Dangerous Deceptions by Sarah Zettel Series: Palace of Spies #2
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on November 4, 2014
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
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As a lady in waiting in King George' s London court, Peggy has survived a forced betrothal, royal scandals, and an attempt or two on her life. And now she has a new problem: her horrible fiancé has returned to claim her! To save her neck, or at least her hand in marriage, Peggy joins forces with her cousin Olivia and her sweetheart, Matthew. But if she doesn' t play her cards right, her career as courtier and spy might come to an end at the bottom of the river Thames . . .
You can check out my review of the first book in this series, Palace of Spies #1 HERE.
(I love this series. HARD.)
I love Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction and read quite a bit of both, so I wouldn’t say I’m easily impressed. There’s just something so clever about Sarah Zettel’s characters/dialogue, and something so sneaky-educational about her writing. I’ve never learned so much about the time period and customs of King George I’s court as I have from reading her deceptively scholarly Palace of Spies novels.
Peggy Fitzroy, our protagonist, is dealt another wild card in this sequel to Palace of Spies as the fiancé she escaped from in her previous life outside of the palace comes to court to haunt her. We have a setting change from Hampton Court Palace to St.James Palace in London in this book, and the pacing and feel of the novel is something akin to a royal horse-drawn carriage dashing its way through a bumpy country road. Just as Peggy thinks she’s gained some ground, some sinister nuisance becomes a stick in her wagon wheel. Peggy is a refreshing heroine in Hanoverian England. She’s smart and determined and refuses to let outside circumstances and conventions determine her destiny.
The layman’s reconnaissance missions and suspenseful games of cat and mouse were wholly entertaining. The budding romance between Peggy and ”the wrong boy” is the stuff that romance novels are made of. The competitive court atmosphere and games of gossip roulette are pitch perfect. Dangerous Deceptions will be a special treat for those who are eagerly awaiting the new season of BBC’s The Musketeers like I am. The Palace of Spies novels carry all the action, adventure, romance, and wonderful plotting and story telling that The Musketeers does.
It seems like a horribly LONG TIME to wait for the next novel in this series to come out (January 2016), but I know the wait will be worth it. Here’s the cover of the third installment, Assassin’s Masque:
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