Entries Tagged 'Secret Agent' ↓
March 19th, 2010 — 5 Stars, ARC, Book Review, Contemporary, Dukes and Earls, Friends, Georgian, Great Britain, Mystery, Reading, Revenge, Secret Agent, V-Z, Virgin Heroine, Writer
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Lauren Willig has an excellent sense of humor and language—masterfully weaving internal and external dialogue that makes turning the pages of Night Jasmine a delight. Her voice is modern and refreshing and works successfully both in the past and contemporary settings as she presents two love stories to readers.
I loved the way Lauren put words together on the page. Her ability to turn an ordinary expression or phrase into something more exotic and poetic is a skill she has honed to perfection. At first it was unexpected and I made note of particular sentences that caught my eye but as I got swept away into the story they became a part of the scenery and the characters themselves.
Robert, Duke of Dovedale and Charlotte’s hero, is a wonderful character. He and Charlotte foil each other perfectly. He makes mistakes and does some seriously foolish things in the name of love but he does it with heart and good intentions. But as they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions… literally in this case.
Charlotte is a heroine who has believed in fairytales all her life until Robert inexpertly dashes her hopes and dreams to smithereens in an effort to protect her. Disillusioned by love, believing herself prone to fanciful childish delusions, Charlotte comes to the conclusion she is not a storybook heroine. She acknowledges her shortcomings and lack of gumption and decides to change all that.
Another heroine from 2004 is studying and researching into the Pink Carnation for her dissertation. Her story is woven throughout Charlotte’s and Robert’s as we break from them to learn more about the present happenings. Eloise is disconcerted that her boyfriend Colin avoids the question of his current line of work now that he’s left his city job. With all the spies and espionage from the past filling her head and random comments thrown in from one jealous woman, Eloise comes to the unlikely conclusion that Colin is a spy. She scoffs at her own foolishness until evidence confirms her crazy theory.
I was so absorbed in the reading I was reluctant to put the book down for any reason. Sleeping and eating just sounded like too much bother. I will definitely be on the lookout for the rest of Lauren’s Pink Carnation series.
Rating: 5 Stars
Buy: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
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March 17th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Captain, Comedy of Manners, Gentry, Georgette Heyer, Great Britain, Kidnapping, Mistaken Identity, Pirate, Pirate, Sailing, Seas, Secret Agent, Spain, Travel, Tudor, Virgin Heroine
Beauvallet is one of my top favorite Georgette Heyer romances. It’s one I would recommend for a guy to read because of how daredevil the hero is and how much action and high jinks take place.
Sir Nicholas Beauvallet is a dashing pirate with a rakish charm. He’s the bane of the Spanish empire and good friends with other famous privateers such as Sir Francis Drake. He’s gallant, courageous to the point of foolhardiness, and full of confidence. His ego is adorable because it’s so over-inflated and lighthearted.
Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva is a gutsy heroine. When captured she steals Beauvallet’s dagger and waves it at his nose. When forced aboard Beauvallet’s ship she snubs him, flirts outrageously with another officer, and ignores him. Obviously she’s just hiding her true feelings—the instantaneous crush, the deepening attraction, the utter fascination. The more she pushes him the more under his spell she falls.
When he promises to win her hand in marriage, she scoffs. Not likely! When he says he’ll pursue her right to her doorstep in the heart of Spain, she laughs. Impossible! When he says, “Risk not!” she begins to hope. But can it be done?
Some of the funniest scenes are Beauvallet flaunting his presence under the Spanish aristocracy and nobody being the wiser. I’m so happy that Heyer kept it in mostly Beauvallet’s point of view because we got to his side of the story and laugh at the supposedly mystical and magical escapes he managed to execute under Spanish noses.
It’s also an unusual historical I feel because of the monarchs and events happening.
