A Noble Masquerade

        BOOK REVIEW:  Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside she longs to be bold and carefree. Entering her fourth Season and approaching spinsterhood in the eyes of society, she pours her innermost feelings out not in a diary but in letters to her brother's old school friend, a duke--with no intention of ever sending these private thoughts to a man she's heard stories about but never met. Meanwhile, she also finds herself intrigued by Marlow, her brother's new valet, and although she may wish to break free of the structures that bind her, falling in love with a servant is more of a rebellion than she planned. 
        When Marlow accidentally discovers and mails one of the letters to her unwitting confidant, Miranda is beyond mortified. And even more shocked when the duke returns her note with one of his own that initiates a courtship-by-mail. Insecurity about her lack of suitors shifts into confusion at her growing feelings for two men--one she's never met but whose words deeply resonate with her heart, and one she has come to depend on but whose behavior is more and more suspicious. When it becomes apparent state secrets are at risk and Marlow is right in the thick of the conflict, one thing is certain: Miranda's heart is far from all that's at risk for the Hawthornes and those they love.

      MY REVIEW:   This now is the second of Kristi Ann Hunter's Hawthorne House series. I read it back-to-back with the first, so it is hard to distinguish where the first ends and the second starts. :) This is a full-sized novel of 500+ pages, which makes it even better than the first book. 
      Again, some sentences that I found particularly fun:
    "coming up with a good reason or twenty"
    "Miranda mercilessly squashed the mental chastisement"
    "Curiosity, a spies' greatest asset and deadliest liability."
    "She should take the letters; they weren't going to bite her."
    "He didn't know why everyone wanted to compliment a man on his ability to find a competent tailor"
I also really enjoyed this book. I was too impatient to wait for it to come into the library, so I read it online, and I don't like reading books online so that's saying something. :) 
     I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone, but it occurs in the middle of the book, and to say anymore would require speaking of the last half, which of course would reveal the twist. So, I shall end my ramblings here, and let you read the book for yourself. I will say though, it is not one you would likely guess. But it does make for an interesting story. 
     The last two books of this series are An Elegant Facade and An Uncommon Courtship (the one I'm waiting impatiently to read).