The Tide Watchers

The Tide Watchers #1

by Lisa Chaplin

In the winter of 1803, one woman stands between Napoleon and the fall of Great Britain

The free-spirited daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth defies convention by eloping to France. When her husband abandons her, she must find a way to survive and be reunited with her young son, who is in the care of her mother-in-law.

A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to keep his mentor's pretty daughter safe—a promise complicated by the wily Napoleon Bonaparte. The British believe he is planning an attack, and Duncan is sent to search for signs of invasion on the French coast—where he draws dangerously close to adventurous and unpredictable Lisbeth.

A sensational new invention may shift the tide of a French victory. A brilliant and eccentric American inventor named Robert Fulton has devised a deadly weapon that can decimate an enemy's fleet. To protect English ships, Tidewatcher must gain control of Fulton's invention and cross enemy lines . . . but he cannot do it alone. Left with no other options, he enlists Lisbeth's help in outwitting the American inventor and uncovering Bonaparte's secret plans.

Going undercover for the handsome and duty-bound spy, Lisbeth risks her freedom and her life as she navigates double agents and submarine warfare to outwit the greatest military tactician in history. The only question is . . . who can she trust?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, France, 19th Century, Espionage, Historical

480 pages, ebook

First published June 9, 2015

About the author

I'm a born and bred Sydneysider. After twelve years of writing for Harlequin as Melissa James, I quit to try my hand at my first love, historical mainstream. While living in Europe, I found a small piece of Napoleonic "hidden history" that led to my first historical novel, The Tide Watchers. Returning yearly to Europe now for research purposes, I hunt for the little-known details that bring a story to life. I love mingling real history and people with fictional elements, adding steampunk to espionage, and make it all exciting, fast-paced and fun.

Reviews

[Raven Haired Girl]

Fabulous debut effort full of history of Napoleon's invasion of England. Espionage, intrigue, suspense and mystery along with the perfect amount of romance create a compelling narrative. The fast pace contributes to your need to continue reading, refusing to tear yourself away. Chaplin masterfully balances fictional characters with historical nonfictional characters. Lisbeth and Ducan take center stage - two affecting characters with painful pasts. Lisbeth a woman of principle, strength and intelligence, a feminist before her time. She gives of herself risking reputation, making numerous sacrifices with the hope of regaining her infant son. She is incredible and proves herself among the men with her natural abilities and composure. Duncan a King's Man which lends him plenty of mystique, the keeper of secrets including both professional and personal, he is socially awkward in regards to the one woman he loves. When Lisbeth and Duncan team up, lots of action and adventures complete with twists ensue.

My one complaint - the ending. Nothing frustrates me more than an abrupt untidy ending forcing me to purchase the next book to find resolution, total turn off. Despite my grievance it is a fantastic historical fiction novel engaging the reader with excitement and adventure.

For this and other reviews along with giveaways visit http://ravenhairedgirl.com

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the beginning, I would have certainly acknowledged that this book was a page turner. I was intrigued by the plot and felt that there was a lot of potential to give historical fiction fans a serving of unique. After all, a British spy network trying to keep tabs on Bonaparte's coming and goings in 1802-1803 France would be interesting. Right?

The problems appear to stem initially from the presence of too many characters. Lisa Chaplin decides to give many of them their own chapters/ excerpts and sometimes this causes a choppiness in the transitioning. A lot of them die and I realized I didn't care. Mostly because I couldn't REMEMBER who they were. In addition, the character of Duncan was badly handled. Was his story supposed to be tragic? The execution was really awful!

Secondly, I couldn't help but notice that at the beginning of the story, there's a lot of paranoia in regard to neighbors turning on each other. After all, the Revolution and Reign of Terror are embedded in the minds of the people. Because they just happened!!! It completely mystifies me that all these British spies could be surrounding Napoleon and he's not going to notice. They're also not going to notice a tall British commander sleeping in a tent on one of their streets and leaving messages for fellow spies in bushes. Merde! May my French ancestors not rise from the grave.

Thirdly, a political plot soon is sabotaged by a lackluster romance. There's no real believable chemistry between the two characters, but they're put together anyway. I began flipping through those pages real quick. She faints, and he rescues her. He proposes to her, she tells him that he's got to be with her FOREVER and seize to be a SPY. Controlling!! And then the end of the book is just them fighting- ALL. THE. TIME.

