Flight from Bucharest

by Robert Tyler Stevens

It is 1918; the Kaiser's empire is about to fall and Captain Harry Phillips, a prisoner of war in a Romanian hospital, has had a very hard time of it. Then, out of the blue, comes an offer he can't refuse, a ticket home to his beloved England and to the arms of his much missed fianc�e Elizabeth.But this ticket comes with a heavy price to pay; Harry must marry beautiful, headstrong Princess Irena of Moldova, who's only hope of survival is to leave the country and he must risk both their lives by escorting her back to England.As they set off on their long and treacherous journey with enemies at every turn, Harry begins to realise that Irena is not only dangerous but extremely precious cargo.Will he sacrifice everything for this wartime marriage?

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Fiction, British Literature

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Robert Tyler Stevens is a pseudonym used by British author Reginald Thomas Staples (1911-2005). He is also published under the name R.T. Stevens, James Sinclair, and Mary Jane Staples.
Many re-prints have been given new titles and appear under the Staples name.

Reviews

[Dorcas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has three titles : "In My Enemy's Arms," "Flight From Bucharest " and " A Wartime Marriage "(the latter under the pen name of Mary Jane Staples) .

I am sooooooo bug eyed! I have been reading this nonstop for two days (Gotta love ice storms) and its been wonderful!

A British captain is recovering from a bullet wound in the leg at a German occupied hospital. He is approached by a German commander who gives him a choice : He can go to a POW camp and sit out the rest of the war, or, he can take on a new mission: helping the Rumanian princess Irena escape to Britain before extremists have her head. He chooses the adventure.

And what an adventure it is! First he has to marry her (in name only) then smuggle her all the way through Europe with their enemies nipping at their heels.

The inevitable happens; sparks fly and they fall in love. But no worries all is very proper and theyll get an annulment as soon as is decent.... besides, not to be forgotten is the fiance waiting for him when he gets home..

Primarily this is a historical adventure and secondly a romance. There's lots of surprises and twists along the way and some parts are laugh out loud funny.

I loved this like I love all of R.T Stevens books. And with three titles you should hopefully be able to find at least one of them at a library near you. :)

CONTENT :

SEX :None
VIOLENCE :Wartime Violence, shooting, hand to hand fights
PROFANITY :Mild cussing

MY RATING: PG

[Tweety · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My! Where have you been all my life?

What I Loved: The witty banter was delightful. Irena was a sharp witted, spoilt and comical Princess. She had spunk, i rooted for her from the first. Which made this journey a lot more fun. The Adventure, Wit, Suspense, Twists and bit of romance blended beautifully together into an unforgettable mix, I'll be rereading this whenever I need cheering.

I really didn't know what to expect when I started, but I quickly came to see that it was one of the sweetest, funniest books I've read in a while, I know exactly who to recommend this to!


Dislikes: The train scene was totally unrealistic. If you have never driven a machine of any kind I doubt very much you could drive a train on winding mountain rails, escape ambush, drive backwards and still make it to the station in one piece.

But, other than that it was perfect. The twist at the end of the book was the last thing on my mind, I don't think anyone would see it coming. It's my first by this author, and it won't be my last. Next I think I'll try My Enemy, My Love.

A G rating, nothing to offend the most offendable.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for.
Sometimes, in summer, I just want to have fun and enjoy escaping with a good book while the kids are jumping on the trampoline. It happened and I am thrilled.

Loved this quote:
Anyone who had studied the effects of war on the civilian populations would know it was the morale of women which was of the greatest importance in helping nations to survive. pg. 257


Quixotic generosity tilted at the windmill of commonsense and for once the windmill fell over. pg 28

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book also appears under the title, "In My Enemy's Arms," which is rather more scandalous sounding and not very accurate.

A very exciting chase through Europe at the conclusion of the first world war. Harry, a British soldier, has ended up in a German occupied hospital and is about to be sent to a prisoner of war camp, but then he's offered a chance for freedom. All he has to do is agree to escort Princess Irena out of her home country and over to England. She'll be running for her life from crafty and ruthless political foes. He agrees to this. The only catch is that he'll have to marry her, so as to make her entrance to England permissible. Then they will get an annulment after her safety is assured. Or such is the plan.
They have a number of close escapes and sticky situations. The book is mostly in the action/adventure genre and is a pretty quick read. It is also funny at times, and of course there are Complicating Feelings.

[wanderer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm extremely biased on this book, since it's set in my dear Romania. That said, it reminds me a bit of The Scarlet Pimpernel and was a fun read.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Adventure story with a dash of romance.

[Gemma · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
This was hovering at 2 stars for me, until I realised that I was forcing myself to pick it up and read it. So yep, did not finish. The writing style really did not appeal to me. And what is with the "waggon"? Presumably it is how "wagon" was spelled back in the day, but it just felt glaringly awkward and jarring every time it was mentioned given the lack of any other era specific jargon (aside from a number of "English" slang turns of phrase randomly tossed out by Captain Harry Phillips). A lack of smoothness to the writing, awkward conversations, awkward sentence structure, and a lack of any kind of character personality really let the story down. And for all that the concept sounded so promising, in reality, and I hate saying this, it was boring. Really disappointing, because I honestly feel that this could have been fantastic.

[Claire Hackett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could imagine this being a Sunday afternoon itv film. I thoroughly enjoyed the story only occasionally finding the female character needy but then she is a princess. Ending had a nice twist that I wasn't expecting.

[Kayleigh Goodyear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this. Never read anything from this author before. Was not the typical romance book I was expecting. Lots of action
The last 3 chapters was not as gripping and they was looking chapters but it did have a little twist at the end which kept it interesting

[Rhona Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An okay book.

Read some time ago. Quite a good enjoyable read. Always enjoy the characters and humour as well as the romance. It's a clean romance. Although set after the war, we feel the era very well, almost living as we read along.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story, particularly enjoyed the twist at the end.

[Bt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book with a great adventure. Two fun and lively characters. This is an easy and quick read. It's not going to change anyone's life, but it's worth a few hours of good fun. The scene with the train was amazing - classic adventure. This would have been a perfect 1950s movie starring Audrey Hepburn. I kept picturing it that way in my head.

[Natalya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this in the end. I loved the twist right at the very end and could warm to all the characters. Found it a little slow-going in the middle but not so much that I couldn't persevere with it.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*An enjoyable stand alone novel by MJ Staples. set at the end of the first world war telling the story of Capt Harry Phillips injured and captured by the Germans. He is approached by a German Major to assist in helping Romanian Princess Sonja Irina escape the Bolsheviks by aiding in her escape to England. It is nicely written, some slight tension at times and sense of danger as they attempt to evade the Bolsheviks. It is a nice romance between Harry and Sonja. A very nice and entertaining read.

[Annette Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit to sitting, reading this into the early hours, desperately waiting to find out whether the lead characters made it across Europe, became friends, or more.
This writer was recommended to me. I enjoyed the backdrop of the social and political shinanigans at the end of WW1.

[Vikas Rawat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The surprise at the end wasn't a happy one....... but I really like the love of heroine for the hero ...... she's afraid to lose him..... still makes a brave face for his fiancee ..... and his fiance is quite generous ....

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun adventur romance with a few surprises along the way.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light adventure romance. Lots of action quite well written with an interesting backdrop.

[Hana]

Civil War spys.