Relative Time Period – Tudor:
- Spanish Inquisition – 1478 to 1834
- Henri III – 1551 to 1589
- Elizabeth I – 1533 to 1603
- Phillip II - 1527 to 1598
- Sir Francis Drake – 1577 to 1580 – around world trip
The references to the Spanish Inquisition are just cloying and realistic enough to make you shudder with all the “infinite kindness of the church” and whatnot. I’m not an expert of anything, but the way the dialogue happened almost made one think that King Phillip had no idea what truly happened during the churches inquisition sessions. Does anybody know if he did or not?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Beauvallet
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March 11th, 2010 — 1 Star, Blackmail, Book Review, Category, Duchess, Countess, Marchioness, Great Britain, M-O, Regency, Secret Agent, Thief, Widow or Widower
Constance Townley is the dowager duchess of Wellford. She is extremely beautiful and extremely poor. Now a widow, Constance remembers the comfortable life she had with her departed husband. He settled her well, but because of the naïve (re. halfwit lamebrain imbecile) nephew (also known as the new duke) is not honoring it and has actually used her home to pay Barton a gambling debt.
Barton is the evil entitled gentlemen (and I use the term lightly) wants Constance to be his mistress/whore and it striving to get that by any means possible. He does several things such as acquiring her home, blackmailing her with the jewels which she had to sell, and threatening to spread malicious gossip.
The hero in all this is Anthony de Portnay Smythe. He is really Eustace Smith (not that this matters in the slightest). He’s a thief which in other words is a spy for government. As a self-made wealthy man, he’s just seen the last of his brothers’ widows’ daughters (how much does that suck seriously) married and feels like something in lacking in his life that gives him purpose. He’s been secretly in love with Constance for a long time but when the government suspects that she’s helping Barton he plans to use her to get his man by any means possible.
The whole story was annoying and gave me very little enjoyment. The repetition of the same drama and its same lack of resolution got old very quickly. For the most part I just couldn’t get involved at all as quite simply, it just couldn’t hold my attention. The cover on the other hand is scrumptious and very pretty.
Rating: 1 Stars
Buy: A Wicked Liaison
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February 24th, 2010 — 3 Stars, Contemporary, Divorced, Guest Reviews, M-O, Secret Agent, United States of America
By: Cara Lynn, guest reviewer
The Marriage Game by Fern Michaels is a light summer read.
I figured by the description it would have some humor, and it does.
Samantha Rainford returns from her honeymoon to find she has been served divorce papers. She is both shocked and heart broken. She is going to be paid off with a check for $5000. When she visits the attorney, she learns there are three other wives before her who have all been treated the same way. She determines that she will not get mad, she will get even. She enlists the aid of the other wives to extract their revenge.
Meantime, she and a girlfriend attend an FBI training school -- seriously, how remotely possible is that! where they both flunk out. But they've learned a thing or two.
Then they are recruited for a secret ops camp deep in the mountains of NC. How Samantha gets the better of her recruiter is one of the funnier portions of the book. The only way the two of them will join is if the other wives come along too.
The cast of characters in the mountain includes the head trainer who is endangered by his past if he comes off the mountain (Pappy), and the cook (who turns out to be his father), a dog that is part wolf (Alpha), and the other teams that are being trained.
This section of the book is interesting as the characters are developed. The better part of a year is spent on the mountain. Samantha passes with flying colors, but Pappy doesn't want her to have the life that he has had. He is in love with her, though she doesn't know it. And he doesn't know she was ever Mrs. Rainford.
How she and the other women -- they find he has a number of other ex-wives that they find out about, and that might not be all, who are also included in this -- exact their revenge is a cute part of the story. And how it interweaves with Pappy's story is believable.
I give it a 3.
I've never read any of her books before, but judging from this, I will see if I enjoy the others as much.
With all that FBI and special agent secret op going on The Marriage Game sounds like a cross with Miss Congeniality. What do you think?
Buy: The Marriage Game
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Originally posted 2008-08-11 05:26:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 5th, 2010 — 4 Stars, Contemporary, Guest Reviews, J-L, Sailing, Secret Agent, Suspense/Thriller
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
The great thing about a series is that the writer has the freedom to explore themes and develop characters in greater detail than in a single average sized novel. This is true of Lora Leigh’s ‘Tempting Seals Series’. Durango Team, of the Navy Seals, is working for Homeland Security trying to shut down a drug cartel and capture a mysterious terrorist. Each novel in the series follows the members of Durango Team as they meet and fall in love with their soul mates. Of course, love never runs smooth. Killer Secrets is the third novel in the series.