I'm thinking this might possibly be a series, but I'm not interested.


Goodreads review published 29/02/16

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a career of writing contemporary romance novels under a pseudonym, Lisa Chaplin's debut historical novel under her own name is a gem. The Tide Watchers is a quasi-fictional exploration of Napoleon Bonaparte's long rumored attempt to invade England via the English channel in the late winter of 1803. Coming on the heels of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, this story is especially timely and engaging. As a fan of this time period in British and Continental European history, I was thrilled when the opportunity to read and review this novel was presented to me.

Duncan Aylsham, Commander and King's Man (spy is an apt term), is sent on a mission to find the daughter of his mentor, Sir Edward Sunderland. Lisbeth Sunderland, in direct defiance of her father's plans to arrange a marriage to a baron's heir, hastily married Alain Delacorte and ran off to France with him. Not knowing Delacorte's true nature, origins and purpose, she is brutalized at his hands and is forced to live apart from him and their newborn son. Duncan tracks her down and in rescuing her, comes to respect her for her intelligence, cunning and capability in outsmarting her husband and her enemies. While fleeing France, the two are caught up in a dangerous and ingenious mission to save Britain from invasion.

Chaplin seamlessly injects real-life historical figures into the narrative. At times, I had trouble remembering who was fictional and who was not, and this is by no means a criticism. It made the book come alive for me. We are introduced to Bonaparte and his minions, all cogs in the wheel of the vast changes sweeping France and Europe at that time. There are various representatives of Whitehall in their official and unofficial capacities. We also meet Robert Fulton, the American inventor, as both he and his inventions become an integral part of the plot's narrative.

We are therefore introduced to spies and counter-spies, double agents and other characters who are thrust into the roles necessary to protect their country and the people they love. Georgiana Gordon is one, as are Alec and Cal Stewart, Duncan's half brothers, forever coming to Duncan's rescue when he needs them the most, despite Duncan's repeated attempts at pushing them away.

Besides a great swashbuckling tale of intrigue, double crossing, military might and sheer courage, The Tide Watchers brings us gentler lessons in the importance of family, however one can define the term. Duncan's relationship with his brothers, his father's family, his perfidious adoptive father, and Eddie Sunderland, his mentor, are all examined. On Lisbeth's side, there is an exploration of her relationship with her parents, especially her father, away most of the time on King's business as she grew up. And yes, there is romance, but it is not the main emphasis of the story. All of this adds a nuanced level to this novel that would keep anyone turning the pages, even those of you who are hard-core romance readers. There is something for everyone here, and I guarantee no one will close the back cover disappointed.

My greatest find is a book that leads me to feel that I've learned something when I put it down for the last time. The Tide Watchers leaves me with that feeling. Pair intricate, intelligent prose with exceptional story-telling highlighting characters that are hard to forget, and you have a story more than worthy of your time. I can hardly wait for Ms. Chaplin's next foray into historical fiction. There are several characters here more than capable of carrying their own stories and I look forward to reading them. Highly, highly recommend!

[ExLibris_Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that drew me to this book was that it was about spies during the Napoleonic Wars. In the US, these wars don't get a lot press in the classroom, so to speak. Growing up, my takeaway was that Napoleon was a little man who wanted to own everything, and then he was exiled. In fact, these wars lasted quite a long time. England and France were at war for over 10 years and I am surprised that more fiction doesn't dig deeper into the intrigue that was surely going on at this time, but The Tide Watchers definitely took that idea and ran with it. The French Revolution and all of its terror still reverberated over the politics of France and beyond, and I enjoyed the political debates between characters. A fictionalized version of Robert Fulton (he is known best for inventing the steam engine, but he also developed the first submarine and torpedoes) was an interesting illustration of the way many people saw France's quest for a republican form of government. Just as it is today, the country with the best fighting technology wins, and Fulton's work, and its place in this war, was a fascinating aspect of the story. While all of the secret planning and spying is going on, there is a very emotional plot line involving Lisbeth, who I saw as the main character in this story. Her strength and intelligence really made the book for me. She is desperate to get her baby back from her psychotic husband and what she endures gives the reader a very good idea of how easily a woman could become utterly powerless, emotionally and legally, in marriage. Her singular focus was her son, but along the way she ended up making one hell of a spy. Duncan's character was also very engaging and I thought it was interesting that echoes of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 still reverberated in the lives and political influence of some of the spies.

