Review: My Lord and Spymaster, by Joanna Bourne

I've been saving this book. Whenever I'm taking a look at my shelves, wondering what to read next, I've paused, then passed it by. A Jo Bourne book is sort of like a piece of really good chocolate--you need to save it for when you really need it.

I eventually gave in, in part because there's a future book on the horizon. Granted, it's not for TEN MORE MONTHS (November 2011), which is a painfully long time to wait, especially since Black Hawk is Adrian's story. Anyway, back to the review...

Spymaster is, as you've probably guessed, about spies. Yay! Regency-era spies, which are the best kind. Some romance readers like space pirates (I'm not thinking of anyone in particular, mind you), some readers like Navy SEALS. I like spies. Clever, intriguing, good-with-their-hands spies. Who carry knives in their boots and pick locks and think of breaking and entering as a good evening's entertainment.

The Spymaster plot revolves around Jess Whitby, who is a shipping heiress and accounting genius with an interesting history, to put it mildly. Her father has been accused of espionage and she'll do whatever it takes to prove his innocence. She hires Doyle (from The Forbidden Rose) as a thug and attempts to entrap Our Hero, Sebastian. Killing and death ensue.

There is also a ferret.

He is not a particularly friendly ferret and he and Sebastian develop what proves to be a very stormy relationship. Just in case you're unfamiliar with ferret behavior and want to be assured of accuracy, let me tell you that Jo Bourne knows a thing or two about ferrets. She is also very good at depicting male attitudes toward the favored pets of females--a sort of amazement coupled with forbearance.

Just in case I haven't been clear--I loved this book. While my favorite of Jo Bourne's three spy romances remains The Spymaster's Lady, My Lord and Spymaster is a superb read. Pick it up if you like historicals, Regency-set or spy romance. You'll be counting the days until the next release, just like I am. For an excerpt of Spymaster, click here.

Books to Watch for

It's 4:30 PM, completely dark and we have several inches of snow. And I'm thinking about some of the incredible books coming out in the next few months that will help me get through the Alaska winter:

Children of Scarabaeus, by Sara Creasy (March 2011)
This is SFR and I'm hoping it's as good as her first book was, Song of Scarabaeus. If you're into SFR and haven't started this series yet, get going!

The Sentinel Mage, by Emily Gee (25 January 2011)
I'm a fan of Emily Gee's fantasy books. She's got a great imagination and creates sympathetic, believable characters. She's also an underappreciated author, IMHO.

Dangerous in Diamonds, by Madeline Hunter (26 April 2011)
Regency-set historical romance by an author who consistently writes great romance. This is Castleford's story, if you've been following the Blooms series. I can't wait to see Daphne bring him around to love. And sobriety, of course.

And a quick sample of my TBR pile:

Countess by Christmas, by Annie Burrows (new-to-me author)

First Lord's Fury, by Jim Butcher (superb fantasy)

Killbox, by Ann Aguirre (the continuing SFR saga of my favorite alien-ass-kicking heroine)

The Heir, by Grace Burrowes (another new-to-me historical romance author)

Reading Romance: Marrying the Royal Marine, by Carla Kelly

Whew! Just finished a whirlwind read of Carla Kelly's lastest romance set during the Napoleonic Wars. Stayed up until 3AM to finish it and then reread snippets the next day.

Marrying the Royal Marine is definitely my favorite of Kelly's last three character-linked Harlequin books. It is set on board a Navy ship and in war-torn Portugal during the Peninsular conflict and it has all the grit and guts I've grown to expect from Kelly. She doesn't gloss over either the dangers or the horrors of war and I found myself shocked by one scene, in particular, which is quite graphic (albeit factual, unfortunately). So be prepared for some unpleasantness...

...which only serves to make the romance that much sweeter. Our hero is Lt. Colonel Hugh Junot, of the Royal Marines, a man of "mature" years who is stalwart, unflappable, and completely swoon-worthy. His lady love-to-be is Polly Brandon, the plain, earnest and practical natural child of an English nobleman.

Polly is en route to Portugal to be helpful, though she doesn't quite know how. She believes herself to be the ugly duckling when compared to her two sisters and she is burdened with spectacles. As well as a nasty bout of seasickness, which is what initially brings her and the colonel together.

At thirty-seven, the colonel believes himself unsuitable for nineteen-year-old Polly. She, however, is oblivious to the age difference. Although I know some readers have problems with romances like this, I don't. They're historically accurate and, to my mind, Polly probably wouldn't have survived their adventures had the colonel been younger and callower.

