The Soldier and the Spy by Annabelle Greene

A beholden man finds himself falling for the war hero he’s destined to double-cross.

Three hundred pounds for one night of protection. It’s a job offer, but it’s also a ruse. Captain Benjamin Frakes, war hero and de facto head of the Society of Beasts—a club for gentlemen who prefer gentlemen—is tempted to turn it down. But August Weatherby, the sexy, brazen stranger making the offer, has captivated him completely.

August is hardly the flush flirt he claims to be, however. An indebted man, desperate to save his infirm sister, August makes an ideal pawn for a lord eager to bring down the Society of Beasts once and for all. But August’s charge to find evidence against Frakes is at odds with his own virgin desire to entice the captain into showing him the true meaning of pleasure.

As August’s infiltration pushes him deeper into the beguiling world of delights behind the Society’s closed doors, he and Frakes discover new ways to push the boundaries of their own cravings. But with mounting pressure to complete his devious mission, August finds himself torn between the man his heart yearns for and the sister whose life depends on his betrayal.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Society of Beasts series!
For book one, The Vicar and the Rake, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Audiobook (US)
Carina Press (HQN)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
The Soldier and the Spy is the second installment in the Society of Beasts series. It could easily be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend starting at the first in the series, The Vicar and the Rake.

I need to preface this review by stating I was having a horrid case of reader's block. I wanted to fall into a story and get lost on the pages, and Annabelle Greene delivered. After finishing this novel, I immediately dove into another and another, my love of reading sparked again. A grateful thank you to the author.

During a tumultuous era, where being a man who loved other men could end with the man being hanged, whether a peer or a pauper, the Society of Beasts was formed. The society protects those which have a similar nature, while using their influence to help those in need.

Captain Benjamin Frakes is the solider of the story. Regimented. Lonely. Gruff. After the events that took place in the previous installment, Benjamin is now heading the society, lonely, set adrift, and grieving the past as well as a recent betrayal. Ben is in great need of something or someone to spark the life back into him.

August is our spy, infiltrating the society, attempting to gain leverage to get himself out of a pickle, his ill sister the driving force. With a mix of dread and welcome, August longs to be sheltered by the society but also feels set apart due to his duplicity. This gives August a good sense of how Benjamin must feel, being lonely at the top.

Charming, witty, and snarky, August is the perfect counterbalance to Benjamin's stiff personality. The banter, give-and-take interactions, the dry wit bringing a humorous edge, it was all flawlessly written, drawing me into the story and entertaining me as the pages flew by.

Their positions created the angst, both longing for something but their worries and fears pulling them back. There is a slight age-gap, the Old Man and Young Pup banter done in a way not to insult the reader. Fresh and cute, delightful interactions drawing out the playful side of one another, while also managing to add steam to the between-the-sheets action.

Highly recommend to fans of MM Historical Romance. I am looking forward to more in this series and more by this author.

 

 

ANNABELLE GREENE writes hot, heartwarming historical romances with plenty of humor.

When she isn't crafting the perfect HEA, she's making pasta or walking along Italy's beautiful Adriatic coast.

Connect with Annabelle

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Soldier and the Spy (Society of Beasts #2) by Annabelle Greene to read and review.

The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Greene

Debut author Annabelle Greene brings us the brilliant first book in her Society of Beasts series, in which a quiet country vicar is unwillingly reunited with the duke who left him long ago…

As a young man, Sir Gabriel Winters left behind his status as a gentleman, turning his back on his secret desires and taking a self-imposed vow of celibacy. Now a chaste hard-working vicar, his reputation is beyond reproach. But, try as he might, he’s never forgotten the man he once desired or the pain of being abandoned by his first love.

Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Caddonfell, is a notorious rake, delighting in scandal no matter the consequence. With a price on his head, he flees to the countryside, forced to keep his presence a secret or risk assassination. When Edward finds Gabriel on his estate, burning with fever, he cannot leave him to die, but taking him in puts them both in jeopardy.

With the help of a notorious blackmailer, a society of rich and famous gentlemen who prefer gentlemen, and a kitten named Buttons, they might just manage to save Edward’s life—but the greatest threat may be to their hearts.

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Carina Press (Harlequin)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆
The Vicar and the Rake is the first in a new series, the Society of Beasts. I felt this an excellent debut of a new-to-me author, one where I am intrigued to read the next in the series.

As a man of the cloth, Gabriel is looking after the parish of his long-lost childhood friend, who abandoned not only their friendship but the townsfolk. Dutiful, kind, with a true server's soul, Gabriel finds worth through helping those who need it, even if they hadn't asked for the help, wearing himself thin.

Edward is your classic rake, one with a dark backstory, but seems spoiled with no ambition, forever finding himself in impossible situations that he himself placed himself in. With a supportive cast of fellows who pick up the messes after him. From his valet, to his baby brother, and the other three in the Society of Beasts. The duke has another out for his blood, running back to the countyseat he abandoned at eighteen.

In a second-chance, slow-burn romance, with an undeniable connection, Edward and Gabriel perform a mating dance, set to the backdrop of awaiting what to do next to protect Edward's neck, quite literally. Add in helpful siblings, fellow hedonists, a scrawny kitten, and a young boy, you've got the recipe for an entertaining reading escape.

However, there were times when my attention waned, read over the period of a week. I would be both interested, but then the pacing would slow, where I would then become disinterested. I can't quite put my finger on what was missing, just that I wasn't as invested in the story as I believed I ought to be. The Vicar and the Rake had all the elements I adore, but I wasn't quite gripped.

Overall, it was just a bit too slow in the pacing, slightly meandering, with repetition and redundancy that slowed the pacing even further. While I was curious as to what would happen next, entertained as to the characters and their outcomes, something kept pulling me out of the story but I'm honestly not sure what it was.

Recommended to fans of historical romance within the MM Romance genre. I am highly anticipating the stories for the rest of the members of the Society of Beasts, as well as hoping to get more glimpses into Edward and Gabriel's future, along with their siblings' budding romance.

 

 

ANNABELLE GREENE writes hot, heartwarming historical romances with plenty of humor.

When she isn't crafting the perfect HEA, she's making pasta or walking along Italy's beautiful Adriatic coast.

Connect with Annabelle

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

 

 

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Vicar and the Rake (Society of Beasts #1) by Annabelle Greene to read and review.