This is a very detail-rich book, which is something I love in my historical fiction, and while there is a fantastic romance between two of the characters, I would not call this a romance novel, per say. The pacing was good because the story is constantly switching back and forth in perspective and location, giving me a 360 degree view of how events were unfolding on all sides of the war. It combined real historical events with political intrigue and created a fictional, but entirely believable, story. I think that The Tide Watchers is perfect for fans of Outlander. Its multiple characters, detailed story, and engaging romance will appeal to readers who might be looking for a good book during Droughtlander. Thankfully, The Tide Watchers will have a sequel, and I will be first in line to buy it when it's for sale!

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. I chose it because it was set just prior to the Regency period in England, a favorite time period of mine. The main characters are a young English woman, Lisbeth, who eloped with a Frenchman, only to find out he was extremely abusive. After the birth of her son, she was forced out to become a barmaid, though she didn't become a whore like the other barmaids. Our other hero is Duncan, a ship's captain and British spy. They meet in Lisbeth's bar, and the plot evolves to where Lisbeth, in exchange for the rescue of her baby, becomes a housekeeper/assistant to inventor Robert Fulton. He was in France to work on his submarine invention (not called a submarine in the book) for the French. He also develops a smaller version, which he works on with Lisbeth's assistance. How all these threads, and more, come together makes for a good story.

I really, really hope that Ms. Chaplin is working on a sequel!

Highly recommended!

[ShannaBanana✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t get into it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies are more abundant than the truth between France and England in the early 1800’s. Napoleon is quietly planning an attack on the British, and the British network of spies, known as the King’s Men are secretly keeping watch. Known as the Tidewatcher, British spy Duncan is on a mission not only to watch the French Coastline for signs of invasion, but to find and protect his mentor, Sir Edward Sunderland’s daughter, Elizabeth. Lisbeth Delacorte has been dragged through the gutter. She eloped with Alain Delacort, a Frenchman to defy her father and get out of an arranged marriage to a wealthy Baron only to be abandoned in France and have her son stolen from her. Now Lisbeth works in a tavern and is desperately trying to save her son from Alain’s cruelty. When Duncan finds Lisbeth, he immediately sees her strength as a woman and as a spy. Duncan trains Lisbeth for a mission going undercover in American inventor Robert Fulton’s household to gain intelligence of his submersible ship that may hold the key to undoing Napoleon’s plans. Lisbeth accomplishes this and more, but only for Duncan’s promise that he will get her son back to her.


Historical fiction and with spy tactics made this book intriguing, exciting and suspenseful. I didn't know a lot about this time in history, so the mix of historical figures with fictional characters made this educational for me as well. Although, for me the fictional characters of Lisbeth and Duncan shone the brightest for me. Lisbeth was a truly strong character in her morals, character, intelligence and physical strength. She is put through many trials, going from a highborn lady to working in a tavern, attempted murders and rape to successfully completing spy missions, all for the hope of getting her son back. Duncan is a true King's Man, trained by the best, which makes him an enigma, holding many secrets and making it terribly difficult for him to open up to the woman who he loves. The missions that Duncan and Lisbeth are sent on are filled with plenty of intrigue and provide many twists and turns, I especially liked learning about Robert Fulton and his submarines. There was a little romance in here, but it was in no way the whole plot, just a nice little addition to keep things moving, although I do wish it was tied off a little better. Overall, a quick-paced, spy-filled historical fiction adventure.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspenseful espionage novel set mainly in Napoleonic France, with a feisty, down-to-earth, clever heroine. Lisbeth Sunderland, daughter of a baronet, to escape a hated marriage, elopes with a charming Frenchman and returns to France. Subsequently she discovers the hateful persona hidden under his mask of elegance and suaveness. He takes their baby son and deserts her; she is reduced to working as a tavern maid. With promises to retrieve her son and to return them to England, she agrees to help Duncan, a "King's Man", or spy: codename Tidewatcher. Under his direction she infiltrates the house of Robert Fulton, eccentric American inventor of a type of submarine, as housekeeper and apprentice. Lisbeth and Duncan set out to foil plots of Napoleon's invasion of England and of the king's assassination. "Boney" has already survived a failed assassination, himself. There are several different subplots. The story really didn't pick up steam for me till about p. 147. Amid episodes and dialogue that displayed the author's genuine talent, there were long stretches of confusing action. For instance, I saw no point to the Lady Georgiana subplot. There were other instances I felt the novel could have been shortened and tightened up. Sometimes the novel descended into melodrama.

