The Secrets of Flirting

In Jeffries’s fast-paced fifth Sinful Suitors Regency (after The Pleasures of Passion), sparks fly between an actress and a baron. Gregory Vyse, Baron Fulkham, is tired of being a spy and hopes to garner a more prestigious position with the government. He’s also one of the noblemen who will help decide the new ruler of Belgium. Gregory meets one of the contenders, Princess Aurore of Chanay, and soon realizes she is Mademoiselle Monique Servais, an actress he met several years before. He’s concerned that exposing her as an impostor could harm his political aspirations, and begins looking into why she is posing as the princess. As he becomes increasingly drawn to the intelligent, beautiful woman, he learns that she’s the target of an assassin. Seeking to keep Monique safe by inviting her to his country home, Gregory uncovers some of her secrets and their mutual attraction culminates in sensuous love scenes. The mystery behind Monique’s deception, coupled with the sinister suspense around a determined killer, add allure to this expertly plotted novel and its magnetic characters. (Apr.)