Goddess Fish Book Tours Book Review: A Heartless Design

A HEARTLESS DESIGN

By

Elizabeth Cole

BLURB:  

An enigmatic woman, a determined spy, and a design that could shake the foundations of Europe…

“Heartless” Cordelia Bering refuses every marriage offer she receives. Yet men still try to win her, drawn by her sharp wit and intoxicating green eyes. But Cordelia knows a marriage could reveal her deepest secret and truly endanger her life. Besides, she hasn’t met a man worth considering, until...

Sebastien Thorne, a spy in the service of Crown. One of the elite agents in the group known as the Zodiac, he comes to London determined to solve a mystery with roots on the Continent. He won’t let anything distract him. But is Cordelia a distraction, or the key to the mystery? As he learns more about the “heartless” woman, he becomes embroiled in secrets, plots, and a design that could change the future…and Cordelia is at the center of it all.

A HEARTLESS DESIGN is the first book in the Secrets of the Zodiac, a series that blends the sensibilities of modern romantic suspense with the rich background of the Regency period.

Review: A Heartless Design has all the things I love in a book. It is set in Regency England, there's mystery involved and even some spying.

It really can't get much better than this.

Cordelia is one of London's most beautiful women, but she has secrets, lots of them, and they keep her from walking down the aisle. That is until she meets Sebastian who is a member of the Zodiac.

What can I say about this book...Cordelia is a strong heroine, but she's not the typical Regency heroine. She's not shying away from marriage because she's independent or because men have hurt her in the past. She is independent and beyond that, terribly smart. She's turned down marriage offers from many titled gentlemen. She knows, she can't marry, because if she did, her secret would be found out and that would endanger her life.

That doesn't stop Sebastian from being the perfect man for her.

What you have now are two people with a lot of secrets and they are falling in love.

Its funny, I read a book not too long ago with a heroine that had a career she had to hide, in that case she was an architect and in Cordelia's case, she's a designer of ships...and engineer.

I really loved the mystery involving who wanted the plans and for what reason. It really was an engaging read.

Elizabeth Cole also created some great secondary characters, particularly Cordelia's servants and Sebastian's sister Adele. No story is just about the hero and heroine, and these characters really helped make this book worth reads.

This was a fantastic story that is perfect for fans of regency romance and mysteries

Rating:  5 flowers

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Elizabeth Cole is a romance author with a penchant for history, which is why she lives in an old house in an old city. She can be found hanging around libraries and archives, or curled in a corner reading, cat on lap. She believes in love at first sight. Then again, she also believes that mac 'n' cheese is a healthy breakfast, so don't trust her judgment on everything. 

Publisher site: http://skysparkbooks.com
Author site: http://about.me/elizabethcole
Book site: http://skysparkbooks.com/aheartlessdesign
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ElizabethColeWrites
Twitter: http://twitter.com/coleheartedgirl

Giveaway: Two randomly drawn commenters will each win a $10 iTunes gift card

Follow the tour here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/08/name-before-masses-review-hearless.html