I liked both hero and heroine, also Mark, the Cockney cabin boy. The story just ... ended. Perhaps the author has a sequel in the works?

Recommended. I thank LibraryThing for sending me this free copy in return for an honest review.

[Kate Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early 19th century espionage, historical fiction featuring battles of wits between France, Britain and a bright, albeit not so willing 19 year old woman who stands in the midst of posturing men and through cleverness may yet save the day. Of course there's a ruggedly handsome brooding ship's commander eager to catch her and save her from certain death. But our heroine proves fierce and capable. The story's twists, turns, clever contraptions and long list of well-known historic characters keeps the reader engaged and hanging on for dear life. It's an exciting tale and the fictional characters are so well melded in among the historical greats that it could almost be believable. But don't take my word for it. Wander for yourself into 1803 France yet trust no one...

I am grateful to author Lisa Chaplin, Harper Collins Publishers and LibraryThing Early Reviewers for having provided a free copy of an uncorrected proof of this book. Their generosity did not, however, influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tide Watchers is part spy novel, part adventure novel, part history lesson and a little bit of romance. It takes place in England and France during Napoleon’s rise. Our hero is in France trying to learn what he can about the soon to be Emperor’s plans and to try and find his employer’s daughter, Lisbeth. She ran away with a French emigre against the wishes of her parents and he did not turn out to be the romantic man she thought he was so now she finds herself working at a tavern and branded a whore by all in the town.

Duncan finds Lisbeth and realizes she could be a help on his mission but is a little reluctant to put her in danger. Lisbeth is not like any other woman he has ever met; she is intelligent, forthright and she speaks her mind. She agrees to work with Duncan and then she wants to go home.

The story is a good one and the writing kept me very engaged. There is a lot of history to draw from in this time period and Ms. Chaplin weaves her fictional players in with historical characters very well. I will admit to feeling at times in the beginning like I dropped into the second book of a series but I soon figured out who everyone was. I believe the author was trying to slowly release information about her characters but it left me a bit confused at times. My biggest complaint and the reason for the 3.5 rating instead of a 4 is the ending. It was obscenely abrupt. In fact I wondered if my advance reading copy was missing a chapter it was that jarring an ending. I am guessing there will be a sequel – if not so much was left hanging it was really crazy. I understand leaving the readers anxious for another book but this was more than that – it truly felt like information was missing.

3.5

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love historical fiction and spy novels, but this one didn't do it for me.

The book started off awkwardly, I felt like I was dumped in on what should have been chapter 3 or 4. Obviously the author needs to save some mystery to reveal later, but in this case, a little more backstory would have helped to set the scene and explain some of the character motivations.

The plot was also confusing as hell to follow, and not in an "oh, this was so clever!" sort of way. e.g. how Duncan seems to have three totally separate missions involving Lisbeth. Pick one! Or at least, two. The random start of wanting her to spy in a tavern never really fit in with the story. Similarly, the Georgiana Gordon storyline was awkward/meaningless.

The author mentions in the note at the end that she re-wrote the book many times over many years. It feels that way, as if she experimented with several different plot directions, but forgot to completely remove the discarded ones from the final product. Should an editor not have picked some of these problems up? From other reviews, it sounds as if this is supposed to be book 1 in a series, so maybe other subplots will become clearer later, but as a standalone book, this one leaves too much unexplained.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wrote a feature article for the Historical Novel Society on this novel.

My personal reaction to this book was that it never really came together for me. I didn't like either of the romantic leads, which didn't help. I found Duncan forgettable and Lisbeth's oh-so-frail-but-so-plucky character irritating. I think I would have enjoyed the read better if the story line had been simplified to cut out several of the characters--this is apparently the start of a series, so plenty of time to introduce everyone. I can't address the historical aspects of the novel as I don't know much about the Napoleonic period, but others have done that very well.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very well written, well researched historical fiction novel. I enjoyed it quite a bit- until the ending, which was rather abrupt and felt unfinished. I'm wavering between a 3.5 and a 4 because of that. Strong female character, if a bit unforgiving.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few books I really liked, but would not recommend to everyone. If you love reading about history and you don’t mind having more than 50 characters in a book, you will like this one too. In our small neighborhood book club only one other gal besides me really liked it. Most of the group did not like it and few finished it. Too many characters and very detailed writing threw others off.

