Victoria Alexander (Perfect Mistress) makes an unusual choice in My Wicked Little Lies: while most romance novels rely on the ever-escalating sexual tension of a new relationship, she chooses to focus on a hero and heroine already married to each other. Rather than diffusing that tension, she plunges her characters into a plot full of deception, mistaken identity and simmering passion.
Evelyn Hadley-Attwater has a very nearly perfect life. She has a beautiful home, a respectable place in society and a wealthy husband who adores her. If she occasionally misses her former life--working as a government spy under the guidance of the seductive and mysterious "Sir"--she tries not to let it affect her. When she is suddenly pressed back into service, however, she will uncover information about her husband, and possibly about herself, that will change her perfect life forever.
While Alexander's choice to center her novel on an established relationship isn't entirely unheard of, it is unusual, and it allows her to do some interesting things. Because her characters have a shared history, the novel exudes a greater, more realistic sense of intimacy than one often sees in this genre--not only between the characters, but also between the characters and the reader. We come to know Alexander's characters on a deeper level, which ultimately makes My Wicked Little Lies a stronger, more emotionally satisfying read. --Judie Evans, librarian