by Joyce Proell
Release Date: January 23, 2019; The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
From Goodreads:
When it’s spy vs. spy, love vs. loyalty, someone is going to get hurt.
Lily Fitzhugh is desperate to get to America when her father is imprisoned as a traitor against the Crown. To gain passage, she accepts a dangerous job: To sneak aboard a ship headed to New York and spy on suspected colonial patriot Griffin Faraday.
Griffin Faraday doesn’t have time for a beautiful, tempting stowaway—especially one he can’t trust. He has a secret shipment of guns to deliver to General Washington and the Continental Army. Nothing can get in the way. But when the ship’s captain orders Lily sent away with pirates, a sure death sentence, Griffin must propose something else entirely: Marriage, the absolute last thing he wants.
Now Lily and Griffin are trapped in the close confines of his cabin, locked in a dangerous cloak and dagger game, two spies hiding the truth while they try not to fall in love. Thrust into a world where deception and silence are the rule and political loyalties can mean prison or death, Lily and Griffin must face their greatest challenge—learning to trust each other.
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I could count on one hand the number of historical romance novels I've read. My interests don't really lie on history (I know I suck) so I rarely read books that fall into this category. Fortunately, I made the right decision when I decided to give Amaryllis a shot.
Amaryllis follows Lily Fitzhugh and Griffin Faraday. Not exactly childhood friends but more of childhood acquaintances. They meet again under unfortunate circumstances, with Lily desperate to get to her father in New York that she will do absolutely anything and Griffin who, with his dangerous line of work, holds everyone at arm's length. They are thrust into each other's lives with a sham of a marriage neither expects nor wants (or do they?).
The book is told in both Griffin and Lily's POV. I really enjoyed being in their heads. Lily is a steadfast, stubborn character. She feels very strongly and never does anything halfway. She works towards her goals with an unwavering determination. In a time where women are seen inferior to men, Lily proved that underestimating what a woman can do is a grave mistake. Griffin Faraday is charming, sexy and will turn you into a puddle of lovesick goo. I expected a lot of spy stuff ala double oh-seven. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I guess that's my one complain about the book. We never actually got to see Griffin do his secret spy stuff. And I was looking forward to that.
Although Amaryllis leans more toward romance than history, I greatly enjoyed it. Being the romantic that I am, there's just no way I wouldn't love this. I fully expected this to be a standalone so reading the end was frustrating and felt like I got cheated somehow. Fortunately for me, I guess this just means more Lily and Griffin in the future. (There is a sequel, right? Pretty please tell me there's a sequel. There has to be.) I cannot wait to read what's next!
I received an e-copy of the book to read and review.
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