Now we have gotten the cons out of the way, let me tell you the reasons I fell in love with this book. First of all, the list of characters is presented in the front of the book. This actually helped me since I did refer to it often while I was reading it. Secondly, the main characters are written very well and I was fully invested in their survival and especially appreciated the strong female lead, Lisbeth. Thirdly, the book takes place during a time period about which I knew only the generalities. I appreciated learning more about Napoleon, his personality, strengths, weaknesses, and the way he was admired by the French as well as many of the English.

The plot centers around Lisbeth and Duncan, fictional characters. Duncan recruits Lisbeth to become a spy for England, as he is. Their relationship is complicated and even though they come to admire each other, they have history in their past that makes their relationship rocky. Lisbeth is sent into the house of Robert Fulton, the later inventor of the steamship, to influence him to give two submarines to the English, giving them an advantage over Napoleon. Fulton admires the French while detesting the English. Lisbeth and Duncan later attempt to sabotage French ships and both their lives are fraught with danger throughout the book. Many other characters add spice to this book including Lisbeth’s husband Alain, her father Edward, a midwife-healer, Claire, and Duncan’s half brothers, Alec and Cal. Lots of action and some romance thrown in as well.

The only problem I had with this book is the small print. That is why I prefer hardback books or digital editions rather than paperbacks as this was.

[Michelle Griep]

No rating from me. Only read the first few chapters...great writing, just happened to move on to something else, so apparently it didn't grab me at the time. I'm willing to give it a second look in the future, though.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was difficult to follow the action... interesting characters, but some seemed to lack depth.

[Nicole Matthews · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book was intriguing with the time period used in the book one that is underrepresented in fiction. Unfortunately, the entire time I was reading I felt like this was book 4 or 5 in a series and I was coming into the story too late to catch up.

I found the character of Duncan to be annoyingly insipid and Lisbeth to be too earnest. The number of characters within the story and the lack of any clear, identifiable back story with some of them led me to being confused for a lot of the story. While I appreciate a writer who doesn't slow down the story with too much backstory or history, some is essential when you have so many characters littering the scene.

The pace is fast but because of the fastness of the pace, there is little time taken to develop the characters and allow this reader to form an attachment. I would have liked to love this book, but I just couldn't catch up.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book with a great Napoleonic setting. It was very well written, and the story was compelling and intense. I was pulled right into a world of spies and espionage. It was an exciting read with some very good twists and turns, and it had some romance in it which sweetened it up a bit. The characters were well-developed. The heroine was a very strong and brave 19 year old woman, and the hero was well-matched for her given his strong character and bravery.

I enjoyed this book very much; however, I was very disappointed in the ending which was very abrupt. I guess, in actuality, the ending was a cliffhanger. In my opinion, the way the book was ended took away from the book, and because of that I gave it a 4 star rating.

[Cathy G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for its sequel! Historical fiction at its best, suspenseful and gripping with romantic elements, set during the time period of Napoleonic France and Bonapartes attempt to invade England in the early 1800s. The main protagonists, Lisbeth and Duncan, are both well written, believable characters and the book kept my interest engaged throughout. I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and kind of left the reader hanging so almost downgraded my rating accordingly, however prior to posting this review I contacted the author who confirmed a sequel to this book is in the works so I chose to give it a big old 5 since there will be resolution of the hanging threads of plot in the sequel!!

[Lauren Chater · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a glorious historical novel which blends fact with fiction and tells the untold story of Napoleon's attempt to invade England and the brave spies who thwarted him.

Lisbeth and Duncan, the story's main characters, are brought vividly to life by author Lisa Chaplin; their relationship is volatile, compelling and irresistible. When these two characters are together, the story just sizzles!

With a host of other characters, both real and cleverly imagined, including the inventor Robert Fulton, The Tide Watchers is one of those books you just can't put down. I read it over a few days, and kept thinking about it when I couldn't get back to it.

Highly recommended.

[Suburbangardener · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sign of a really good historical fiction is that I learn something new about an era with which I am very familiar. Lisa Chaplin succeeded with this book. Her imaginative version of events to explain the mystery of the Napoleonic wars is plausible and a ripping story. The only flaw in this otherwise gripping spy adventure was a little too much detail on the working of the submersible. For us non-engineers, it dragged the story down a bit, but not for very long.