The plot revolves around the capture of Polly and the colonel by French troops and their subsequent attempt to reach French lines. Relying on each other and through a series of challenges, they fall in love. And their journey is tough, dangerous, and none too pretty. I realize that's not much of a plot description, but the story is in the emotional impact of their experiences, rather than in the events per se. You just have to read it.

The colonel has become one of my all-time favorite romance heros. And Marrying the Royal Marine is destined for my keeper shelf.

Reading Romance: The Spymaster's Lady, by Joanna Bourne

Oh my. I just finished The Spymaster's Lady and I am tempted to go back and read it all over again from the beginning. It's that good.

I admit to a weakness for spy heros, especially the big, bad and dangerous kind. But spy heros abound. Spy heroines, on the other hand, are as rare as hen's teeth. Put the two together and you have one amazing book.

The Spymaster's Lady is a Regency-set historical with a nonstop plot, to-die-for hero, superb historical detail and a heroine who has had, to put it mildly, a rough time of it. He's English, she's French and together they're in a lot of trouble.

The novel follows Robert Grey and Annique Villiers, along with a couple of well-rounded and interesting secondary characters, on a desperate flight across France. The suspense is nonstop and very real, primarily because Bourne makes the reader believe that death is a serious possibility. This isn't some frothy spy plot where there's no doubt that the heroine will be rescued in time. The Spymaster's Lady has some very dark moments, but they're lightened by subtle humor and the heroine's absolute refusal to feel sorry for herself.

Bourne has made Annique's life a living hell, but she's also constructed a heroine who has the resources to survive it. Annique reminded me of Jo Goodman's heroines in If His Kiss Is Wicked and The Price of Desire. She has a personal history that really is soul-searing. And her present difficulties might very well be the end of her, unless she meets a hero worthy of her...

...and Robert Grey delivers. He is one hot and sexy spy. Skilled, protective, and deadly. Oh my! I was able to appreciate Grey despite the improbably chest-baring individual on the original book cover. (The reissue has a vastly improved and lovely cover, though it doesn't accurately represent the heroine--who is generally either disguised or in extremis.)

I could go on about the things I liked about this novel: the complex, multilayered story and relationships, the subtle details, the way the issue of language is handled (Annique's English syntax is charming). Like Jo Goodman's work, Bourne's plotting is complex and intricate. If you like Goodman, you will probably like Joanna Bourne.

Just in case it wasn't clear, I absolutely loved this book. Joanna Bourne needs to write more. Faster.

Reading Romance: Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter

I picked up Ravishing in Red by Madeline Hunter from my TBR pile yesterday, and I'm already about half-way done. It's a really engaging read. Plus, I've enjoyed Madeline Hunter's books from the very beginning, when she wrote a set of three fine medieval romances, By Design, By Arrangement, and By Possession nearly ten years ago. Ms. Hunter was also kind enough to reply to an e-mail I sent her about balancing the two worlds of romance writing and university academics (she's a professor of art history). She really is as nice as she looks in that author photo at the back of her books. Here's a link to her website.

Anyway, Ravishing in Red is the story of how a young woman is compromised and how she and the gentleman involved deal with it. What I enjoy is the way that Hunter treats being compromised as a real disaster. There is genuine mortification involved when the heroine, Ms. Kelmsleigh, sees herself portrayed in lewd engravings sold on London street corners. The hero is an MP and the brother of a peer, and his career is totally run off the rails when gossip paints him as a ravisher of innocent young ladies. He's actually concerned about his honor as a gentleman and about the ton's perception of him as violent blackguard. I found this believable and much more period-accurate than the more typical scenarios that we see in romance novels: "Whoops! We've been caught kissing! Guess we ought to get married!"

Ravishing also has a secondary plot involving the heroine's father and a war-profiteering scandal. This, too, rings true, despite the somewhat silly and mysterious "domino" character.

I'm already looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Provocative in Pearls.

Not Quite a Lady

I've started this blog because I'm publishing my first erotic romance, Not Quite a Lady, with Ellora's Cave, one of the leading e-publishers in the genre. Visit the website here: http://www.ellorascave.com/

I've been writing fiction for several years now, but most of my manuscripts have ended up in the bottom desk drawer. I finished my first Regency romance just as the market for traditional Regencies was going under (both Signet and Zebra stopped publishing the genre in 2006). And I finished my first medieval romance just as the market for paranormals was exploding.

Happily, writing erotica lets me set my stories in the Regency period which, thanks to the books of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, and Carla Kelly, I think of as an incredibly romantic part of English history.

I'll be blogging here about works-in-progress, as well as about historical and erotic romance more generally. Come by often. Comments are always welcome!