A case of secret identities finds reunited lovers on opposite sides of the law in this fun, flirty Regency romance.

There’s only one case Bow Street agent Alex Harland, Earl of Melton, hasn’t cracked: the identity of the mysterious woman who stole a kiss from him before he left for war. He’s neither forgotten–nor forgiven–her for leaving him wanting. When he starts investigating the Nightjar, an elusive London jewel thief, he keeps running into the alluring Emmy Danvers, who stirs feelings he hasn’t felt in years.

Even though Emmy’s loved Alex for years, she can’t risk revealing her heart, or her identity as the Nightjar. With Alex on her case, Emmy knows that her secrets are in danger of being discovered. Their cat and mouse game heats up with every interaction, but when Emmy’s reputation–and life–is at risk, will Alex realize that some rules are made to be broken for love?

This book opens as Emmy manages to steal a kiss from Alex Harland before he heads off to war. Little does she know that kiss has stuck in his memory as much as it has hers.

With the war over, Alex and his best friends are reunited and have opened a gentleman’s club, each of them have new titles courtesy of the Prince Regent. They also do some work for Bow Street and are noted for never leaving a case unsolved.

When a very large diamond is stolen from the Royal Jewelers, the stakes become high. The Prince Regent wants it back and the thief punished to the fullest extent of the law. The telltale black feather says it’s no doubt the Nightjar who perpetuated the crime.

The Nightjar hasn’t been heard from in a long time and not only hasn’t he been captured, the jewels stolen have never surfaced either. Emmy is the Nightjar and when she realizes Alex is assigned to the case she knows her days of thieving are nearing the end. The jewels she is being made to steal would complete the collection and also land her in jail and hanged for the offense.

I love the way this story unfolds, I can see the London of the time, the gentleman’s club in all it’s splendor and the balls in all their pomp and glory. The family loyalty and the race against time add tension to the game.

Cat and mouse is an accurate description of the taunts and teases of the investigation. The romance between Alex and Emmy inevitable and the ending superb.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. I hope it’s soon.

5 Contented Purrs for Kate!

Kate Bateman

Kate Bateman (also writing as K. C. Bateman) wrote her first historical romance in response to a $1 bet with her husband who rashly claimed she’d ‘never finish the thing.’ She gleefully proved him wrong. Her Regency and Renaissance-era romances all feature her trademark feisty, intelligent heroines, wickedly inappropriate banter, and heroes you want to both strangle and kiss.

When not traveling to exotic locations ‘for research,’ Kate leads a double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK, each of which has up to 2.5 million viewers. She splits her time between Illinois and her native England and writes despite three inexhaustible children and a number-loving husband who still owes her that dollar.