[Lisa Jensen]

This has more of a romance novel approach than I was expecting — rugged, wounded hero, feisty and beautiful heroine, an uneasy alliance in a desperate quest (to stop Napoleaon's secret plan to invade England). Legions of supporting characters to keep track of, both historical and fictional, but by p 175 or so, I'm still not invested in any of them. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for a spy novel. I'll put this on hold for now and try again later.

[nikkia neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly this is Lisa Chaplin's first novel! This book is awesome! It has every element you want in a exciting historical fiction/romance. The action built up just right and I can't wait to read her next book!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great History book, a little slow in parts, had several good storylines, and lots of history

[Christina Trotter]

Enjoyed it was a simple book to read and easy to follow the plot of the characters through France in the French Revolution.

[Danielle Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one. I really did. The history fascinated me. That’s the only reason I finished it.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a sustained feat of writing and because it explored, very creatively, a period of European history unfamiliar to me beyond the dates of the French Revolution, the Battle of Trafalgar, the 1812 campaign in Russia and the Battle of Waterloo. It was good to learn something new, especially about the term 'King's Man' and the work of Robert Fulton. I am bound to remember him through the vehicle of this book, whereas reading about his inventions elsewhere, as a non-fiction account, would likely not stick. A very helpful touch was the map and list of characters, real and imagined, included at the start of the book.

However this work needed more rigorous editing, as it was sometimes hard to follow the story, especially at the beginning when multiple characters were introduced too quickly and without context. I frequently found myself stopping and going back to even work out who was speaking. Many of the characters seemed superfluous to this specific story, especially those in the Lady Georgiana and The Incomparable subplot. Writing this book as if it were a movie might help the author keep the need for action in mind, but the frequent changes of scene interrupted the flow of the narrative from this particular reader's perspective.

Overall, this book appealed to me for the same reasons as the Martin Davies historic novel 'The Conjurer's Bird'. Davies explored an intriguing new angle on the famous botanist Joseph Banks, and Lisa Chaplin did the same for another hitherto overlooked aspect of history. There are enough gaps in the written record that we can admire the creative association of ideas in both novels and take them as his-stories (or her-stories) and not official histories.

[Ariena Stam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as I hoped. The author wanted to write a general historical novel, I think, about a forgotten period/event in French & Englis history. But in the end I did not care so much any more about the main characters preventing "the big invasion" of England by Napaleon. After all, as a reader you know from the start that it's not going to happen. And I felt that for a general historical novel, there was still a strong focus on romance and whether Lisbeth and the English spy would get together. It made me feel that Lisbeth is supposed to be this person who shows that women can be so much more than wives and mothers, but in the end that is what she ends up being. Yes, she knows that she saved the nation and all that, but it's supposed to remain a secret because the men are not ready to acknowledge it. That is probably realistic if you look at the time period, but also rather disappointing.

[Khoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beguiling tale of secrets, loyalty and treachery, peppered with romance along the way. The story was set in the early 18th century amid the bustling atmosphere of the Napoleonic era. France, awaken from the Terror of the Revolution and led by the vision and ambition of one man, now set to conquer the whole of Europe. He brought the country to the brink of confrontation with Great Britain, her longtime enemy. The prospect of a French invasion and Republicanism arriving in the Kingdom was something the British could not accept, and they were doing their best to undermine Napoleon's war efforts. The King's men and women were at the forefront, navigating across the murky water of politics and espionage, sacrificing everything for King and Country. Yet, in the midst of great danger where the border between life and death blurred, compassion, respect and love were found.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wandering into this novel is much like walking into the post-Revolution French tavern of its first scenes... you'll do well to remember you're a stranger here. Sit quietly in the corner, pay attention, and you will learn some crucial facts.

This excellent espionage thriller is a Napoleonic double-cross between the gadgets and techniques from the TV show TURN and the smart historical plot twists from David Liss' Benjamin Weaver books.

While there is no small quantity of cringe-worthy melodrama in the love story and an unsatisfying cliffhanger that implies a second novel... overall, the adventure was solid. I'm confident I'll never set foot willingly on a submarine. Nor will I ever send coded semaphores while wearing a riband.