Ian Fuentes is the illegitimate son of Diego Fuentes, the leader of a very successful drug cartel. He is also a sadist and murderer. Ian hates him and has vowed to kill him for not protecting him as a child and for kidnapping and torturing a fellow Seal, Nathan. He is working, alone and undercover posing as traitor to the U.S., in his father’s drug cartel. In return his father has agreed to help him trap and kill the terrorist known only as Sorrell.
Kira Porter is an independent undercover operative for DHS known as the Chameleon. Her disguises are so good than no one has ever recognized her as the very wealthy socialite and niece of a very powerful Washington politician. She and Ian have crossed paths on occasion and he always recognizes her by the way her body moves and the shape of her ears. They have long ignored the attraction they feel for one another since the job always comes first.
This time they meet in Aruba at a weapons deal gone wrong. Kira has infiltrated a terrorist group with ties to Sorrell and has accompanied them to what is supposed to be a weapons deal. Unknown to her, the real objective is to kill Ian. In the mist of the action she recognizes Ian and quickly changes sides, helping him turn the tables on the terrorist group. Afterward, instead of disappearing, she rents a villa under her real identity with the intent of joining Ian’s operation. DHS has agreed and asked that she keep Ian from killing his father or Sorrell since both are wanted for the information they can provide. Ian is an admitted chauvinist and does not want a woman in his operation, especially Kira.
The themes of betrayal, trust, fear of intimacy and commitment unfold in a highly erotic, sexual arena. Leigh’s dialog is bold and her bedroom scenes leave nothing to the imagination. Romantic Times BOOKreviews is quoted on the cover as saying, “Leigh’s books can scorch the ink off the page.” This is certainly true. This book is HOT, HOT, HOT!
Four Stars
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Originally posted 2008-09-04 05:35:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 3rd, 2010 — 4 Stars, Book Review, Contemporary, Crime and Protection, Mystery, S-U, Seas, Secret Agent, Soldier, Thief, Travel, United States of America
Roxanne St. Claire will keep you on your toes with this novel. Nobody is what they seem and that includes the hero and heroine too.
Constantine Xenakis is a former Navy Seal, one time Bullet Catcher, and thief. He wants to be a Bullet Catcher again and he wants Dan Gallagher’s job as Lucy Sharpe’s right hand man.
His first mission back on the team is a test of his character. The dive site is the El Falcon and it’s rumored that the long lost Bombay blue diamonds are somewhere among the wreckage. He’s to ensure the safety of all treasure found, but can he resist the temptation to keep something for himself?
There’s a thief onboard the Gold Digger. Treasure found on the dive site is going missing. It’s Con’s job to find out who is responsible and stop them. He catches Lizzie Dare red-handed the first night on board, but she insists she was just trying to get documentation about the finds so that Paxton, the client behind the Bullet Catcher case and owner of the finds the diving crew bring up, can’t profit from them illegally and claim they never existed.
It’d be so easy to turn her in and call the job done, but Con decides to hold his peace for now and keep a closer eye on everyone’s, but especially Lizzie’s doings.
Roxanne St. Claire turns up the heat for Make Her Pay. The sexiest scenes, in my opinion, are when Con and Lizzie are showering together in a little cramped space on the boat. Yum. Con’s headspace was particularly fun. Poor guy.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Make Her Pay (The Bullet Catchers)
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January 31st, 2010 — 4 Stars, Comedy of Manners, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, J-L, Regency, Secret Agent, Widow or Widower
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Lady Latitia Vaux Randall has come to ask Christian Allardyce, 6th Marquess of Dearne, for help. Someone has just murdered her husband and the authorities suspect her younger brother, Justin, of having committed the deed. Thus begins Ms. Laurens' seventh ‘Bastion Club' novel.
The Bastion Club was formed after the end of the Napoleonic Wars when seven previous members of Her Majesty's Secret Service needed a place to find peace from the persistent, husband hunting families intent on marrying off their daughters to these highly eligible bachelors. The members have every intention of doing their duty and marrying, but want to choose their own spouses at their own pace and in relative peace.
