She’s never met a man she couldn’t deceive…until now.
She’s braved battlefields. She’s stolen dispatches from under the noses of heads of state. She’s played the worldly courtesan, the naive virgin, the refined British lady, even a Gypsy boy. But Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has finally met the one man she can’t outwit.
The Spymaster’s Lady, by Joanna Bourne
Sometimes something saves a book that might otherwise fall flat for you. I think that if this book had been left to stand solely on the hero and heroine, charming though they can both be at times, I would have considered it a middle of the road book. Solid, but I wouldn’t have been pushing to read the sequel as soon as possible (and grateful that soon is hopefully later this evening). Introduce a solid cast of secondary characters, however, and wow.
The Spymaster’s Lady is set in Napoleon’s France and features a battle of wits between our hero, who spies for the English, and our heroine, who spies for the French. Or at least for some of the French, as we quickly discover, since the book opens with both of them held prisoner …by the French. I won’t spoil anything for you but the author does a fantastic job of getting us to care about the characters and quickly, as well as saving one or two plot twists I didn’t see coming.
The first half of the book is excellent, as we meet a few characters who look to have their own stories. (Stories I’m sure we’ll get to, since this is book one of the Spymaster series.) There’s some nicely fast paced action and deception on both sides. The second half feels like it slows down a little more, and some of the plot twists become a little more convenient (and feel a little less natural). There are a few decisions that feel glossed over, to some extent, and the ending leaves a fair bit unresolved. Also, for those who care, the scene where our hero and heroine finally make love can be a little questionable on the consent side, depending on how you read it. I think the text ultimately makes it clear that it is her decision, but forewarned is forearmed.
(I know a lot of this review is very vague and that is because I want to keep your read as spoiler-free as possible, since I think the book is best enjoyed that way.)
I forgive the book all of its flaws, however, because I love the depiction of the comradeship between the spies. You get the strong sense that these are complex individuals, fully developed, and I at least wish I could be part of that group. Every page gives you something different about one of them. For me, the story itself became secondary to these people as characters who I want to get to know even more, which is why I’m so eager to dive into the next book. Give me more tidbits and insights into these people!
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