The Spy Catcher — S.K. McClafferty

Sleepy Abundance New York needs a minister to guide its flock, but what they get is a wolf in cleric's clothing…. The good Reverend Draegan Mattais has arrived in the village and taken up residence in the parsonage of the old stone church rumored to be haunted by the ghost of an outlaw hanged by the local militia. His task is simple: to minister to his congregation. His presence in the pulpit is commanding, yet, his talents at counseling are somewhat lax, because Draegan is not what he seems. Patriotic Fallon Deane's heart lies with the rebellious colonies fighting for freedom from the Mother Country. Except for her misfortune of being born a woman, she would take up the sword to fight. Instead, she must aid her uncle Lucien, a studious eccentric and the local magistrate, by helping the new minister get acquainted with his flock. It should be a simple undertaking, except that Reverend Mattais is not at all what Fallon expected. A hedonistic pleasure-seeker with a blatantly sensual nature, Draegan charms and intrigues Fallon… but there are things about him that trouble her as well. He not only keeps a brace of serviceable pistols secreted away in the parsonage, he is a master of seduction, and before long, Fallon finds herself falling for him. Then one night, she finds that he's somewhere he should not be, and when the truth comes out, Fallon wants in on the hunt for Sparrowhawk…. Set against the mysterious backdrop of New York's Hudson Valley, The Spy Catcher is historical romance blended with intrigue and packed with emotion.