Twelve years ago, before the war, Latitia and Christian were lovers and, although they never formalized an agreement, their intentions to marry were clear. Then Christian joined the guards but was quickly and quietly selected to spy for his country. He was to tell no one outside of his immediate family. In case of emergency, he left information on whom to contact with his family attorney. Since the Vaux family was a member of the haute ton and very wealthy, Christian felt that Latitia would be well cared for in his absence.
He never told her about his mission. Four years later, Latitia's father lost most of his money in bad investments. Mr. George Randall approached the family and offered to save them from their predicament in return for Latitia's hand in what he specified should be, to all outward appearances, a love match. Latitia tried franticly to contact Christian, but could not find out where he was. All of her letters came back unanswered. She believed Christian had abandoned her. Christian was stunned and angered to hear of Lititia's marriage. He could not understand how she could fall in love with another man after the passion they shared. Now he has agreed to help her find the murderer of her husband but he intends to make her pay.
The Edge of Desire is an entertaining, well-crafted book. Her characters and their motivations are fully developed and the mystery is carefully and seamlessly woven into a passionate love story. Laurens has a gift for writing highly detailed bedroom scenes that are beautifully erotic without being cheap or tawdry. This book is a must read.
4 stars
Buy: The Edge of Desire
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Originally posted 2008-11-09 11:20:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 18th, 2010 — 3 Stars, Alien, Another Planet/Dimension, Book Review, Contemporary, Erotica, Interracial, J-L, Kidnapping, Magic Users, Mistaken Identity, Paranormal, Politician, Secret Agent, Space, United States of America, Virgin Heroine
Have you ever read your name in a romance book? How about with different spelling? I rarely do as my name is fairly unique. Listening to my name as a protagonist in Destiny's Jewel was definitely a bit of naughty fun.
Rebecca Rogers, who narrated Maestro's Butterfly, narrates Destiny's Jewel and does another amazing job! Five out of five for steamy!
I recently went on a road trip to meet with some friends and Destiny's Jewel was my trip companion. Who needs the radio? Seriously! Listen to some erotica instead - it's sure to keep you awake and get your blood pumping.
Kyra L'orrac has been entrusted to guard a royal treasure, a giant sapphire known as the Stone of Destiny. It is her first big assignment under the Royal Special Forces (RSF). She is protecting it from the incoming vizier and magician Ellard J'aron, who seeks it for personal gain and power.
For Ellard it is imperative that he retrieved the star sapphire and its two sister jewels, an emerald and ruby respectively. If he fails to bring the trio home to Dolnair he faces execution and his family the ultimate disgrace. As if Ellard's troubles aren't enough he is under a very strict time limit and the pretty girl who holds the first of the jewels inspires passions he should not-nay can not-indulge, even if he wants too... desperately.
Rating: 3 Stars
Buy the Audio Version Here!
Side note: I marked this book as interracial because of one partner being magical and one partner being non-magical.
Originally posted 2009-04-05 05:01:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 17th, 2010 — 4 Stars, Book Review, Contemporary, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, G-I, Great Britain, Historical Romance, Mistaken Identity, Pirate, Pirate, Sailing, Secret Agent, Survival, Virgin Heroine
Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood is the second book in the set of three novels, Guardian Angel follows on the heels of The Lion's Lady. I didn't know this when I started and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the book. Usually I dislike sets of romances because one couple or half of a couple ends up irking me due to their actions in a previous book. However, Lyon and Christina are already wedded by this point and I loved them in their story. I did wonder as to their purpose in this novel, but Lyon is clearly Caine's friend and trustworthy ally which Caine will need before the novel is up. Speaking on ends, I thought the ending to Guardian Angel was lacking in some fashion. I can't put my finger on it but the ending left me feeling vaguely like how the ending of The Wedding made me feel... unresolved I guess.
The Marquess of Cainewood is on a mission. Revenge coldly calculated, this ruthless man has set out to avenge his brother's death at the hands of the notorious pirate known only as Pagan. The pirate would meet his maker, and then perhaps Caine's father would get some peace. Sitting in the back of a pub that had become his haunting place since his brother's death, Caine's evening is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of an angel with fiery red hair. She's scared, trembling, but determined.
