Its written in the same first person narrative as Lace for Milady (I recommned)and this also has smuggling as a plot. But in this case the heroine runs the smuggling operation

But I didnt like her,even though like most of JS heroines she has a mind of her own (read stubborn)
In this case it only added to my annoyance. ( )

Mabel Anderson is the head of the local smugglers. As the parson's sister, she doesn't take part in the actual smuggling, she just plans the operation.

Sir Stamford Wicklow has been sent to the village of Salford to put a stop to the smuggling ring and arrest the head smuggler. He lays trap after trap for the smugglers, but they always manage to escape.

The bulk of the book is an enjoyable cat and mouse game, with Mabel and Stamford scheming against each other. Mabel struggles to smuggle in barrels of brandy under the noses of the law and the army, while Stamford tries to catch her at it. Stamford doesn't have any idea who the head smuggler truly is and he finds himself falling in love with the parson's sister. ( )

My least favourite of the Joan Smiths to date, more because of a plot point than anything else. I recognise that the path of true love can't run smooth blah blah -- in romantic fiction, anyway! -- but in this case felt that the heroine's actions were a downright betrayal of the hero. I found her thoroughly unlikeable as a result and all of her charity and motivations etc didn't make up for it. ( )