My Lord and Spymaster (The Spymaster Series)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Joanna Bourne's "The Spymaster's Lady" was a fantastic book, a fresh tale in a crowded genre with brilliant dialogue and plot. I eagerly awaited the next book by this author, "My Lord and Spymaster", but was unfortunately rather disappointed.
Jess Whitby is a pickpocket turned wealthy young woman whose father's shipping empire is well respected. However her father has been arrested for treason as the British authorities believe that he is a traitor known as Cinq who has been selling secrets to Napoleon. Jess is trying to prove his innocence by showing that someone else is guilty and she believes that Captain Sebastian Kennett is actually Cinq. When she is rescued from some thugs by Kennett she finds herself beginning to question whether he really is Cinq. He believes in her father's guilt but is helpless to prevent her from undertaking dangerous assignments to try to discover proof her father is innocent. As Kennett tries to keep up with Jess and as various nefarious characters try to silence her, Jess has to come to terms with her feelings for Sebastian and the possibility that the traitor is indeed one of the people close to her.
There was plenty of action in this story and the setting, in the murky underbelly of Regency London, was good. The dialogue in this book, however, regularly slipped into Americanisms which wasn't something I'd noticed in her previous novel and that was grating in this story. Jess was also a rather difficult character to get to know or even to like, although Kennett was cast in the usual heroic mould. The identity of Cinq wasn't a surprise to me when it was unveiled and I felt there were some rather annoying loose threads (what happened to Colonel Reams and why did he have such a minor part to play when he was discussed so frequently). The fact that Jess could avoid dozens of different spies trying to catch her seemed a little unrealistic at times but I suppose it was necessary to the plot.
In summary, taken on its own this is a reasonable book and deserving four stars. However, compared to her previous book it's a real disappointment - and it's not going on the keeper shelf for me.
Jess Whitby is a pickpocket turned wealthy young woman whose father's shipping empire is well respected. However her father has been arrested for treason as the British authorities believe that he is a traitor known as Cinq who has been selling secrets to Napoleon. Jess is trying to prove his innocence by showing that someone else is guilty and she believes that Captain Sebastian Kennett is actually Cinq. When she is rescued from some thugs by Kennett she finds herself beginning to question whether he really is Cinq. He believes in her father's guilt but is helpless to prevent her from undertaking dangerous assignments to try to discover proof her father is innocent. As Kennett tries to keep up with Jess and as various nefarious characters try to silence her, Jess has to come to terms with her feelings for Sebastian and the possibility that the traitor is indeed one of the people close to her.
There was plenty of action in this story and the setting, in the murky underbelly of Regency London, was good. The dialogue in this book, however, regularly slipped into Americanisms which wasn't something I'd noticed in her previous novel and that was grating in this story. Jess was also a rather difficult character to get to know or even to like, although Kennett was cast in the usual heroic mould. The identity of Cinq wasn't a surprise to me when it was unveiled and I felt there were some rather annoying loose threads (what happened to Colonel Reams and why did he have such a minor part to play when he was discussed so frequently). The fact that Jess could avoid dozens of different spies trying to catch her seemed a little unrealistic at times but I suppose it was necessary to the plot.
In summary, taken on its own this is a reasonable book and deserving four stars. However, compared to her previous book it's a real disappointment - and it's not going on the keeper shelf for me.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
37 reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
A story with a twist of originality
16 Nov 2009
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Romances are often predictable with cardboard characters and rehashed storylines. Simpering virgins, roguish alpha males, big misunderstandings, and tidy endings. As Yogi Berra would say, "Deja vu all over again."
Joanna Bourne's "My Lord and Spymaster" is a refreshing yarn. It has a bit of an Oliver Twist ambiance with brutish street toughs among high brow sophisticates and two very compelling lead characters with complex backgrounds. Bourne's stories unfold a bit at a time, allowing the reader to get to know her hero/heroine and the choices they have made and obstacles they have overcome before their paths intersect. She weaves a tapestry of their character, wit, charm, steely will, vulnerabiltity and courage. Her story is rich with details: business concerns are not just window dressing; the spy intrigue gives a sense of life and death choices; the allegiances to country, family and colleagues bring depth to motivations.
The supporting cast is just as interesting -- Adrian, Doyle, Aunt Eunice and Uncle Standish, and even Kedger the ferret. Jess is the intrepid young woman who has had to fight her own battles and use her rapier sharp intelligence to climb her way out of poverty. She has met her match in Sebastian who has polished the rough edges of his own street smarts to become a gentleman and commander and to use his influence to have her father arrested for treason.