Her first question is about his identity... is he Pagan?
His charade as the pirate was working, but instead of drawing out the real Pagan, he got a maiden in distress. She asks him to kill her before the men after her catch up and do the job themselves. She wants to die quick and painlessly and hoped the honorable Pagan would help her. Honorable indeed! Caine refuses and shoulders the burdens of the young woman.
Jade he will find leads him on a merry goose chase after criminals who do and don't exist. And all the while she is flitting about trying to keep Caine occupied, a real mystery is brewing... but also passion. Can Jade keep her heart safe or has a man finally pierced her shields to the vulnerable girl inside?
Rating: 4 Stars
Edit: The sex in this novel doesn't follow the usual path in romance novels. When Jade loses her virginity it's not a quick flash of pain and then over with. I enjoyed how Garwood handled everything when it became an issue between Jade and Caine. Jade was also very tender for her second time. It was different than what I am used to in a romance novel and I found that I enjoyed it because of that.
Originally posted 2009-01-06 00:40:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 8th, 2010 — 1 Star, A-C, ARC, Gentry, Great Britain, Medieval, Musician, Older Woman/Younger Man, Prostitute, Rape/Abuse, Scarred Hero, Secret Agent, Survival, Widow or Widower, Working with Land
I had a hard time getting through this novel. Not only is Widow’s Peak very unbelievable, but the writing is not engaging. Both of these problems could have been ignored if the sexual interaction between the main characters was hot. It wasn't.
Here is what I had issues with:
Lady Amye de Barnard doesn’t act like a medieval lady. She acts like the lowest of chambermaids or servants, doing jobs and taking care of things that should have been delegated.
First, she washes Laine’s body, stitches him up, and tends to him herself during his recovery. As a lady this would never happen. When he’s awake and on the mend, she washes him like a baby and the blanket is the only nod towards modesty.
Amye is a very modern woman in a time when it’s just not possible. She rides astride. She pays the king a tax to stay unmarried. Her late husband was way too forward thinking for the time period. He got the king to sign a contract to allow Amye to be the land holder and owner of their fiefdom. She too is overly forward thinking when it comes to the vassals, serfs, and servants. I have a hard time believing the men surrounding her would not try to advise her or take control away.
She also is still completely in love with her late husband. Thomas is mentioned way too often. There's no way. Besides that every mention shows how wonderful Thomas was to her, to their people, to the land, in bed, as a husband, as a lover, as a teacher, as a friend, and on and on.
As for the sex, here are a very few examples:
- Let her lips roam to his pouch sucked one of his round balls.
- I found it hard to believe she was "tight as the virgins he was given" after 7 childbirths. Come on - really? Really? REALLY?
- The anal sex with soap (I’m assuming its lye base considering the time period). Can we say, burning? Lye is corrosive and will degrade organic tissue.
Laine as a hero also had problems. He was a terrible troubadour. He was a prostitute turned assassin. As an assassin, I have my doubts. He becomes injured by fighting in the trees (of all places how did the fight happen in the trees—how did they both get up there?) then as the two are fighting and falling from the branches he manages to get on top and survive.
Rating: 1 Star
Buy: Widow's Peak
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December 13th, 2009 — 4 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Children, Contemporary, Crime and Protection, Estranged, Kidnapping, Mistaken Identity, Poor Eyesight, Secret Agent, Secret Baby, Survival, Suspense/Thriller, United States of America, Widow or Widower
Remember when I ran into Roxanne St. Claire at the bookstore? I asked her what her favorite books were that she wrote and Hunt Her Down was one of them. I was not disappointed in fact my socks were knocked off! I think I may just have to get back into reading lots and lots of romantic suspense because of this novel.
There’s this sexy shed scene where Dan masturbates that really did it. The scene is so hot you boil reading the pages. See, Dan has bad night vision and thought the heroine couldn’t see him. They were locked inside the shed (were they used to make love a lot when they knew each other years ago) by the bad guys and while they were waiting to be rescued they had a little trip down memory lane.
