Julia Quinn: To catch an heiress ja How to marry a marquis

Julia Quinnin kirjasarjaan Agents of the Crown kuuluu kaksi romaania, jotka eivät liity toisiinsa muuten kuin tematiikan kautta, kummassakin kun on eräänlaista jännärimeininkiä, jota on sotkettu romanttisiin juonenkäänteisiin ja monenlaisiin väärinkäsityksiin niin että romaanin sivumäärä saadaan täyteen. Kevyttä helppolukuista höttöä.

To catch an heiress (Piatkus, 2008; ISBN 978-0-7499-0882-9)

When Caroline Trent is kidnapped by Blake Ravenscroft, she doesn’t even try to elude this dangerously handsome agent of the crown. After all, she’s been running from unwanted marriage proposals. Yes, Blake believes she’s a notorious spy named Carlotta De Leon, but for six weeks until her twenty-first birthday, when she’ll gain control of her own fortune, hiding out in the titillating company of a mysterious captor is awfully convenient—and maybe just a little romantic, too.

Blake Ravenscroft’s mission is to bring “Carlotta” to justice, not to fall in love. His heart has been hardened by years of intrigue, but this little temptress proves oddly disarming and thoroughly kissable. And suddenly the unthinkable becomes possible—that this mismatched couple might be destined for love.

How to marry a marquis (Piatkus, 2008; ISBN 978-0-7499-0880-5)

When Elizabeth Hotchkiss stumbles upon a copy of How to Marry a Marquis in her employer’s library, she’s convinced someone is playing a cruel joke. With three younger siblings to support, she knows she has to marry for money, but who might have guessed how desperate she’s become? A guidebook to seduction might be just the thing she needs—and what harm could there be in taking a little peek?

James Sidwell, the Marquis of Riverdale, has been summoned to rescue his aunt from a blackmailer, a task that requires him to pose as the new estate manager, and his primary suspect is his aunt’s companion, Elizabeth. Intrigued by the alluring young woman with the curious little rulebook, he gallantly offers to help her find a husband… by practicing her wiles on him. But when practice becomes all too perfect, James decides that there is only one rule worth following—that Elizabeth marry her marquis.