Another Review at MyShelf.Com

The Spy Wore Silk
Mrs. Merlin's Academy for Select Young Ladies, 1st in Trilogy

by Andrea Pickens



      Andrea Pickens is an experienced Regency romance writer, and her skills show in this first title in a new trilogy. She says herself that she always wondered why, ala James Bond, guys had all the fun! She wanted to create a group of women spies, trained in martial arts, sword fighting, and swashbuckling bravery, all while in a skirt! AND while practicing the feminine wiles they were also taught at Mrs. Merlin's Academy for Select Young Ladies. This innovative school selects street urchins and orphans of particularly stunning beauty and uncommon intelligence. Trained to assist undercover, on behalf of the Commonwealth, Siena is but the first of three delightful heroines in this new series.

As with most Regencies and romances, love and sensuality are steady undercurrents in the plot. Siena is assigned to uncover a traitor to England, buried deep in an exclusive men's club of book collectors. The history that Ms. Pickens brings into the story, about book collecting and fine art and painting, make a wonderful backdrop to the protagonist's skillful manipulation of the men in the tale.

Of course, there is plenty of heavy breathing and lots of passion, but the story moves smoothly to the final surprising unveiling of the bad guy(s). There are many clever touches - each orphaned girl is given a new name of her own choosing based on places on the globe in Mrs. Merlin's office. And each girl sports a small tattoo of a merlin (a hunting hawk) on her breast. These adroit "visuals" bring the reader into the story in earnest and help create three dimensional characters for us to enjoy.

There is much to enjoy in this somewhat unusual take on historical/regency romances. And the next two books in the trilogy, featuring Shannon and Sofia, promise to be equally delightful. A fun read for beach or poolside, Andrea Pickens lives up to her reputation as a savvy writer of romances.

The Book

Warner Forever - a Hatchette Group Book publication
June 2007
Paperback
0-446-61800-4
Historical romance - Regency
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Laura Strathman Hulka
Reviewed 2007
NOTE:
© 2006 MyShelf.com