A Courtship of Conspiracies {Crown & Cipher Book One} By Marilee Merrell-Regency Romance Review

 

Book Synopsis

A hunt for the truth. A dangerous secret. A love that risks everything.

James Campbell, Earl of Brenton, is an agent of the Crown hunting a killer. Driven by grief and a relentless need for justice, he has followed trails from the country’s darkest corners to the most powerful circles of high society. But after a string of reckless choices, James must prove his steadiness by securing the marriage society expects. It should be a simple matter of duty, until the captivating woman in question proves to have a talent for finding trouble and unsettling his carefully laid plans.

Lady Katherine Sutherland has spent her life balancing society’s rigid expectations with a guarded secret of her own. When a startling discovery draws her into a web of treason, Kate finds herself on a collision course with the very man she is expected to marry, the one man capable of uncovering the truth she has spent years hiding.

As a deadly conspiracy closes in and an unseen enemy tracks their every move, James and Kate must decide what they are willing to risk for the truth, for the Crown, and for each other. In a game of shifting loyalties and precarious alliances, falling in love may be the riskiest move of all.

A Courtship of Conspiracies begins a new Regency spy romance series, full of intrigue, danger, and all the swoon without the spice.

Book Details

• Publisher: ‎ Lanternfall Publishing
• Genre: Regency Romance/Suspense
• Series: Crown and Cipher Book One
• Publication date: ‎ June 14, 2026
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 331 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8996295814

• ****I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, NetGalley, book tours, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.****

My Review

I haven't stopped thinking about this book since I finished it. This book is responsible for keeping me up way into the wee hours of the morning! A Courtship of Conspiracies by Marilee Merrell is officially one of my favorite reads of the year. I have been following Marilee's bookstagram journey for years, and knowing how many books she has read and reviewed, I knew she would understand exactly what makes a story work. But wow, she completely blew me away with her debut!

What makes this novel so spectacular is that it gives you the absolute best of both worlds. On one hand, you get a swoon-worthy, butterflies-in-your-stomach Regency romance. On the other hand, there is this incredibly gripping, fast-paced spy mystery happening at the same time. Usually, one plotline overshadows the other, but Marilee balanced the romance and the suspense perfectly. I was leaning in for the kisses while simultaneously trying to guess the treasonous plot twists!

And can we talk about the characters?! I completely fell in love with them. The chemistry, the banter, and the depth of their connection felt so incredibly real. I actually ended up highlighting about eight different quotes because the writing is just so stunningly beautiful. I couldn’t fit them all here, but this line alone completely broke me:

"You have become the light I keep finding, even in the shadows."

The romance is clean (kisses only), but the emotional intensity and tension are off the charts. You can feel the protective devotion in every single scene. Another absolute favorite moment of mine describes it perfectly:

"His lips found hers before she could finish, stealing his name from her mouth as he kissed her with aching gentleness, his touch saying I choose you in a hundred different ways."

If you love childhood friends-to-lovers, secret identities, forced proximity, and intelligent characters who can hold their own in a dangerous world, you need to read this immediately. It is the perfect first book to the Crown & Cipher series, and I am already desperate for book two!

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****Meet Author Marilee Merrell****

Marilee Merrell writes Regency spy romance where the danger is real and the romance is swoony but sweet. A lifelong voracious reader, her fascination with the Regency era began at age thirteen when she borrowed a Georgette Heyer novel from her mother’s bookshelf. Years later, her passion for books led to six years of sharing her favorite reads online. Inspired by her degree in political science and a deep love of history, she finally decided to write the stories running through her head.

When she isn’t brainstorming treasonous spy plots, Marilee can be found running, organizing her life into spreadsheets, or cheering for Team Colin Firth. She has lived in four countries outside the U.S.—Ireland, England, Italy, and Malta—and currently resides in the Midwest with her husband, their five children, and a mischievous English retriever named Bailey.

~*~*~*~*Purchase: A Courtship of Conspiracies ~*~*~*~*

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