As Roxanne St. Claire said on twitter:
You know, every hero has to have a flaw. 
To which I said:
I'd take that flaw in a few more heroes haha
I so would! Whew!
Maggie Varcek believes in signs from the universe or at least her Baba (grandmother). When a fortune cookie fortune accurately acknowledges her pregnancy, Maggie is ecstatic and determined to go to the baby’s father to tell him the news. She knew he’d take care of her and they’d figure out what to do (e.g. how to get away and stay safe.) On that fateful night however, Maggie does not get the chance because Michael Scott dies when the FBI and DEA rush in to haul Ramon and Alonso Jimenez off to prison.
Flash forward a decade later. Ramon is released and back on the streets. Dan Gallagher, formerly Michael Scott, undercover Bullet Catcher, knows his ex-lover Maggie might be in danger if Ramon figured out she was the leak. His plans to protect her go awry when he finds out they had a kid. Now he’s racing to solve a case of missing millions, 100 million to be precise, and the mysteries of the heart, specifically his own.
Sizzling, suspenseful, and superb. As I said before, I think I may just have to get back into reading lots and lots of romantic suspense because of this novel. Can’t wait to read Make Her Pay!
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Hunt Her Down (Bullet Catchers)
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November 18th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Alien, Enemies, Erotica, Foster/Orphan, Guest Reviews, Mystery, P-R, Rape/Abuse, Scarred Hero, Secret Agent, Supernatural, Suspense/Thriller, United States of America, Vampire
By Susan S., guest reviewer
Today is a Double Dose of Devyn Day! Back to back reviews!
Embracing Midnight is Devyn at her best. A sinful, sizzling “fast-paced” page turner!
Come…, as I invite you to walk along the darker side of romance. Prepare yourself for the “ultimate” good vs. evil novel.
This novel, solidified for me, the reason why Devyn ranks among my top two favorite authors. Having read most of her books, this is her best novel to date. I can envision its conversion into a movie.
Embracing Midnight will appeal to any and all of the following: erotic romance readers, readers who enjoy romantic suspense, mystery, paranormal, sci-fi, thrillers, and for those readers who enjoyed the movies The Net
and Men in Black
.
I simply could not, read this book fast enough. My review should simply read (flip, flip, flip). What first appealed to me were the double entendres, and hot sexual innuendos between the hero (Iollan Drake) and the heroine (Callie Whitten).
Callie is a 30 year old blond who’s working for the bureau as an undercover agent. Her cover is working as a waitress at a Goth club. The military taught her how to crack and hack any system in the world. An ability that she’ll have to implement soon enough.
In enters a “mega-hot” 194 year old, motorcycle riding Irish vampire into her life. Who knows just how to please a woman, he’s sex-on-a stick. Together, they’ll learn how easily friends can become enemies, and discover how sworn enemies can change into our best allies.
Drake will uncover her darkest sexual secret, and fulfill her secretly guarded fantasy. His use of the endearment “love” towards Callie was touching. Iollan quickly became my favorite character, with his vulnerability, transformation, and ultimate revenge and redemption. When he reveals the full scope of his powers as the novel approaches its end, you will be left utterly speechless.
The least likeable character was Callie’s bastard ex-lover Roger Reinke.
Favorite scene- When Callie assists Drake in a hot shower.
Embracing Midnight’s fundamental theme was to stand up for injustice and cruelty, by fighting for what “you” believe is right.
There isn’t a rating high enough for this novel, so I’ll have to settle for the 5 star rating, when in actuality in my heart it deserved a 10.
Warning--This plot includes one m, f, m, m scene. Yes, I counted those m’s correctly! There was also a rape scene that lent to the real nature of one of the characters. (Chilling and unexpected revelation)
Rating: 5 Stars
Buy: Embracing Midnight
Aphrodisia, Kensington Publishing Corp., Copyright 2008
Paperback, 304 Pages.
