Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
I LOVED this book. If you love the time period piece with a little bit of intrigue, then this is an awesome book. It was well written, and I didn't completely see everything coming in the end.
A spy novel set in the early 1700s? With a young girl as a legitimate spy? Yes, please!
Peggy is an orphan who is kicked out by her uncle after she refuses to marry a man who assaults her at their first meeting. With no one to turn to, she shows up at the house of her rescuer the night before, an older gentleman who wears a lot of jewelry. This could have turned into a very different book at this point, but he turns out to be a spy recruiter who gives her a crash course in court life and sends her off to be a lady in waiting to the Princess.
The rest of the book features Peggy trying to figure out what in the world is going on with limited information, no one to trust, and a wardrobe she can't get in and out of on her own as she impersonates a courtier.
3 stars because the second half of the book got too murky and a bit slow, but I loved the premise and will read the sequels!
Peggy is an orphan who is kicked out by her uncle after she refuses to marry a man who assaults her at their first meeting. With no one to turn to, she shows up at the house of her rescuer the night before, an older gentleman who wears a lot of jewelry. This could have turned into a very different book at this point, but he turns out to be a spy recruiter who gives her a crash course in court life and sends her off to be a lady in waiting to the Princess.
The rest of the book features Peggy trying to figure out what in the world is going on with limited information, no one to trust, and a wardrobe she can't get in and out of on her own as she impersonates a courtier.
3 stars because the second half of the book got too murky and a bit slow, but I loved the premise and will read the sequels!
The voice of the main character, Peggy, is very candid and sincere and her open personality lifted this story from the myriad of deceptions and hidden motives that sometimes bogged the story down. The first few chapters were excellent though in setting up Peggy's character and the situation that led to her needing to pretend to be someone else. The author adds realism to her heroine's plight with all the little details of the dress and habits of 18th century lords and ladies and I think these points made it so easy to immerse myself into this story of adventure and intrigue.
The plot does get a little convoluted at times - with the many different scenarios that are presented as Peggy tries to uncover what happened to the real Lady Francesca. And there were so many possibilities that when the conclusion is finally revealed, it all felt a bit overwhelming and it was difficult to concentrate on the action while trying to order all the events in my mind. I think this is a minor quibble though because the mystery aspect of this story was very difficult to decipher and the fact that there were so many red herrings helped that.
The romance that develops in this story between Peggy and the handsome young artist is very incidental I felt to the whole narrative - it's nice for Peggy after a pretty horrid experience with a gentlemen earlier, and the author weaves in Peggy's gradual trust for Matthew very well into the narrative. Matthew was unfortunately not very clearly portrayed, and I had a difficult time connecting to him as a character. But it was easy to like him because he was so kind and charming, and there's room for further development in this series.
The history of King George and the Jacobite rebellion supporting the Pretender James rounds out the "history and mystery" that makes this such an engaging read. I loved getting such an interesting look at the court politics during this time through such an entertaining story, and the author really worked in all those details so well. I would highly recommend this book to readers who want a light, entertaining read filled with intrigue and mystery and historical drama.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
The plot does get a little convoluted at times - with the many different scenarios that are presented as Peggy tries to uncover what happened to the real Lady Francesca. And there were so many possibilities that when the conclusion is finally revealed, it all felt a bit overwhelming and it was difficult to concentrate on the action while trying to order all the events in my mind. I think this is a minor quibble though because the mystery aspect of this story was very difficult to decipher and the fact that there were so many red herrings helped that.
The romance that develops in this story between Peggy and the handsome young artist is very incidental I felt to the whole narrative - it's nice for Peggy after a pretty horrid experience with a gentlemen earlier, and the author weaves in Peggy's gradual trust for Matthew very well into the narrative. Matthew was unfortunately not very clearly portrayed, and I had a difficult time connecting to him as a character. But it was easy to like him because he was so kind and charming, and there's room for further development in this series.
