First published 2011
Laura Grey accepts what she thinks will be a straightforward governess position with Andre Jaouen, trusted aide to Bonaparte's police minister. The Pink Carnation's spy network has placed her there to monitor suspicious activity, but Laura finds herself managing Latin lessons and children's tantrums instead of uncovering state secrets. Then Jaouen begins holding clandestine meetings and disappearing at odd hours. Laura discovers her employer harbors dangerous secrets that mirror her own double life. When their respective missions collide, Laura and Jaouen must flee Paris with the children in tow. They pose as a married couple while racing through the French countryside, pursued by Jaouen's ruthless rival Gaston Delaroche. The Pink Carnation provides assistance, but Delaroche's agents close in rapidly. Laura realizes that saving Jaouen and the children may require sacrificing the very mission that brought them together.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: France, Paris
Period: 19th-century
406 pages · Hardcover · Dutton Penguin