Sabrina Jeffries

Great chemistry and really enjoyable
4 stars

Sabrina Jeffries is back with the third, and presumably last, of the Designing Debutantes series featuring the remaining single Harper sister. While the story does technically stand alone, there are a few things (like Rafe’s prior spying on the family) that happened in the previous books and aren’t completely explained right up front. Because the other sisters and their husbands do appear, it’s probably worth having read the prior two books (A Duke for Diana and What Happens in the Ballroom) before delving into this one - just to be sure.

Verity is the most outspoken and independent of the sisters. While they all run Elegant Occasions - a business to help young women succeed in society - Verity much prefers toiling away in the kitchen and designing menus to anything else. I found it amusing that for all her free-spirited notions, she becomes quite the stickler when it comes to the young ladies in her charge. But when she’s with Rafe, she’s free to be herself and certainly doesn’t mind getting naughty with him. Overall she’s a likeable heroine and one I was certainly rooting for.

If you’re looking for the perfect hero for a historical romance then let me introduce you to Rafe. He’s a soldier / spy who is now in line for a viscountcy so he’s got that fantastic blend of gentleman that’s a little rough around the edges. He’s quite a straightforward, stoic kind of guy who doesn’t recognise the wildness in himself when it comes to Verity. I liked his attempts to delude himself into pretending he felt nothing for Verity and also felt so sorry for the wee boy Rafe still was - unloved and dreaming of a family.

Together, Rafe and Verity had wonderful chemistry. They had banter aplenty and you could definitely feel the sexual pull and tension between them. I loved them as a couple and loved their sex scenes even more. Sabrina Jeffries does write a good sex scene. And good kissing scenes, too.

There’s a sort of mystery running though the book. It’s never really truly defined but Rafe is searching for a spy for the French. This is where the book lost points with me as Rafe’s spying to determine the traitor were wishy-washy at best. And things kept on just being announced and I wondered if I’d missed that fact previously. It still all came to a mostly satisfying conclusion but I felt that things could have been a bit more solid.

All in all, I liked this series from Sabrina Jeffries and liked this book, too. It’s not my favourite of hers but she remains one of my go-to authors and her writing and historical detail remains top-notch and definitely one of the best in the business. 4 stars for this one but I still enjoyed it a lot.… (meer)

Barbara’s rating: 3.7 out of 5 Stars
Series: Designing Debutants #3
Publication Date: 1/23/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 344

Finally, we have the identity of the Phantom who made cameo appearances throughout the second book. The Phantom had everyone fooled – or did he? Sly fellow that he was, he appeared in all sorts of roles and disguises – and nobody even noticed him. Well, nobody except Verity, and they all just thought she was imagining things. Who is the Phantom? Hmmm. . .

Rafe Wolfford is heir to a viscount, but he is also a Colonel in the army and a spy who is undercover to find a traitor who is feeding secrets to the French. His suspect is a peer who cannot be directly approached, so deception is called for. The traitor shot and grievously wounded Rafe’s uncle. Now, Rafe will do whatever it takes to catch this traitor – even pretend to court the man’s daughter. Hmmm . . . that daughter is witty, intelligent, and quite beautiful, so pretending to court her isn’t a real hardship. The hardship is in not truly falling for her. Can he do that? He has to because she hates secrets above all else and when she discovers what he has done and why, she’ll hate him forever.

Verity Harper, the estranged daughter of an Earl, is part owner of Elegant Occasions. Each of the owners, who are sisters, brings a special talent, and Verity’s talent is with food. Her menus, settings, and recipes are always unique and special for each occasion. Verity also never forgets a face – that is why she always knows when the Phantom is attending one of their affairs. Why is he showing up at their venues? What does he want? He never actually seems to do anything. And – why does the man she’s just met remind her of the Phantom? He can’t possibly be the Phantom – can he?

It was fun to watch Verity dance rings around Rafe. She saw right through him and the scene where he realized that was such fun to read. Yes, she had him at every turn, so I wondered how he became such a renowned, lauded spy. But, of course, Verity flustered him and he couldn’t keep his wits about him when she was around. Still, with as much experience as he had – one would think. . .

I enjoyed Verity and Rafe and thought they made a great couple. I know Verity hated secrets and lies, but Rafe was such a sweet liar – and he lied for all of the right reasons. I also enjoyed the mystery associated with the spy hunt. I thought it was interesting, but I have to admit, the identity of the spy threw me a bit – partially because we spent little time with them.

If you are looking for an entertaining romance with a mystery, spies, a romance, and a fun cast of characters, then you will likely enjoy this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (meer)

Accidentally His by Sabrina Jeffries
Designing Debutantes series #3. Historical regency romance. Can be read as a standalone.
Lady Verity is one of the owners of Elegant Occassion, a party panning business for the ton. She has a good memory for people and faces and she’s suspicious of Rafe Wolfford initially as someone who was at one of their parties in the past. She decides on a tentative trust for now, but will diligently be watching for anything amiss.
Rafe Wolfford is a spy. He has attended parties by Elegant Occassion in the past in disguise. His current assignment is to find out more about the company and unearth any treacherous dealings and the best way to do that according to his commander, is to use his actual title and position. It’s foolproof since he is a member of the elite in the ton. What could go wrong?

This not your standard regency romance. Spies, lies and an ex-fiancee out for revenge have Verity and Rafe working together closer than either expected.

🎧 I alternated between an ecopy and an audiobook copy of this book narrated by Beverly A. Crick. This narrator does the full series and has a wide catalog of historical romances using a wonderful British accent as well as vocalizing emotions that will draw you into the story. This is one of the main advantages to listening to an audiobook: the voice, accents and liveliness of the acting. Of course, you have to be able to understand an accent enough to be confident in listening and I think this narrative is clear enough for most anyone. I did listen at multiple speeds for review purposes and ended up listening mostly at my preferred speed of 1.5.

A bit of mystery and a small beginning of the women’s movement and most importantly, a romance that neither expect but seems perfect in the end.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher RB Media.… (meer)