The history of King George and the Jacobite rebellion supporting the Pretender James rounds out the "history and mystery" that makes this such an engaging read. I loved getting such an interesting look at the court politics during this time through such an entertaining story, and the author really worked in all those details so well. I would highly recommend this book to readers who want a light, entertaining read filled with intrigue and mystery and historical drama.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
A cute spy story. I enjoyed this. It's not accurate or believable, but still a lot of fun!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wish there wasn’t any of the sex and cursing in it 😭 but it was a good read, I love historical romances. A little confusing lowkey, the plot and the deceptions at least
When Peggy is kicked out of her uncle’s house because she refuses to marry the man her uncle wants her to, she is thrown into a world of the royal court and espionage. The mysterious man who claims to know her father asks her to play the part of Lady Francesca at Hampton Court. Peggy has to find the information that her new benefactors want, but uncovering what happened to Lady Francesca could be a matter of life or death for her as she starts to uncover the Jacobite plot to change who rules England. During her time at court she starts to fall in love and discover things about court and the people there who could not only change her life but the future of her country. With spies around every corner, it is hard to know who to trust, but she manages to uncover what happened to Francesca and who are the major spies in the court.
Several of the characters are ridiculous: the uncle throwing her out without much of an explanation of why, people knowing that Peggy is not who she says she is but don’t say anything about it, a character who knows who Peggy is right away even though he was not as familiar with the real Francesca as other characters were, and the murderer’s motive being ego more than anything else. The sexual assault scene is disturbing and unnecessary; there were many other ways Peggy could have started the life of a spy, and she doesn’t react the way someone would after becoming homeless and sexually assaulted within a few short hours. The romance is also underdeveloped with very few conversations before the characters decide that they are in love. There are good parts of the story. It is written in a fun, engaging way and the historical details are interesting, but the weaknesses of the book make it hard to enjoy the parts that are good.
Several of the characters are ridiculous: the uncle throwing her out without much of an explanation of why, people knowing that Peggy is not who she says she is but don’t say anything about it, a character who knows who Peggy is right away even though he was not as familiar with the real Francesca as other characters were, and the murderer’s motive being ego more than anything else. The sexual assault scene is disturbing and unnecessary; there were many other ways Peggy could have started the life of a spy, and she doesn’t react the way someone would after becoming homeless and sexually assaulted within a few short hours. The romance is also underdeveloped with very few conversations before the characters decide that they are in love. There are good parts of the story. It is written in a fun, engaging way and the historical details are interesting, but the weaknesses of the book make it hard to enjoy the parts that are good.
Not my favorite read. For a spy novel it was surprisingly slow and also - unbelievable. The premise is this - a young orphaned girl (of questionable parentage) is living with her uncle and she becomes betrothed to the young swatch of the town. And then he tries to rape her. And then her uncle tries to force her to marry him and when she refuses kicks him out of the house. So she has no where to go, except at the same party where she was sexually assaulted a mysterious stranger saved her, told her he knew her mom, and that she should contact him at anytime. So she does when she's kicked out of the house and she finds out - your new job is to impersonate a dead girl at court and become a spy...but for what side? (Well her unraveling all of it is the plot of the book.).
The book just wasn't fantastical enough for me to say - okay I'll go with this and not real enough to be believable. I wasn't a fan of the first person narration in this story.
The book just wasn't fantastical enough for me to say - okay I'll go with this and not real enough to be believable. I wasn't a fan of the first person narration in this story.
2.5 stars
Oy, this book. I’ll admit, I probably only read it because I got an email from Netgalley that it was a read-now title. Plus the cover, I really love absolutely everything about the cover. But the rest of it? Meh.
The book starts out with poor Peggy Fitzroy, orphan who’s the ward of her evil (obviously) uncle. Peggy’s assumed she’ll grow up to be a spinster and take care of her cousin (who was thankfully not evil) and her cousin’s future children. But then her uncle tries to marry her off to this terrible horndog of a guy and when Peggy refuses she’s tossed out onto the street.
Peggy than falls in with this mysterious man who promises her a place as a lady in waiting to the Princess of Wales. Peggy gets a place in the palace by pretending to be the recently deceased Lady Francesca. Fran left the court when she became ill and her protector, the mysterious man who approaches Peggy, kept her death a secret so he could replace her at court. Peggy isn’t quite sure why they want to send someone to court so badly, but she eventually figures out she’s some kind of spy, although she’s not sure which side she’s on.
There were two strange things about this book to me. First, I guess this is when I should mention that the book takes place in the early eighteenth century. Something that I don’t think is ever said, but it’s during the Jacobite and Hanoverian unrest in Great Britain and that was during that time period (I had to look this up). Besides being told that the book was set in history there was nothing about the book that felt like history. Yes, there were the outfits and social customs, but otherwise it just all felt so modern. I actually liked Peggy quite a bit, but I think it’s because she was so opinionated, independent, and in charge. Something that I just don’t think was realistic for a woman during that time period.
Second, while the writing in the book was fine, I never felt like I really got into the story, got to know the characters that well, or had a solid idea what was actually going on. YET, I couldn’t stop reading. The author is seriously the master of cliffhangers at the end of chapters. Even though I wanted to stop reading the book altogether many times I would get to the end of a chapter and need to know what happens next. Eventually I was halfway through the book and I figured I might as well finish.
Bottom Line: This book is just too strange for me to be able to recommend. I love historical fiction, yet this didn’t feel like historical fiction. I love spies and mysteries, but somehow the intrigue here never really felt that interesting. The writing is fine and it’s an interesting idea, but for me the execution just wasn’t there.
I received an electric review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
Oy, this book. I’ll admit, I probably only read it because I got an email from Netgalley that it was a read-now title. Plus the cover, I really love absolutely everything about the cover. But the rest of it? Meh.
The book starts out with poor Peggy Fitzroy, orphan who’s the ward of her evil (obviously) uncle. Peggy’s assumed she’ll grow up to be a spinster and take care of her cousin (who was thankfully not evil) and her cousin’s future children. But then her uncle tries to marry her off to this terrible horndog of a guy and when Peggy refuses she’s tossed out onto the street.
Peggy than falls in with this mysterious man who promises her a place as a lady in waiting to the Princess of Wales. Peggy gets a place in the palace by pretending to be the recently deceased Lady Francesca. Fran left the court when she became ill and her protector, the mysterious man who approaches Peggy, kept her death a secret so he could replace her at court. Peggy isn’t quite sure why they want to send someone to court so badly, but she eventually figures out she’s some kind of spy, although she’s not sure which side she’s on.
There were two strange things about this book to me. First, I guess this is when I should mention that the book takes place in the early eighteenth century. Something that I don’t think is ever said, but it’s during the Jacobite and Hanoverian unrest in Great Britain and that was during that time period (I had to look this up). Besides being told that the book was set in history there was nothing about the book that felt like history. Yes, there were the outfits and social customs, but otherwise it just all felt so modern. I actually liked Peggy quite a bit, but I think it’s because she was so opinionated, independent, and in charge. Something that I just don’t think was realistic for a woman during that time period.
Second, while the writing in the book was fine, I never felt like I really got into the story, got to know the characters that well, or had a solid idea what was actually going on. YET, I couldn’t stop reading. The author is seriously the master of cliffhangers at the end of chapters. Even though I wanted to stop reading the book altogether many times I would get to the end of a chapter and need to know what happens next. Eventually I was halfway through the book and I figured I might as well finish.
Bottom Line: This book is just too strange for me to be able to recommend. I love historical fiction, yet this didn’t feel like historical fiction. I love spies and mysteries, but somehow the intrigue here never really felt that interesting. The writing is fine and it’s an interesting idea, but for me the execution just wasn’t there.
I received an electric review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.