House of Cards season 2 will premiere on Valentines' Day 2014, with all 13 episodes available straight away on Netflix. Executive produced by David Fincher, the second season of the classy political drama will continue to focus on Francis Underwood's (Kevin Spacey) ruthless rise to fame as journalist Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) inches ever closer to the truths about his crimes.

kevin Spacey House of CardsKevin Spacey Is Back As Frank Underwood in House of Cards Season 2

Though Spacey, Mara and Robin Wright are all back for season two, there's also some new names joining the cast including Jayne Atkinson (The Following), Gil Birmingham (The Lone Ranger) Joanna Going (Mad Men) Derek Cecil (Treme) and Costance Zimmer (The Newsroom).

Elsewhere in season two, President Walker's billionaire confidante Raymond Tusk demands that Francis reciprocate political favors or face retribution. Underwood's wife Claire begins to struggle with the increasing glare of the spotlight.

House of Cards received critical acclaim for its first season, though it was the nature of its release that made it a real game-changer. The deal with Netflix means the political drama is available in full from its release date, making it "deliciously bingeable" as Entertainment Weekly put it.

Season two will feature episodes directed by Jodie Foster, Glengarry Glen Ross' James Foley, Carl Franklin (Homeland) and John David Coles (Justified).

House of Cards is based on the BBC miniseries of the same name.