ISBN-13# 978-0-7582-1654-0
ISBN-10# 0-7582-1654-8
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November 16th, 2009 — 4 Stars, 4.5 Stars, A-C, Blind, Book Review, Enemies, France, Gentry, Georgian, Great Britain, Historical Romance, Kidnapping, Regency, Secret Agent, Survival, Virgin Heroine, Wartime
Joanna Bourne takes the old plot of wartime enemy spies turned lovers and sticks it on its head. This novel is a seriously fantastic tale that you would be fool not to pick up and read. It contains a wonderful plot twist that should be as surprising as it is satisfyingly delicious. The male is a strong, powerful, but very plain lead. The female is cunning, resourceful, and beautiful. The cover depicts a young handsome man, the type of man that Robert Grey would eat twice a week for breakfast. It is pretty and attention grabbing however, which is what the publishers are after.
Annique Villiers is a French spy in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars (adjacent to the Georgian period in England.) She was captured and thrown into the bad guy's household prison alongside two British spies, Grey and Adrian. Annique uses her cunning and limited resources to get the three of them out of trouble. Unfortunately for Annique, Grey (and Adrain) knows of her and captures her just when she thinks she's free. Angry and determined to escape, Annique puts up one hell of a fight. She has kindness in her you would not expect of a spy. As a matter of fact, all of the agents except the bad guys, show a remarkable kindness.
The safety of two nation's people rest in Annique's hands. She must decide what to do and whether her choice will keep her loyal to her homeland or turn her traitor, she does not yet know. Annique will have to war between her head and her heart all the while danger, intrigue, and madness follow behind her nipping at her heels.
Rating: 4.5 Stars to midpoint, 4 Stars overall.
Originally posted 2009-03-07 05:35:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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September 18th, 2009 — 1.5 Stars, A-C, Big Misunderstanding, Book Review, Gentry, Great Britain, Heiress, Mistaken Identity, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Secret Agent, Spinster, Teacher, Travel, Virgin Heroine
This was definitely not one of my favorite novels. Not only did Boyle use hair color to give stereotypical traits to the heroine, but the big reveal didn’t feel so big! Major bummer! As Susan would say thank goodness I’m FF (finally finished)!
A kiss can change the fates of nations. It certainly changed the fate of one Miss Miranda Mabberly. She was going to marry an impoverished (or at least highly strapped for funds) Earl and become a Countess but one kiss altered everything, including the world on its axis.
Miranda’s family force her to flee London into the country and into permanent hiding from the shame of that kiss. Along the way she manages to make it back to Miss Emery’s Establishment and gain a teaching position in decorum (irony at its best) under a new name. It’s been nine years since that kiss and Miranda can still recall its flavor of it.
Mad Jack Tremont or Lord John can too. Poorer than a church mouse, he’s been banished to the country seat where disgraced relatives of the Tremont’s have been living for generations. When crossing Miss Porter’s prim façade and tightly wound red hair, Jack can’t help but think of ways to seduce her out of her hairpins.
Rating: 1.5 Stars
Buy: This Rake of Mine
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July 7th, 2009 — 2 Stars, Book Review, Captain, Category, Cross-Dressing Female, Dukes and Earls, France, Friends, Great Britain, M-O, Mistaken Identity, Regency, Russia, Secret Agent, Soldier, Travel, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower
His Cavalry Lady was a very clever concept, but I had a hard time with the romance. I understood how Alex could fall in love with the duke, but the poor duke spent half the time fantasizing about two females (who are Alex in different getups). Most of the hero and heroine’s interaction was when Alex was dressed as a Russian soldier with Dominic treating her as a younger brother.
The story was additionally a little long in tooth. I got bored with Alex always running away. She runs from Dominic at a ball, back to Russia, to her family’s estate, etc. There’s a lot of it for a woman of extensive bravery. I guess battling for love is a tad bit scarier than storming Napoleon troops.
I thought it was exceptionally cool that the story was in part based on a real Russian female who dressed up as a man and joined the army. Her name was Nadezhda Durova and she managed to conceal her gender for ten years! Like the heroine she started off as a common foot soldier and was promoted to an officer position by no less than the Tsar himself, who knew who she really was. Talk about an inspiring woman!
Rating: 2 Stars
Buy: His Cavalry Lady
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