"Fine Regency romance"

In 1813, Agatha Cunningham flees her home to avoid the unwanted advances of her odious neighbor, "Repulsive" Reggie Peasley and to find her missing brother James. In order to travel by herself, Agatha pretends to be married to Mortimer Applequist, an imaginary person she conveniently made up. However, her lies have caught up with her as the London ladies she recently met demand meeting her fictional spouse.

Simon "Rain" Raines heads the Liar's Club, a group of pickpockets and thieves who work for the King in search of French spies. He thinks his former best friend and associate James Cunningham turned traitor as he has been missing for several weeks, secret operatives have been killed, and his bank account has grown. He goes to James' home to encounter the man's mistress, a Mrs. Applequist, but garbs the disguise of a chimneysweep. Before he knows what happened, he pretends to be Mr. Applequist. As he and Agatha fall in love, Simon wonders how will she react when he arrests her lover, not knowing that James is her brother.

Regency romance fans will take immense pleasure in the first Liar's Club novel, a fun tale due to the outrageous antics of the intrepid heroine (sort of like a Baroness Munchausen). Simon is a delightful protagonist trying to overcome being the son of a Covent Garden whore who traded her body for meal money for them and an unknown father. This delightful winner belongs to Agatha, whose spins are clever and fabulous as she learns "oh what a web we weave when we first deceive".

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 16, 2003

Summary

Rule #1: Never fall in love. Celeste Bradley captivated critics and readers alike with her unforgettable novel Fallen, which was nominated for the prestigious RITA Award from Romance Writers of America for Best First Book. Now, she brings us The Lover, the first book in the wildly fun, exciting, and sexy new Liar's Club series both featuring irresistible heroes who are out to steal their leading ladies hearts! She had a secret she'd do anything to hide. Agatha Cunnington, a headstrong beauty from the country, has come to London in search of her missing brother James. The only clue she has is a cryptic letter signed The Griffin. Agatha decides to disguise herself as a respectable married woman so that she can go about the city unnoticed. But for her charade to work she needs a suitable "husband," preferably someone tall, elegant, and rakish-someone like Simon Montague Rain. He had a secret he'd do anything to hide. Simon Montague Rain, also known as The Magician, is a member of The Liar's Club, a renegade group of rogues and thieves in the service of the Crown. When someone begins murdering members of the undercover cabal one by one, Simon is given the mission to bring in The Griffin, one of his comrades who is suspected of betraying his brothers. Simon goes undercover and infiltrates the home of "Mrs." Agatha Applequist who he believes is the Griffin's mistress. Before Simon knows what's happened, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Agatha's soft, feminine charms-and he is tempted beyond reason to break the first rule of The Liar's Club: never fall in love.