Charmed and Dangerous

The spy who loved her...

Gavin Graham works alone, trusts no one, and never, ever gives his heart. But the spy may have met his match in an ex-governess. Laura Devane has been handpicked to fulfill an important mission: distracting him from the deceptive charms of a Russian countess. Once, years ago, she defiantly rejected his marriage proposal. Now she meets his cool mockery and sensual advances with a maddening self-possession. And she plunges headlong into a perilous investigation that leaves him fearing for her safety. Clearly the woman is a menace--to international peace and to his peace of mind. For Laura's passion for intrigue matches his own, and her touch leaves him stunningly aroused, tempting him to join her in a life of dangerous desires....

Original Publisher: Bantam
Original Year of Publication: 1998
Page Count: 384

That back cover blurb is basically a blatant lie. The only truth to the matter is that Laura Devane was sent to the Congress of Vienna to distract Gavin Graham away from the mysterious Countess Krelov. Everyone believes she will fail at this mission - including Laura herself - because once upon a time, Gavin had asked for her hand in marriage, and she had rejected him. He hadn't loved her at the time, only the fortune her father possessed, and she knew that, hence the rejection.

10 years have passed in the interim. Gavin was exiled to the diplomatic service by his father, who was angry at his inability to land an heiress. He's made quite a reputation for himself, having any number of adventures on any number of continents, at the heart of much intrigue and political maneuvering in service to crown and country. He has landed at the Congress of Vienna for reasons beyond even him - this is not usually his scene - and his commanding officer has had enough. General Matthew Pryor tasks his wife with finding a suitable young lady from home to bring with her as a traveling companion, who might bring Gavin to heel, and away from the clutches of the very dangerous Sophie Krelov.

Catherine Pryor chooses Laura Devane, having known her since she was a child. In the 10 years since she rejected Gavin's proposal, Laura has been pressed into service of her own, as a governess in an Earl's home. Laura learned how to make herself invisible there, in part to save herself from the earl's known lechery. She has come to the end of her post, her charges having graduated into Society, so Catherine's offer comes at just the right time.

She transforms herself into a beautiful swan, determined to take this opportunity by the horns and have an adventure, for once. She doesn't think she will succeed at her mission, knowing that Gavin's opinion of her is less than kind, but she's willing to give it a shot. Plus, she's interested in the proceedings of the congress, as she's taken it upon herself to read everything she can get her hands on.

Gavin reacts as everyone expects to Laura's sudden reappearance in his life, but Laura isn't willing to take his mockery and taunting lying down. His attitude piques her, and she decides to give as good as she gets. She's also intrigued by her mission, to keep him away from the Countess Krelov - so much so that she goes to visit Sophie herself, to learn more about what Gavin supposedly sees in her.

Sophie is amused by her visit, but when she sees Laura and Gavin together during the society events surrounding the congress, she decides that they are working together, and against her, and immediately sets out to eliminate them, and the threat they post to her intrigues. Gavin is attacked one night in a garden, and Laura is there to witness it, which pulls her further into the mire. She wants to help - she wants to do something important with her life, for once - but Gavin is bound and determined that she stay out of it and let him handle everything.

It becomes a battle of wits, between Sophie Krelov and Laura, and Laura and Gavin, as each work to unravel the other's schemes. This was actually a cracking good read, and the intrigue and adventure set against the political machinations of the Congress was a fascinating and refreshing read.

The problem was the main characters. Laura is book-smart, having read everything from dull treatises to the earl's pornographic portfolios during her time as a governess, but she is pretty naive and plunges along headfirst into some rather stupid situations. She is rather resourceful, though, if thwarted at almost every turn. I have no idea what she sees in Gavin, beyond his infamous golden blonde god looks. He treats her terribly, constantly tries to put her in her "proper" place, and insists on doing everything himself. He withholds his vow of love until literally the last page, and she's somehow struck by it, even though a great deal of energy is put into the fact that they are quite naturally drawn to each other.

Gavin is a somewhat typical tall, dark, and handsome hero, although he is of the blond-haired, amber-eyed persuasion. It is easy to understand his motivations, and how his father's treatment of him has shaped his life and career until now. He hangs onto his stubbornness for way too long, clutching at it like it's going out of style. He fights his instincts at every turn, not wanting to admit that Laura's not quite as helpless as she seems, or that she's better at spying than he wants to admit, or that she's very intelligent. At one point, they are kidnapped by Sophie's henchmen and left on a deserted island. It's Laura's wits that save them, and her book-smarts that get them off the island, but Gavin is reluctant to admit that she has advanced their position in any way.

They give in to their attraction while on the island, and it binds them even closer - but he fights it with every fiber of his being. He refuses to let her communicate, constantly interrupting her when she's trying to give him vital information. He worries about her incessantly, but this comes off as rage and anger most of the time, instead of concern. He refuses to be vulnerable, even when she realizes why he's acting the way he is. He withholds his vow of love until the very last page, a good 150 pages after they escape from the island. I have no idea how she could've been so patient with him, honestly.

The problem is that these two don't communicate verbally. When they are together physically - either having sex, or even just in the same room with each other - their nonverbal communication is amazing. So amazing that their duex es machina ending is basically a match-making scheme designed to bring them together as partners in espionage, as well as life.

I enjoyed reading about that side of their relationship. Ms. Ashford's writing is absolutely flawless, and I loved all of the moments they spend together *not* talking. Their natural pull towards each other was very lovely to read about - it's just whenever they opened their mouths, it got really tedious, really fast. Neither one of them trust their physical/emotional/sexual connection, either, each having doubts about the other's devotion AND their pasts. Gavin believes that Laura was the Earl's mistress for 10 years until he sleeps with her on the island and realizes she was a virgin. Laura believes that Gavin has dallied with the countess and doesn't confront him about this until practically the end of the book.

Still, I believe this book is worth reading, at least once, if only because of the surprise twist of the Sophie Krelov plot. Our matchmaker, the mysterious Mr. Tompkins, was also a delight (if a bit unbelievable), as he was straight out of the 1700s. He was a wonderful leader of the spy ring, and it was fun to watch him watch Gavin and Laura as they stumbled toward each other.

The villain, Sophie, was also nicely drawn, with just enough shades of gray to make things interesting. She gives Laura a kernel of truth during their very first meeting, one that ultimately leads to the unraveling of her plot. There are some other secondary strong female characters to round out the book, which was nice.

⭐⭐