Review - The Forbidden Rose

Title: The Forbidden Rose
Author: Joanna Bourne
Publishing Date: June 2010
Genre: Historical
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I purchased a new copy.

The Forbidden Rose is loosely connected to Joanna Bourne's other novels The Spymaster's Lady and My Lord and Spymaster. Marguerite de Fleurignac finds herself living in the woods after her home is burned down by mercenaries of the Republic. France is in an upheaval with noblemen and women fearing for their lives. William Doyle, a British spy is trying to locate Maggie's father as he believes him the man responsible for traitorous acts involving the death of important men. He discovers Maggie hiding amongst the rubble of her former home and offers to escort her to Paris under the disguise as a humble book peddler with his helpful servant Adrian Hawker.

The Forbidden Rose is a very complicated book filled with intrigue and passion. It is set during a very tumultuous time of the French Revolution. There are very complicated plots afoot. Maggie is involved with helping those who have been targeted by the Republic flee France. Doyle works as a British spy and wants to put an end to the Terror. There are other factions at work as well which make this a very complicated and confusing story. I am not really one for spy stories, but Bourne's writing is so compelling that I cannot seem to help myself. I was much more interested in the romance between Doyle and Maggie than I was the French intrigue. However, the backdrop of French turmoil created a very poignant and intense setting for this romance.

The characters are extremely well drawn and are what make the story come alive. This book was much more sensual and explicit than Bourne's previous two books, which I found somewhat surprising. For those who are fans of her character Adrian Hawker, who appeared in the previous two books, will be very happy to learn that this book delves more into Adrian. The Forbidden Rose takes place previous of the other two books and gives the reader insight into how Adrian came to be the way he is. I didn't enjoy The Forbidden Rose as much as I have Bourne’s previous books and I think this is due to the complexity to the spy plots. I had a hard time following things. Plus, I found myself trying to remember Doyle from the previous books and had trouble recalling the details. It makes me want to go back and reread The Spymasters Lady and My Lord and Spymaster. If you are a fan of Joanna Bourne you won’t want to miss The Forbidden Rose.

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This book can be purchased in print or kindle format from Amazon

Review - My Lord and Spymaster

Title: My Lord and Spymaster
Author: Joanna Bourne
Publishing Date: July 2008
Genre: Historical
Rating: A-
Sensuality: Warm

Jess Whitby’s father has been arrested by the British Government and is accused of being the spy known as Cinq, who has been passing secrets to the French. Jess knows that her father isn’t the most honest of men, but he is not a traitor. She must find the real Cinq and hand him over to the British Government before they hang her father. Through a few leads, Jess believes that Captain Sebastian Kennett could be the spy Cinq. She sets up to ambush him in the allies off of the docks. Only things don’t go according to plan and she ends up under attack and Kennett manages rescues her.

I just love, love, loved this book! I have decided that Joanna Bourne is my new favorite author. I think the greatest thing about this book is the amount of depth the characters have. From Jess and Kenneth, to the secondary characters of Adrian and Doyle (who we met in The Spymaster’s Lady) and a new character Lazareth the king of thieves, Ms. Bourne breathes life into the story. Even Jess’s pet ferret, Kedger was a lovely addition.

Captain Kennett reminds me of a typical Linda Howard hero. Once he lays eyes on Jess and decides he wants her, nothing will stand in his way of getting what he wants. He just barrels his way into her good graces, knowing that he will make her his woman. He is very protective of those that he loves and will do anything he has to, to protect what is his, no matter how distasteful. He tows the line between good and bad. He is a good man, but he sometimes does bad things.

Jess was just as enjoyable. There are two sides to Jess. One side is very naïve, sweet and fragile and the other is very determined and stubborn. She is constantly jumping into risky situations without regard for the consequences. It’s a good thing for her that Kennett is so protective and is willing to go great lengths to get her out of these scrapes she keeps finding herself in.

I really enjoyed this story. My only complaint is that I wish there could have been more love scenes. I mean Kennett kept talking about how he was going to make her his, and yet he doesn’t until the very end of the story. Now, that I look back on it though, I find that is part of the charm of the story. I can’t wait to see what Bourne comes up with next. I really hope it involves Adrian.

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Review - The Spymaster's Lady

Title: The Spymaster’s Lady
Author: Joanna Bourne
Publishing Date: January 2007
Genre: Historical
Rating: A
Sensuality: Warm

Annique Villiers is a renowned French spy, known as the Fox Cub, who has been captured by another French spy, Leblanc. In his dungeon, she encounters Robert Grey and Adrian who are British spies that have been captured by Leblanc as well. Adrian has been shot and is wounded in his shoulder. His life hangs in the balance. Annique helps both Robert and Adrian escape Leblanc, who is a particularly nasty character. Grey recognizes Annique and believes that she had something to do with the death of his men. After she helps him escape, he returns the favor by capturing her, with the intent of questioning her to find out what happened to his men.

First off, let me say that I am not a big fan of spy novels. I hate all the subterfuge and deceit that takes place in these types of books. Having said all that, I absolutely loved The Spymaster’s Lady. The top reason is because of the heroine, Annique. She is the perfect balance of strength and determination intermingled with an innocence and vulnerability. It is amazing to me that with the life she has lived, that she is able to take pleasure in the little things and hasn’t become cynical and jaded. This book is heroine-driven, so more time is devoted to getting to know Annique. For those readers who like to focus on the heroine, this is definitely the book for you.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Robert is a strong hero and, even though he is not the main focus, he is still thoroughly developed. I liked his character and thought he was a good match for Annique. She needs a strong, intelligent man and he definitely fits the bill.

Bourne has the amazing ability to develop the characters so strongly that even when they are acting out one of their spy personas, we can see the subtle nuances of each personality; with the way they talk or with body language, etc. This was just so very, very clever and fascinating to read. There are quite a cast of secondary characters, none of whom seem one-dimensional. One of my favorites is Adrian and I hope he gets his own story.

There has been much talk in romance land about this book and all of it good. I don’t believe I have come across a negative review yet. If you haven’t read this book yet, what are you waiting for?

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