Holt Sisters Historical Romance Book Series by Julie Anne Long

Beauty and the Spy by Julie Anne Long (2008)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the Holt Sisters Trilogy. Susannah’s life is upended when her father dies and leaves her penniless and living with an aunt in the country. Meanwhile, Kit is a bored spy with nothing to do so his stern father sends him out to the country to work on a folio of the flora and fauna of the region. Susannah and Kit have a chance meeting at the pond, leaving Susannah mostly embarrassed, but Kit discovers that she’s a skilled artist. He hires her to assist him in drawing all the plant and animal life for his assignment. As if that wasn’t enough, Kit believes that Susannah’s father was murdered by a traitor and that Susannah is now at risk. With all of the times Kit has saved Susannah’s life, it’s no wonder that she grows affection towards him. They spend even more time together unraveling the secrets of Susannah’s past and parents and look for evidence to incriminate the traitor. There’s tons of action and mystery in this one, along with the romance between our two leads.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Ways to Be Wicked by Julie Anne Long (2006)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Holt Sisters Trilogy series. Ballet dancer Sylvie has run away from her home in France to England after she sees a mysterious letter hinting at a sister who might be hers. Except the sister isn’t at home and Sylvie has no money and nowhere to go. She ends up seeking help at the White Lily, a dance theater owned by the scandalous Tom, who she met on the mail coach on the way to London. He’s a charming sort of guy who all the dancers want for themselves, but he keeps himself professional and protective of his employees. He allows her to stay on as a dancer, even though she’s appalled at the type of dancing that is performed at this little theater. These two bicker and fight and flirt, and somehow manage to fall in love through all of that.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

The Secret to Seduction by Julie Anne Long (2007)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Holt Sisters Trilogy series. Sabrina is a vicar’s daughter who is possibly courting a curate and bound for a house party with her friend, where she hopes to spend more time with her suitor. However, that house party is at a scandalous earl’s house and Rhys intends to play a game at seduction with Sabrina to force her out of her own piety. It’s all secretive flirting, until they get caught in a compromising situation and need to marry. And then Rhys intends for them to live separate lives after they’ve married. Except that Sabrina is used to be helpful and productive, so she spends more time in the village seeing to the needs of the tenants. We also get to tie up the loose ends of the Holt family mystery, knowing that Sabrina is the third sister and that her family is looking for her. It was also interesting to see how Rhys is involved in the mystery as well. This book served as a satisfying conclusion to the overarching series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.