Antonia) 1760s MIDNIGHT MARRIAGE (Julian and Deb) 1770s AUTUMN DUCHESS (Antonia and Jonathon) 1770s DAIR DEVIL (Dair and Rory) 1770s PROUD MARY (Mary and Christopher) In progress 1780s SATYR'S SON (Henri-Antoine and Lisa) In progress Reviews "Lucinda Brant is the queen of Georgian Historical Mystery just as Georgette Heyer was the queen of Regency Romance." -- Anne Boling, Readers' Favorite "An exciting and gripping tale of passion, murder and mistaken identity. This is one Georgian page-turner I savored until the very end." -- Ingrid Taylor, All About Murder

The Hardy boys are drawn into a century-old blood feud when a New York City jeweler asks the boys to find his son.

A Dangerous Engagement is the stylish, charming sixth novel in the Edgar-nominated Amory Ames mystery series by Ashley Weaver, set in 1930s New York. As they travel by ship to New York for her childhood friend Tabitha’s wedding, Amory Ames gazes out at the city’s iconic skyline, excited by the prospect of being a bridesmaid. Her husband Milo, however, is convinced their trip will be deadly dull, since Prohibition is in full swing. But when a member of the wedding party is found murdered on the front steps of the bride’s home, the happy plans take a darker twist. Amory discovers that the dead groomsman has links to the notorious—and notoriously handsome—gangster Leon De Lora, and soon she and Milo find themselves drawn into another mystery. While the police seem to think that New York’s criminal underworld is at play, Amory feels they can’t ignore the wedding party either. Tabitha’s fiancé Tom Smith appears to be a good man, but he has secrets of his own, and the others in the group seem strangely unaffected by the death of their friend . . . In an unfamiliar city, not knowing who they can trust, Milo and Amory are drawn into the glamorous, dangerous world of nightclubs and bootleggers. But as they draw closer to unraveling the web of lies and half-truths the murdered man has left in his wake, the killer is weaving a web of his own.

Aummer 1764. The death of a young poacher has Alec investigating murder. And when renovations to his sprawling manor unearth a secret burial chamber, a shocking family secret comes to light. Everything Alec thought he knew about his birth is again called into question, and with it the special bond with his irascible uncle Plantagenet.

During the First World War five French soldiers, accused of a cowardly attempt to evade duty, are bundled into no-man's land and certain death. Five bodies are later recovered, the families are notified that the men died in the line of duty and the whole, distasteful incident appears closed. After the war the fianc-e of one of the men receives a letter which hints at what might have happened. Mathilde Donnay determines to discover the fate of her beloved amid the carnage of battle. A Very Long Engagement turns into an unusual and engrossing thriller as she discovers an increasing number of people trying to put her off the scent. Japrisot's achievement is to have written a novel that is both a suspenseful thriller and one which transforms a single small incident into the epitome of all wartime atrocities. The d-nouement, when it finally happens, is moving and horribly convincing.

2012 Australian Romance Readers Awards Finalist: Favorite Historical RomanceCareer diplomat Alec Halsey has been elevated to a marquessate he doesn't want and Polite Society believes he doesn't deserve; his lover has decided she won't marry him after all and the suspicion he murdered his brother still lingers in London drawing rooms. So returning to London after seven months' seclusion may have been a mistake. Alec's foreboding deepens when a nobody vicar drops dead at a party-political dinner; he witnesses the very public humiliation of an up-and-coming portrait painter, and his rabble-rousing uncle Plantagenet is bashed and left for dead in a laneway. When the vicar's true identity is revealed, Alec suspects the man was poisoned. But who would want a seemingly harmless man of God murdered, and why?ALEC HALSEY MYSTERY series book 2Character-driven amateur sleuthNon explicit (mild violence)Story length 102,000 wordsREVIEWSLucinda Brant is the queen of Georgian Historical Mystery just as Georgette Heyer was the queen of Regency Romance. What these two authors have in common, besides being superb writers, is their ability to weave historical information into the plot so that the reader is transported effortlessly to another time and place. Lucinda Brant gets 5 stars from me, and I can't wait to read the other books in the Alec Halsey series! Anne B for Readers' FavoriteLucinda Brant has a beautiful writing style and a careful grasp on the social mores, political environment and tangled affairs of the aristocracy of Georgian England. Her characterizations are layered and complex. The mystery is intricately woven into an absorbing plot. Lucinda Brant is a gifted writer and Deadly Affair is highly and enthusiastically recommended for lovers of historical mysteries! Jill MacKenzie InD'Tale magazine

"A gripping tale of hatred, revenge, and lust … a sinister spellbinder." — Publishers Weekly Car mechanic Florimond can't believe his luck when a beautiful young newcomer to his sleepy Provence village agrees to marry him. But his bride's motivation is slowly revealed as a cunning plan to avenge a long-ago crime. Told from four fascinating perspectives, this French noir thriller won the prestigious Prix Deux Magots. One Deadly Summer is a true classic of suspense. "The most welcome talent since the early Simenons." — The New York Times "A rich and resonant sonata in black ... the taut shaping of a grand master." — Kirkus Reviews "Sébastien Japrisot holds a unique place in contemporary French fiction. With the quality and originality of his writing, Japrisot has hugely contributed to breaking down the barrier between crime fiction and literary fiction." — Le Monde

Just as merchant's daughter Felicity Mayson is spurned once again because of her meager dowry, she receives an unexpected invitation to Lady Blackstone's country home. Being introduced to the wealthy Oliver Ratley is an admitted delight, as is his rather heedless yet inviting proposal of marriage. Only when another of Lady Blackstone's handsome guests catches Felicity's attention does she realize that nothing is what it seems at Doverton Hall. Government agent Philip McDowell is infiltrating a group of cutthroat revolutionaries led by none other than Lady Blackstone and Ratley. Their devious plot is to overthrow the monarchy, and their unwitting pawn is Felicity. Now Philip needs Felicity's help in discovering the rebels' secrets--by asking her to maintain cover as Ratley's innocent bride-to-be. Philip is duty bound. Felicity is game. Together they're risking their lives--and gambling their hearts--to undo a traitorous conspiracy before their dangerous masquerade is exposed.

It is March of 1902, and Francesca Cahill-Fifth Avenue heiress, undaunted political activist and intrepid amateur sleuth-has just learned of a grave new danger haunting the streets of New York. A beautiful teenage girl named Emily O'Hare is missing and Francesca fears that the girl has been abducted. Only one person can help her learn the child's fate-but Police Commissioner Rick Bragg may not want to get involved because Francesca has just stunned Rick by accepting a proposal of marriage...from none other than his own rival. Francesca still questions her decision to marry the powerful and notorious Calder Hart. But Rick Bragg is wed to another...and his dazzling wife has just returned after four years abroad to reclaim their marriage. Francesca remains torn between the two very different men-but she desperately tries to set aside the affairs of her heart when she discovers that Emily isn't the first girl to vanish in recent weeks. And when Francesca discovers a trail of deception and lies, when someone very close to her investigation is murdered, Francesca realizes that the evil force behind the girls' abductions may try to find a way to silence her too-if she dares to uncover the truth...