Helpful Score: 8
After reading the prologue on Stephanie Laurens' website months ago that sets up the scene for the entire series of four books, I was sooooooo anticipating this first book to come out. Adventure in a foreign land, a secret murdering cult terrorizing the countryside, a calculated strategy developed by spymaster Dalziel himself (from the Bastion Club series) to capture the leader of the cult and the sworn pledge of four studly officers to seek 'justice' (heh-heh) for the murderers who killed one of their own. Sadly, that prologue was the best thing about it.
I love Stephanie Laurens and have read all of her books. They are well-written and easy to zip through. However, this turned out to be just average. The incriminating evidence, a letter naming names and signed & sealed by one of the cult's leaders by accident (uh, riiiiiight) is intercepted. The four heroes copy the letter and each takes a different route, one carrying the original and the other three decoys (thus four stories how each man gets back to England). Del the hero in this book gets wrangled into escorting Deliah the heroine to her home near his country estate. Unbelievably, one of the first things he does is divulge all the details of his so-called 'secret' mission to this woman he barely knows. Again, tell me what is the number 1 rule for a successful spy? (slap-to-forehead). The not-so-secret-now mission is to draw the cultists to them so they and the heroes from the Cynsters and Bastion Club series can trap and eliminate as many of the cultists as they can so the other officers enroute (and their evidence) will have a greater chance of making it back safely. This book is mostly a series of outings and minor tussles with local thug hirelings who are quite easily picked off. Deliah's suggestions are better than those of the experienced military officers and spies (mm-hmm).
Some other readers were tired of seeing the Cynster and Bastion men and wives appear again but I liked it since I was reluctant to see them go when the other series ended. They were like family to me by then. Maybe SL threw them in to entice readers who loved the other series.
Despite the disappointment with this first book of the quartet, call me an optimist but I will read the rest of the series hoping they will get better. Verdict: you could probably skip this one.
I love Stephanie Laurens and have read all of her books. They are well-written and easy to zip through. However, this turned out to be just average. The incriminating evidence, a letter naming names and signed & sealed by one of the cult's leaders by accident (uh, riiiiiight) is intercepted. The four heroes copy the letter and each takes a different route, one carrying the original and the other three decoys (thus four stories how each man gets back to England). Del the hero in this book gets wrangled into escorting Deliah the heroine to her home near his country estate. Unbelievably, one of the first things he does is divulge all the details of his so-called 'secret' mission to this woman he barely knows. Again, tell me what is the number 1 rule for a successful spy? (slap-to-forehead). The not-so-secret-now mission is to draw the cultists to them so they and the heroes from the Cynsters and Bastion Club series can trap and eliminate as many of the cultists as they can so the other officers enroute (and their evidence) will have a greater chance of making it back safely. This book is mostly a series of outings and minor tussles with local thug hirelings who are quite easily picked off. Deliah's suggestions are better than those of the experienced military officers and spies (mm-hmm).
Some other readers were tired of seeing the Cynster and Bastion men and wives appear again but I liked it since I was reluctant to see them go when the other series ended. They were like family to me by then. Maybe SL threw them in to entice readers who loved the other series.
Despite the disappointment with this first book of the quartet, call me an optimist but I will read the rest of the series hoping they will get better. Verdict: you could probably skip this one.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
