A Counterfeit Heart (Secrets and Spies #3) by K.C. Bateman

 A Counterfeit Heart by K.C. Bateman 

Blurb:

A feisty counterfeiter and a cocky British agent clash in this sultry Secrets and Spies novel by K. C. Bateman, whose witty, intelligent, and sexy historical romances have become her signature.

As Sabine de la Tour tosses piles of forged banknotes onto a bonfire in a Paris park, she bids a reluctant farewell to her double life as a notorious criminal. Over the course of Napoleon’s reign, her counterfeits destabilized the continent and turned scoundrels into rich men, but now she and her business partner must escape France—or face the guillotine. Her only hope of surviving in England is to strike a deal with the very spy she’s spent her career outrunning. Now after meeting the arrogant operative in the flesh, Sabine longs to throw herself upon his mercy—and into his arms.

Richard Hampden, Viscount Lovell, is prepared to take any risk to safeguard England from the horrors of the French Revolution. To lure the insurgents out from the shadows, he’s even willing to make a pact with his archenemy: Philippe Lacorte, the greatest counterfeiter in Europe. But when a cheeky, gamine-faced beauty proves herself to be Lacorte, Richard is shocked—and more than a little aroused. Unlike the debutantes who so often hurl themselves at him, this cunning minx offers a unique and irresistible challenge. Richard will help her. But in return, he wants something that even Sabine cannot fake.



"...if you detain me, Lacorte will never come."
Philippe Lacorte, the greatest counterfeiter in Europe - a woman? Or, as Viscount Lovell eloquently puts it - a confounded bloody woman?
When Sabine de la Tourre proves to Richard Hampden, Viscount Lovell, that she is indeed the famous French forger he and his colleagues at the secret service have been trying to  catch for a long long time now, he is intrigued  - and captivated.

Well, I guess it says a lot when I say that I bought the second book in the series right away, when it was on sale the other day without even reading the blurb just because I loved "A Counterfeit Heart" that much and saw that it was another book by K.C. Bateman.

The characters are charming and complex and I liked them a lot, especially Sabine, our very strong and very independent heroine who made her way in hard times in a man's world. A slip of a girl who can definitely hold her own when it comes to negotiating with a Viscount.
Oh, don't misunderstand me - I also liked Richard a lot and the chemistry between them, yes, that wasn't bad either! The feelings they develop for each other are believable and convincing and their interactions are funny and sweet, okay, sometimes or some more times also sarcastic and they made me laugh out loud more than once.
And for those of you who have always wanted to know how identify the different classical artists, well, Sabine has a wonderful way of explaining it for everyone to understand.

I really loved this book and I'm very much looking forward the other book by K.C.Bateman that I bought the other day!

★★★★★