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bitterlina's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
bhnmt61's review against another edition
Joanna Bourne has been one of my all-time favorite romance writers for years now, but she hit one of my personal no-absolutely-not-happening triggers with this one. I’ve never ever been able to stand torture- I walk out of movies with it, I won’t vote for candidates that condone it, and I won’t read books with it. (I can sometimes get through it when it’s done by the “bad guys” by skimming over it, but absolutely not when it’s presented as an acceptable way for the “good” guys to obtain information.) There are some hints of the use of torture early on on this story, but I kept going. Then I got to the actual scene. Based on the way the scene started, I suspect there was more threatened torture than actual torture, but sorry, I don’t find it funny and I didn’t finish the scene or the book. Immediately deleted it from my kindle. It just turns my stomach, practically literally. Only posting this in case it’s a trigger for someone else because if I knew, I would never have purchased it. Too bad, because I loved this series, but I’m done.
zsaleh's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hellodiana's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amlibera's review against another edition
3.0
Strong entry in the Spymasters series not in the same league as The Forbidden Rose or The Black Hawk but still strong) - I love the camaraderie amongst the group and the central relationship here is strong (although I feel as if it is missing a beat or a turning point- I can't quite put my finger on where exactly).
cassandra67b07's review against another edition
4.0
Listening on audio for my daily quarantine walks.
I don't remember this book dragging quite so much when I read it the first time. Perhaps it's the audio. Kristin Potter has changed up the voices and pronunciations even for the characters which appeared in earlier books. It's a little hard to track. Hawker especially seems out of character and not believable in this installment. I still enjoy this series but I think now after the second time around that this is a weaker book in the series.
I don't remember this book dragging quite so much when I read it the first time. Perhaps it's the audio. Kristin Potter has changed up the voices and pronunciations even for the characters which appeared in earlier books. It's a little hard to track. Hawker especially seems out of character and not believable in this installment. I still enjoy this series but I think now after the second time around that this is a weaker book in the series.
brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Holy dialogue, Batman! This book was full of some of the best examples of banter I've ever seen. Nearly every page was one I wanted to reread. If possible, I would have jumped in just to take a bath in the words. It was that good. Sevie is wonderful. Her story was well worth the wait and I really enjoyed learning about how she became a spy, the work she did, and her relationship with Doyle. (Which is just fabulous-I'm trying to think of any other historical romance that does a father/daughter relationship half so well.) Raoul is exactly a perfect match for Sevie. He is smart, witty, and content to fall in step beside her (or even behind her) and allow her to shine. Their chemistry is great, and it comes out best in their conversations. There is nothing I like more in a romance than smart characters being truly smart and being able to snark off each other while they do it. And while the majority of the great dialogue in the book comes from conversations between Sevie and Raoul, there are also some truly great banter sessions between Doyle and Adrian. And then there's Adrian and Raoul. And Doyle and Adrian and Raoul. I just want to have books where these people talk to each other to continue forever.
I did hate that Maggie and Justine were gone, but kind of understand why they needed to be for much of what was amazing about the plot to actually happen. It was amusing to see how grumpy both Doyle and Adrian were without them as consolation.
ALL of Doyle and Maggie's children are amazing and we need more of them. Also Felicity. And of course Pilar. There is like a whole new generation of characters in this novel I want stories about now.
Also that tidbit about Lazarus and tiny Sevie was spectacular.
I do feel like this is best enjoyed if you've read [b:The Forbidden Rose|7099471|The Forbidden Rose (Spymasters, #3)|Joanna Bourne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1383019558s/7099471.jpg|7357200] and [b:The Black Hawk|10560189|The Black Hawk (Spymasters, #4)|Joanna Bourne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388339334s/10560189.jpg|15466950] first. (But why wouldn't you want to do that? They are amazing.)
I did hate that Maggie and Justine were gone, but kind of understand why they needed to be for much of what was amazing about the plot to actually happen. It was amusing to see how grumpy both Doyle and Adrian were without them as consolation.
ALL of Doyle and Maggie's children are amazing and we need more of them. Also Felicity. And of course Pilar. There is like a whole new generation of characters in this novel I want stories about now.
Also that tidbit about Lazarus and tiny Sevie was spectacular.
I do feel like this is best enjoyed if you've read [b:The Forbidden Rose|7099471|The Forbidden Rose (Spymasters, #3)|Joanna Bourne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1383019558s/7099471.jpg|7357200] and [b:The Black Hawk|10560189|The Black Hawk (Spymasters, #4)|Joanna Bourne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388339334s/10560189.jpg|15466950] first. (But why wouldn't you want to do that? They are amazing.)
sharonwb's review against another edition
3.0
I've arrived at the end of the Spymasters series. While this book was not my favorite, I enjoyed seeing past characters come together to end the series. I didn't get a deep relationship between the hero and heroine; the romance is secondary to the adventure. Very, very little steam and too many extra characters and side stories going on---romance needs to be the main idea. So I classify this series as adventure-romance. My favorite books of the series are Black Hawk and Spymaster's Lady which are both the most popular.
tessanne's review against another edition
5.0
I’m so sad to be finished with this series, but this last installment did not disappoint. It was lovely the way the characters developed and changed together. It was wonderful seeing Hawker and Doyle with each other as well as Séverine—these people who are so confident and competent in their challenging daily lives who also have respect and love for each other and their needs and capabilities are absolute perfection. And Raoul—are you kidding me? Delightfully charming and swoon worthy. I think I’m in love with all of them.