Helpful Score: 2
The Blackhawk: by Joanna Bourne
Anyone who knows me knows I love spy novels, and mysteries, Joanna Bourne writes a good spy novel and she really knows her time period. This one in particular was well done. What happens when two young spies, and when I mean young I mean early teens, on opposite sides of the conflict come together for a time to work together, knowing that they will soon be enemies once again. We have met these two in previous novels and so it was only time until their story would be told.
This is the story of Hawker and Justine or (Owl) and theirs is a very long very complicated story. Starting in 1818 London Hawker is in danger and Justine is trying to get to him to warn him and is nearly assassinated for her pains. Near death their story is told in flashbacks, to Paris just after Robespierre death to Napoleons defeat at Waterloo.
Ms. Bourne has created a very interesting cast of characters and I am interested to see what is next? 4 stars, it is a great series and I recommend it.
Anyone who knows me knows I love spy novels, and mysteries, Joanna Bourne writes a good spy novel and she really knows her time period. This one in particular was well done. What happens when two young spies, and when I mean young I mean early teens, on opposite sides of the conflict come together for a time to work together, knowing that they will soon be enemies once again. We have met these two in previous novels and so it was only time until their story would be told.
This is the story of Hawker and Justine or (Owl) and theirs is a very long very complicated story. Starting in 1818 London Hawker is in danger and Justine is trying to get to him to warn him and is nearly assassinated for her pains. Near death their story is told in flashbacks, to Paris just after Robespierre death to Napoleons defeat at Waterloo.
Ms. Bourne has created a very interesting cast of characters and I am interested to see what is next? 4 stars, it is a great series and I recommend it.
Helpful Score: 2
The 4th Spymaster book, and finally, the story of Adrian(Hawker) and Justine that we have all been waiting for!
When I first got this book, I put it aside because I saw that the time lapse between the H&H meeting to when they finally get their HEA is over 20 years. I usually don't like stories with long separations. But I finally got around to reading it and it was a great book, exceptionally well-written. You won't find any historical errors or anachronisms here. The spy/murder subplot is well done and adds to making this a stay-up-late page-turner. There is some violence, but nothing graphic. I was not frustrated by the long wait for the HEA like I expected, because the book starts out in the characters' present time(1818) with flashbacks to their earlier encounters. It works because the story is true to the characters that Bourne has created. They are spies on opposite sides during the war, and both are seriously dedicated to their professions. Being the people that they are, it wouldn't have made sense for either of them to give up everything for love and quit doing their jobs while their countries were still at war. I loved the way their sexual relationship was so full of caring and tenderness, right from the beginning, and the way they were true to each other while apart. I thought it was realistic that they were so mature at such a young age because of the lives they lived and the times they lived in. In short, I loved this as much as the other Spymaster books, and immediately after finishing it, I went back and reread certain sections because they were just so satisfying and there were so many nuances in the story. Now I'm going to reread the whole series in order(they're all on my keeper shelf) so I can refresh my memories of some of the backstory and secondary characters that reappear in this book. I foresee a very enjoyable weekend!
One little warning, I'm glad I remember some high-school French(although when I read that Hawker was "naked except for calecons" it sent me straight to Google!), because there are occasional words and sentences without an English translation. You won't be missing too much if you don't understand them, but knowing French is an extra bonus to enjoying the book.
When I first got this book, I put it aside because I saw that the time lapse between the H&H meeting to when they finally get their HEA is over 20 years. I usually don't like stories with long separations. But I finally got around to reading it and it was a great book, exceptionally well-written. You won't find any historical errors or anachronisms here. The spy/murder subplot is well done and adds to making this a stay-up-late page-turner. There is some violence, but nothing graphic. I was not frustrated by the long wait for the HEA like I expected, because the book starts out in the characters' present time(1818) with flashbacks to their earlier encounters. It works because the story is true to the characters that Bourne has created. They are spies on opposite sides during the war, and both are seriously dedicated to their professions. Being the people that they are, it wouldn't have made sense for either of them to give up everything for love and quit doing their jobs while their countries were still at war. I loved the way their sexual relationship was so full of caring and tenderness, right from the beginning, and the way they were true to each other while apart. I thought it was realistic that they were so mature at such a young age because of the lives they lived and the times they lived in. In short, I loved this as much as the other Spymaster books, and immediately after finishing it, I went back and reread certain sections because they were just so satisfying and there were so many nuances in the story. Now I'm going to reread the whole series in order(they're all on my keeper shelf) so I can refresh my memories of some of the backstory and secondary characters that reappear in this book. I foresee a very enjoyable weekend!
One little warning, I'm glad I remember some high-school French(although when I read that Hawker was "naked except for calecons" it sent me straight to Google!), because there are occasional words and sentences without an English translation. You won't be missing too much if you don't understand them, but knowing French is an extra bonus to enjoying the book.
Helpful Score: 1
This has some really unusually characteristics for a romance novel. The hero and heroine are both in their late thirties, and the book is the story of their 24-year relationship. A lot of the book is told through flashbacks. The story is rather intense--don't go looking for humor or light-hearted moments here. It's very well-written, though, and I think most romance fans would enjoy it.
