Helpful Score: 9
I'm still up in the air about this book, although I admit it's certainly not run-of-the-mill for this genre!
Positives include an amazing plot line that has enough twists and turns to leave you delightfully dizzy.
Not-so-positives (there are no true negatives to this worthy first attempt): the heroines short, clipped sentences of dialogue became tiresome rather quickly. The style served it's purpose a bit too well. I was hearing Annique's French accent in my mind to absolute *distraction*!
The secondary characters overshadowed the primary. I would love to hear the story of Doyle and Maggie ... and Adrian goes without saying.
Grey remains an enigma, and yet, it was marvelously refreshing to have a solid male lead that we didn't have dissected before our eyes. Grey was neither haunted nor jaded nor a handsome rake. He just was. Solid, steadfast, and as such, more appealing to me than any previous hero graced with dark, brooding, angst-filled handsomeness.
And yet, there's no real spark. Something is missing but I can't lay my finger on what it is. Perhaps the author just needs a bit more experience and polish? Ah well, in the end it was a VERY interesting story and I do look forward to her next attempt!
Positives include an amazing plot line that has enough twists and turns to leave you delightfully dizzy.
Not-so-positives (there are no true negatives to this worthy first attempt): the heroines short, clipped sentences of dialogue became tiresome rather quickly. The style served it's purpose a bit too well. I was hearing Annique's French accent in my mind to absolute *distraction*!
The secondary characters overshadowed the primary. I would love to hear the story of Doyle and Maggie ... and Adrian goes without saying.
Grey remains an enigma, and yet, it was marvelously refreshing to have a solid male lead that we didn't have dissected before our eyes. Grey was neither haunted nor jaded nor a handsome rake. He just was. Solid, steadfast, and as such, more appealing to me than any previous hero graced with dark, brooding, angst-filled handsomeness.
And yet, there's no real spark. Something is missing but I can't lay my finger on what it is. Perhaps the author just needs a bit more experience and polish? Ah well, in the end it was a VERY interesting story and I do look forward to her next attempt!
Susan J. (louisiana-susan) reviewed The Spymaster's Lady (Spymaster, Bk 1) on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
I absolutely LOVED this book. The hero and heroine are lovely characters as are the supporting cast. There are a few surprises in this book that just add to the story. I love that the heroine is such an accomplished and respected spy - and I love that the hero is impressed by that part of her character. This author MUST write a sequel but I need to find out more about one of the secondary characters Adrian. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! A keeper for me.
Helpful Score: 4
Whoever decided to put this awful cover on this excellent book should be ashamed. The book is so much better than the cover could ever lead you to believe. The author deserved so much better and I look forward to reading more by her.
I was interested in reading this after I read a review of it over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books in which the reviewer couldn't stop raving about it. She was so right. The plot is full of surprises to the point that I am reluctant to give even a brief summary. The author has a way of writing so that it is always clear when the characters are not speaking English (which they are not for most of the book), even though that is the language we're reading. As a stylistic device this could have been incredibly annoying and yet I thought it worked very well.
The heroine was interesting, smart, and funny. I cared what happened to her as opposed to her just being a place marker to move the plot forward to the Happily Ever After. The hero was heroic, and yet he made mistakes. I am extremely curious about the back story of several of the supporting characters and I hope we'll hear more from them. Even if we don't, I am really looking forward to Bourne's next book.
I was interested in reading this after I read a review of it over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books in which the reviewer couldn't stop raving about it. She was so right. The plot is full of surprises to the point that I am reluctant to give even a brief summary. The author has a way of writing so that it is always clear when the characters are not speaking English (which they are not for most of the book), even though that is the language we're reading. As a stylistic device this could have been incredibly annoying and yet I thought it worked very well.
The heroine was interesting, smart, and funny. I cared what happened to her as opposed to her just being a place marker to move the plot forward to the Happily Ever After. The hero was heroic, and yet he made mistakes. I am extremely curious about the back story of several of the supporting characters and I hope we'll hear more from them. Even if we don't, I am really looking forward to Bourne's next book.
Helpful Score: 4
What a wonderfully complicated plot. Loved the twists and turns.
Helpful Score: 3
Without a doubt one of the best books I have read this year. Tightly woven plot with twists and turns and the characters leap out at you. This definitely is not your average romance nor is it a mystery/spy story. You must read it to find out all of its secrets!!!
