Moonlight Masquerade by Ruth Axtell ~ review

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Revell (March 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080072089X
• ISBN-13: 978-0800720896

This book is also available as an e-book.

Publication Date: March 1, 2013 | Series: A Regency Romance

Lady Celine Wexham seems the model British subject. French by birth but enjoying life in 1813 as a widowed English countess, she is in the unique position of being able to help those in need--or to spy for the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte. When Rees Phillips of the British Foreign Office is sent to pose as the countess's butler and discover where her true loyalties lie, he is confident he will uncover the truth. But the longer he is in her fashionable townhouse in London's West End, the more his staunch loyalty to the Crown begins to waver as he falls under Lady Wexham's spell. Will he find the proof he needs? And if she is a spy after all, will he do the right thing?

Ruth Axtell deftly creates a world where black and white burst into a confusion of colors and no one is who they seem. Readers will be hooked from the very first scene to the final page.

My take on this book:

"Moonlight Masquerade" is a Regency Romance set in London during 1813. Lady Celine Wexham was French born, but married an English Earl. Thing is her husband, was older,and not very nice. After his death she has money and wealth, which allows her to help those in need. Thing is the English government thinks that she may be a spy and sends Rees Phillips to work undercover as her butler to find out the truth. 

Regency romance isn't a genre that I normally read, so I was excited to try this one. While the story was really slow to  pick up in the beginning, it did pick up, but never really held my attention. I hoped for a fast paced spy drama with romance woven in, but I was left wishing that there had been more romance between the two main characters. I did enjoy the historical aspects of the story, and thought that Rees was a very likeable character. Overall, just a middle of the road read for me that didn't excite or inspire,  I would say that if you enjoy a historical read, set during the regency era, you might enjoy this book. It just really wasn't my cup of tea.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Available March 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."