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Spies #1
Sweet Pretender
Sarah Ravensham is asked to convey a secret document from colonial Philadelphia to Britain's prime minister, but fears her growing feelings for Colonel Lucien Valentine will compromise her mission
480 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 16, 2017
I really want to rate it 2.5 stars.
I like that this features American history, with the heroine being a staunch patriot. Also, it's set in a year not typical to Regency romances, approximately 1798. That's kind of interesting.
The first problem with the book is that it's just too long.
The second problem is that the heroine has a major issue that she is trying to resolve throughout the whole book, and no one, and I mean No One (including the Hero) takes her seriously about the matter or really wants to help. They all patronizingly tell her not to think about it anymore. Over and over.(Did I mention that the book is too long?) That's not unexpected in the time period it's set, but you would expect *someone* to be on her side. My vote would be the Hero, but at least the kindly grandmother, or give her an adventurous friend.
Thirdly, the Hero is kind of a chauvinist pig. He forcibly grabs and kisses the heroine just after meeting her. I know that is a frequent plot point in these kinds of stories, and very often I find it passionately romantic, but that is not the case here. It just screamed predator. And when he wasn't mauling her, he was yelling at her, calling her names and thinking about how she "needs a good spanking." The heroine is soon asked to sail across the ocean to England with H as her traveling companion. All I could think was "stranger danger!" He didn't exactly inspire trust, but she trusts him nonetheless. Their chemistry seemed forced. The author kept telling us it was there, but then provided no proof in the telling of her story.
I am trying not to be too critical, since the book was written in the 80's. Times really have changed. Heroes thankfully have a lot more respect for their heroines in current romance novels, for the most part. But that doesn't excuse all that is wrong with this novel. There seem to be a lot of unresolved issues in the end, too. It's all kind of hastily tied up, which is ironic, because the book is too long with a lot of repetition and dragged out plot points.
I like that this features American history, with the heroine being a staunch patriot. Also, it's set in a year not typical to Regency romances, approximately 1798. That's kind of interesting.
The first problem with the book is that it's just too long.
The second problem is that the heroine has a major issue that she is trying to resolve throughout the whole book, and no one, and I mean No One (including the Hero) takes her seriously about the matter or really wants to help. They all patronizingly tell her not to think about it anymore. Over and over.(Did I mention that the book is too long?) That's not unexpected in the time period it's set, but you would expect *someone* to be on her side. My vote would be the Hero, but at least the kindly grandmother, or give her an adventurous friend.
Thirdly, the Hero is kind of a chauvinist pig. He forcibly grabs and kisses the heroine just after meeting her. I know that is a frequent plot point in these kinds of stories, and very often I find it passionately romantic, but that is not the case here. It just screamed predator. And when he wasn't mauling her, he was yelling at her, calling her names and thinking about how she "needs a good spanking." The heroine is soon asked to sail across the ocean to England with H as her traveling companion. All I could think was "stranger danger!" He didn't exactly inspire trust, but she trusts him nonetheless. Their chemistry seemed forced. The author kept telling us it was there, but then provided no proof in the telling of her story.
I am trying not to be too critical, since the book was written in the 80's. Times really have changed. Heroes thankfully have a lot more respect for their heroines in current romance novels, for the most part. But that doesn't excuse all that is wrong with this novel. There seem to be a lot of unresolved issues in the end, too. It's all kind of hastily tied up, which is ironic, because the book is too long with a lot of repetition and dragged out plot points.
June 3, 2020
Woman US-jingo maniac; dude molesty jerk
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews