The Lady Soldier

by Jennifer Lindsay, Kate Allan, Jennifer Lindsay

Jem Riseley is the perfect soldier in Wellington's army—brave and skilled, but also a lady! A battlefield promotion provides Jem with the means of escape from a sadistic major, but leaves her with the problem of Captain Tony Dorrell. Jem must convince the handsome but jaded captain, who knew her as a lady, that she's the man she seems. When the pair are trapped behind French lines, Jem has to battle the enemy as well as her rekindled desire for Tony. From the dangers of war-torn Spain to scandal in London's elegant drawing rooms, Jem will fight to preserve her secret. However, the reappearance of an old adversary causes Jem to confront her past in order to save her own, and England's, future.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Historical Romance

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

A pseudonym used by Kate Allan and Michelle Styles.

Kate Allan and Michelle Styles

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this cleverly written little story on audio download. The authors seemed to me to have researched the background thoroughly and Jem Riseley's character is plausible and likeable.

Set during the Napoleonic wars in Spain in 1812 the heroine Jemima Cullen has run away from home after the death of her Mother leaves her alone with her lecherous step Father. Jemima disguises herself as a boy and Jem Riseley is born. She takes the King's shilling and becomes a credible soldier, keeping her head down and working hard, her disguise goes unnoticed. Jem distinguishes herself on the battlefield and is commissioned on the battle field by Wellington himself, she is sent to join a new regiment and there meets the one man who could blow her cover.

Captain Tony Dorrell was the best friend and fellow officer of Jemima's brother Charlie Cullen until his death for which Tony holds himself to be partly responsible. Jemima had met and had a crush on Tony 3 years previously and it was Tony who first taught her to hold a pistol and shoot at her first target.

This is where credibility was stretched a bit for me. When Jem first encounters Tony, he is drunk and Jemima is so like her brother that Tony thinks he is being visited by his friend's ghost. Okay we get past that one...Tony sobers up and thinks he is just being maudlin. But there are other clues one of which is Charlie's pocket watch which Jem carries and explains away as having been won in a card game. It doesn't take Tony long to realise that his newest and most junior young officer is in fact a girl. At this point I would have expected this worldly wise Captain to have put 2 and 2 together but no, when he confronts Jem and she finally, after much lying, admits to her Christian name being Jemima he still doesn't connect the siblings.

Notwithstanding that I still enjoyed the story, as I previously said Jem's character was plausible and likeable, the war torn background was fascinating, well researched and atmospheric and there was a bit of an added background plot involving a French deserter.

If not for the credibility issue I would have given this story 4 stars as it is 3.5.

[Becky Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but I have to knock a star off for the unacceptably high number of editing/proofing errors in it, which kept knocking me out of the story. It's rare to find a book with not a single error, but there were a lot in this. Enough to put me off buying again from this new imprint.

Note added 25th April 2011. It appears that Amazon have issued a corrected version of this as the problems I saw on first reading have now gone. In which case I can definitely recommend this and can move it up a star.

[Carla Nayland]

Historical romance set in the Napoleonic Wars (sort of Sharpe meets Mills & Boon).
Review: http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/l...

[Emma Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently reading this for work - more to be revealed at a later date :)

[Sally Britnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow to get going but well written.

[J]

from Jude