Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol
This cover stopped me in my tracks. I mean, it says it all about this book: the exotic location, the hunk o' spy, the Englishwoman who's lived so long abroad that she's practically a native...I immediately started reading this story because of that beautiful art.
And I was so glad I did. I kind of didn't believe this was a first-time writer; the book is so tightly plotted and the love story is so believably riddled with conflict and the characters are wonderfully, vibrantly alive.
At heart, this is a story of two people who are caught up in a moment that is larger than themselves. Mari Sinclair’s father is British, but it is from her Greek mother that she acquired her exotic eyes, her wildly curling hair, and her political bent. She lives in Constantinople, caught in a turbulent sea of shifting political alliances and the desire for Greek independence.
And she’s become a double agent. Noone would guess that the precise, beautiful drawings she makes contain state secrets. This is where Major Bennett Prestwood enters the story. He’s assigned to protect Mari as she finishes her assignment: passing the locations of Turkish forts on to the British army.
It’s an assignment to Bennet, one he must complete in order to return home to his family. Duty is important to him. So is poetry, a secret he keeps literally close to the vest. He and Mari are instantly attracted to each other, but it is their similarity of spirit – they are both artistic - that brings them closer.
The story here is impossible to walk away from; the characters are truly at odds. Mari has personal ties to the people of Constantinople, both native and foreign. She has alliances formed from family connections, and it isn’t the easiest choice for her to ally herself to the British. For Prestwood, his mission is simple: keep Mari alive long enough to help the British Army. And yet they fall in love against a backdrop of war and alliance and espionage.
This is such an impressive first book! Great characters, good plot twists, funny little moments and moving ones too. Highly recommended!
Cheyenne_Catina wrote:
this sounds like a good book. i havent read many books where the woman was an agent, but a trilogy that comes to mind is:
Good rec, Cheyenne! I LOVED those books. (I worked on the first one, back in my publishing house days...)
This book isn't quite so similar, as the heroine Mari isn't trained to be a spy. She's not as much of a weapon as the ladies in the Pickens trilogy. But there's just as much intrigue. Sigh! now i want to reread these!
I do like historical books with spies. Celeste Bradley has two series about spies.
Melanie_Murray wrote:
Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol
This cover stopped me in my tracks. I mean, it says it all about this book: the exotic location, the hunk o' spy, the Englishwoman who's lived so long abroad that she's practically a native...I immediately started reading this story because of that beautiful art.
And I was so glad I did. I kind of didn't believe this was a first-time writer; the book is so tightly plotted and the love story is so believably riddled with conflict and the characters are wonderfully, vibrantly alive.
At heart, this is a story of two people who are caught up in a moment that is larger than themselves. Mari Sinclair’s father is British, but it is from her Greek mother that she acquired her exotic eyes, her wildly curling hair, and her political bent. She lives in Constantinople, caught in a turbulent sea of shifting political alliances and the desire for Greek independence.
And she’s become a double agent. Noone would guess that the precise, beautiful drawings she makes contain state secrets. This is where Major Bennett Prestwood enters the story. He’s assigned to protect Mari as she finishes her assignment: passing the locations of Turkish forts on to the British army.
It’s an assignment to Bennet, one he must complete in order to return home to his family. Duty is important to him. So is poetry, a secret he keeps literally close to the vest. He and Mari are instantly attracted to each other, but it is their similarity of spirit – they are both artistic - that brings them closer.
The story here is impossible to walk away from; the characters are truly at odds. Mari has personal ties to the people of Constantinople, both native and foreign. She has alliances formed from family connections, and it isn’t the easiest choice for her to ally herself to the British. For Prestwood, his mission is simple: keep Mari alive long enough to help the British Army. And yet they fall in love against a backdrop of war and alliance and espionage.
This is such an impressive first book! Great characters, good plot twists, funny little moments and moving ones too. Highly recommended!
Sold! I'll add it to my list.
Firelight by Kristen Callihan is so, so good, it's another of this February crop that has me wondering - where are all these first-time authors getting so polished?
There's so much to it: it's a Beauty & the Beast story, where Beauty has a secret paranormal talent, and the Beast is being framed for murder, and wears a black mask that hides his partially disfigured face.
So why does Benjamin Archer wear it? And what is it about Miranda Ellis, the daughter of a man Benjamin has sworn to kill, that makes him ditch his plans and set about making Miranda Mrs. Archer instead?
And Benjamin doesn't even know about Miranda's ability. What he knows is that there's something about her that makes his life seem worth living, and that she has a spark of life in her that might actually make marriage to a ghoul seem like an adventure instead of a punishment...
This story is terrific, suspenseful, romantic, playful, set in 1881 London, and really written. You'd do worse on Valentine's day then to spend it falling in love with this book!
A Town Called Valentine is the perfect way to spend this day of romance. Now, of course, there's no dearth of romance novels with the word "Valentine" in the title (Valentine Brava, Valentine Be My Texas Valentine Sex, Lies and Valentines Once Upon a Valentine Be My Valentine - seriously, I could fill this post with more titles!) and you really can't miss with any holiday-themed book, but I'm here to plead my case for Emma Cane's charming, uplifting and romantic debut.
Emily Murphy is a woman starting over, fleeing the destruction of her failed marriage and her San Francisco home. She's decided that the first thing to do is to drive to Valentine Valley, nestled in the picturesque and secluded Colorado Mountains. Her grandmother left Emily a property there, and Em's plan is to sell it in order to bankroll college courses and a shiny, bright new life.
But the building - the only thing Emily can claim as her own - is in a shambles thanks to negligent former tenants. What Emily was hoping would take days to accomplish will now require months of hard work. And that's not all that's occupying her thoughts. Valentine Valley is a tight-knit town, and the locals have fond memories of Emily's grandmother and mother. Their kindly references to past stories are stirring up feelings and uncovering secrets that Emily wasn't expecting.
Then there's Nate Thalberg, cowboy hunk and local contracter. Nate can help Em with the work on her building but she foolishly shared a few too many kisses with him on her first night in town. Em wants to get her work done and then leave town, but with family ties and possible love, she might have to change her plans.
If you like cowboys and starting-over stories, if western settings do it for you, and if you're looking for love on this Valentine's Day, move on it to A Town Called Valentine .
And for real: how many new authors can knock it out of the park this month?
An Affair with Mr. Kennedy by Jillian Stone
Detective Zeno “Zak” Kennedy is a Scotland Yard detective assigned to the Special Irish Branch, a unit dedicated to rooting out those responsible for a string of London bombings in the name of Irish Home Rule. He’s a charming, capable, upright man, one who can defend himself in a fight, organize men into action whether those men happen to be lords or low-class, and a man for whom romantic entanglements are best kept far away from his business. A modern-date sort of historical hero; he rents rooms to a widow.
No matter how charming and handsome, Zak is a spy. And no matter how gorgeous and effervescent Cassandra St. Cloud, she’s still connected through her previous marriage to a suspect in Zak’s case. He determines Cassie a perfect lead, unaware that Cassie has nothing to hide. She’s finally cast off the cloaks of mourning and is eager to pursue her dream of becoming a painter, worthy of mention among the greats. She has promised herself not to become distracted from her goal, yet the alarmingly handsome Zak has her forgetting herself – and her dreams.
What ensues is a charming story of two people, neither of whom are looking for love, finding it. Zak is, at heart, a detective, and Cassie is, at heart, an observer of people – how else could she paint them? This is a delightful novel and full of promise. There’s a meaty story here, but neither character is tortured. They are practical in their impractical pursuits, and how can one possibly find a dreamy Scotland Yard detective unattractive?
