In a Regency London that isn't quite the one we know, young women of families whose reputations have been ruined are known as the Fallen. Young Sarah Tolerance is one such: a daughter of the noble who ran off with her brother's fencing master. Now he's dead-and everyone expects Sarah to earn her living as a whore. But Sarah invents a new role for herself, and a new vocation: "Investigative agent" With her equivocal position in society, Sarah is able to float between social layers, unearth secrets, find things lost, and lose things too dangerous to be kept. Her stock in trade is her wit, her discretion, and her small-sword - for the fencing master she loved had taught her that as well. And she will need all her skills, when she is approached by an agent of the Count Verseillon. The task seems routine: reclaim an antique fan he once gave to "a lady with brown eyes." The fan, he tells her, is an heirloom; the lady, his first love. But as Sarah Tolerance unravels the mystery that surrounds the fan, she discovers that she - and the Count - are not the only ones seeking it, and that nothing about this task will be what it seems.
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"An elegant Regency romance with an edge and a point."-Sarah Smith on Point of Honour
"In Regency England there were very few career options open to a woman with a ruined reputation. Disowned by her family after she ran off with her brother's fencing master, Sarah Brereton returns to England, takes Tolerance as her new last name, and becomes an "agent of inquiry..". Robins effortlessly captures the texture of both the elegant realm of London's aristocrats and the far less glamorous world of those who serve them. As skilled with a sword as she is at uncovering secrets, Sarah is a fascinating heroine, and Robins surrounds her with equally intriguing secondary characters. Politics, deception, danger, and a bit of romance all come together beautifully in this superb debut."--Booklist on Point of Honour
"An utterly charming and intriguing visit to a different Regency London... Readers will find putting down this adventure with the intrepid Sarah Tolerance intolerable."-Rosemary Stevens, author of Death on a Silver Tray, on Point of Honour
"An elegant Regency romance with an edge and a point."-Sarah Smith, author of The Vanished Child, on Point of Honour
"Sarah Tolerance is smart, beautiful, resourceful, tough, and totally believable and real. Murder, prostitution, blackmail, and action are woven perfectly into this tale. I will certainly read the next episode in this series. I'd do so tomorrow if I had it."-Stuart M. Kaminsky, bestselling author of the Rostnikov novels, on Point of Honour
"Self-reliant, gutsy, and forthright at a time when women weren't supposed to be any of those things. Sarah Tolerance is a breath of fresh air. I loved Point of Honour."-Barbara D'Amato, author of Authorized Personnel Only, on Point of Honour
"One hopes this is the first of many books about this hard-boiled, soft-hearted Fallen Woman."--Library Journal on Point of Honour
"The pace is swift and the characters engaging. Robins plays fair w
"In Regency England there were very few career options open to a woman with a ruined reputation. Disowned by her family after she ran off with her brother's fencing master, Sarah Brereton returns to England, takes Tolerance as her new last name, and becomes an "agent of inquiry..". Robins effortlessly captures the texture of both the elegant realm of London's aristocrats and the far less glamorous world of those who serve them. As skilled with a sword as she is at uncovering secrets, Sarah is a fascinating heroine, and Robins surrounds her with equally intriguing secondary characters. Politics, deception, danger, and a bit of romance all come together beautifully in this superb debut."--Booklist on Point of Honour
"An utterly charming and intriguing visit to a different Regency London... Readers will find putting down this adventure with the intrepid Sarah Tolerance intolerable."-Rosemary Stevens, author of Death on a Silver Tray, on Point of Honour
"An elegant Regency romance with an edge and a point."-Sarah Smith, author of The Vanished Child, on Point of Honour
"Sarah Tolerance is smart, beautiful, resourceful, tough, and totally believable and real. Murder, prostitution, blackmail, and action are woven perfectly into this tale. I will certainly read the next episode in this series. I'd do so tomorrow if I had it."-Stuart M. Kaminsky, bestselling author of the Rostnikov novels, on Point of Honour
"Self-reliant, gutsy, and forthright at a time when women weren't supposed to be any of those things. Sarah Tolerance is a breath of fresh air. I loved Point of Honour."-Barbara D'Amato, author of Authorized Personnel Only, on Point of Honour
"One hopes this is the first of many books about this hard-boiled, soft-hearted Fallen Woman."--Library Journal on Point of Honour
"The pace is swift and the characters engaging. Robins plays fair w
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
i was hooked from the very first paragraph "it is a truth universally acknowledged that a Fallen Woman of good family must,soon or late,descend to whoredom" - the heroine on the contrary becomes an Agent of Enquiry the sole one of her kind in the England of 1810. I can thoroughly recommend this - not least because of the amazing twist in the tale. One quibble was Ms Robins changing historical facts but the story itself carried me along. I will certainly purchase the second in the series
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I loved this Regency detective story. Sarah Tolerance is a great, feisty heroine and the mystery is well constructed. Great period atmosphere, too. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By L. J. Roberts
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
First Sentence: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Fallen Woman of good family must, soon or late, descend to whoredom.
Sarah Tolerance is a disowned daughter of nobility who now lives in a cottage behind a high-class brothel and who acts as a private inquiry agent. She is hired by Count Verseillon to locate and retrieve an antique fan he's given to a lady when he was younger. What should be a relatively simple undertaking becomes less so when Sarah is attacked and others die.
For a purely fictional story, this was enjoyable. However, as historical fiction, this is definitely not the book for the historical purist and I was disappointed. The author plays fast and loose with historical facts and social details. Although she acknowledges it, I still found it disruptive.
The story, itself, was quite enjoyable and well plotted. It was a good mystery and there were things I did enjoy about it. There was one incident toward the end I felt was handled in an unlikely way and the romance felt superfluous.
I probably will read another, but more because I already have it rather than because I would now intentionally seek it out and there are other authors I would recommend instead.
Sarah Tolerance is a disowned daughter of nobility who now lives in a cottage behind a high-class brothel and who acts as a private inquiry agent. She is hired by Count Verseillon to locate and retrieve an antique fan he's given to a lady when he was younger. What should be a relatively simple undertaking becomes less so when Sarah is attacked and others die.
For a purely fictional story, this was enjoyable. However, as historical fiction, this is definitely not the book for the historical purist and I was disappointed. The author plays fast and loose with historical facts and social details. Although she acknowledges it, I still found it disruptive.
The story, itself, was quite enjoyable and well plotted. It was a good mystery and there were things I did enjoy about it. There was one incident toward the end I felt was handled in an unlikely way and the romance felt superfluous.
I probably will read another, but more because I already have it rather than because I would now intentionally seek it out and there are other authors I would recommend instead.
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