Some readers have complained that there is not enough bedsport. Yes, the sexual scenes are understated, but the romance is not. There is electric current between Jess and Sebastian, but as they pursue their different objectives, there grows a sense of wanting not to hurt one another, a protectiveness, as each stand on opposite sides: trying to prove Jess's father's innocence/guilt. I love the written tale - the beautiful worded scenes in the garden, the gritty and sinister turns, the biting snobbery of Claudia and Quentin, the guttersnipes and cockney dialogue. I love Sebastion's wooing of Jess, who has had her trust betrayed so many times, his gentle taming, his tale about a raft and rug sharks.
The best books have the magic to transport you to distant places and times and to make characters and their foibles real, to make you laugh and to feel real empathy. By the time I finished Bourne's book, I felt I had experienced part of Jess and Sebastian's adventure. And when was the last time you read a story with rug sharks? Thank you Joanna Bourne for being a weaver of tales and an imagineer.
Joanna Bourne's "My Lord and Spymaster" is a refreshing yarn. It has a bit of an Oliver Twist ambiance with brutish street toughs among high brow sophisticates and two very compelling lead characters with complex backgrounds. Bourne's stories unfold a bit at a time, allowing the reader to get to know her hero/heroine and the choices they have made and obstacles they have overcome before their paths intersect. She weaves a tapestry of their character, wit, charm, steely will, vulnerabiltity and courage. Her story is rich with details: business concerns are not just window dressing; the spy intrigue gives a sense of life and death choices; the allegiances to country, family and colleagues bring depth to motivations.
The supporting cast is just as interesting -- Adrian, Doyle, Aunt Eunice and Uncle Standish, and even Kedger the ferret. Jess is the intrepid young woman who has had to fight her own battles and use her rapier sharp intelligence to climb her way out of poverty. She has met her match in Sebastian who has polished the rough edges of his own street smarts to become a gentleman and commander and to use his influence to have her father arrested for treason.
Some readers have complained that there is not enough bedsport. Yes, the sexual scenes are understated, but the romance is not. There is electric current between Jess and Sebastian, but as they pursue their different objectives, there grows a sense of wanting not to hurt one another, a protectiveness, as each stand on opposite sides: trying to prove Jess's father's innocence/guilt. I love the written tale - the beautiful worded scenes in the garden, the gritty and sinister turns, the biting snobbery of Claudia and Quentin, the guttersnipes and cockney dialogue. I love Sebastion's wooing of Jess, who has had her trust betrayed so many times, his gentle taming, his tale about a raft and rug sharks.
The best books have the magic to transport you to distant places and times and to make characters and their foibles real, to make you laugh and to feel real empathy. By the time I finished Bourne's book, I felt I had experienced part of Jess and Sebastian's adventure. And when was the last time you read a story with rug sharks? Thank you Joanna Bourne for being a weaver of tales and an imagineer.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
If Dickens wrote romance . . .
4 Aug 2008
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As far as romances go, this story definitely earns 5 stars. It is truly an unusual romance. The setting is so accurately drawn and the characters so well developed, I was very much engaged throughout and I'm not a romance reader. Each character is complex and intriguing. The attraction between the leads is believable and never melodramatic--a lot of sparks fly. Ms. Bourne's deep knowledge of the English vernaculars and levels of society gives this story the feel of a Dickens novel. Even subordinate characters are fully formed and add multiple layers of depth. And this is superbly done by the author in astonishingly few words. Quite a skill. One could picture the thieves' warren, the ships' recesses, the shipping warehouses stacked with everything from the most basic items to the exotic. Problem with such lush description is they'll have to work hard to capture it all in the movie because fans will have expectations! Highly recommended to those who want a smart, complex, fast moving tale that is out of the ordinary and memorable.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Magnificent
2 July 2008
Format:Mass Market Paperback
After a magnificent debut with The Spymaster's Lady, Joanna Bourne shot straight to our keeper shelves.
If you love Samantha Saxon and Jo Beverely, then discover the daring adventure, well-crafted plots and compelling romance of this great new author.
After her father is wrongly accused of selling secrets to Napoleon, lovely Jess Whitby infiltrates the London underworld for the real traitor only to end up naked in the bed of a rude merchant captain. Not only is she falling in love with him, but he may be the scoundrel she's looking for.Don't miss her debut:The Spymaster's Lady
If you love Samantha Saxon and Jo Beverely, then discover the daring adventure, well-crafted plots and compelling romance of this great new author.
After her father is wrongly accused of selling secrets to Napoleon, lovely Jess Whitby infiltrates the London underworld for the real traitor only to end up naked in the bed of a rude merchant captain. Not only is she falling in love with him, but he may be the scoundrel she's looking for.Don't miss her debut:The Spymaster's Lady
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