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The Extraordinaries #6
Beguiling Birthright
France, 1815. As a rifleman in Wellington’s Army, Jennet Graeme conceals two secrets from her comrades in arms. She is no man, but a woman. And she, like Napoleon, is an Extraordinary Coercer, capable of controlling the minds and hearts of anyone she encounters. Fleeing a lifetime of manipulating others to her will, Jennet hopes to redeem herself by turning her talent to good rather than evil. But can a power that robs its victims of free will ever be used for good?
When disaster strikes Jennet’s rifle company, she and her companions become all that stand between Napoleon and his conquest of Europe. As the enemy looms closer, and armies clash, Jennet must discover the woman she truly is—and face her destiny in a place called Waterloo.
When disaster strikes Jennet’s rifle company, she and her companions become all that stand between Napoleon and his conquest of Europe. As the enemy looms closer, and armies clash, Jennet must discover the woman she truly is—and face her destiny in a place called Waterloo.
472 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2022
About the author
Melissa McShane
97 books862 followersMelissa grew up a nomad, following her family all over the United States, and ended up living in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains with her husband, four kids, and three very needy cats. Her love of reading was always a constant during those uncertain years, and her love of writing grew out of that. She wrote reviews and critical essays for many years before turning to fiction, and was surprised at how much she liked it. She loves the fantasy genre and how it stretches the imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 10, 2022
This is sixth in a series. Character and story arcs don't span novels, but the characters do show up in other works. For example, Jennet appears in the previous story in a large enough role not to ignore. I recommend reading them in order for the full impact.
And my never standard standard disclaimer applies. I am desperately in love with the author, even if she won't take me with her to New Orleans this year*. I do my best to be honest and think I have achieved that standard. But feel free to apply windage as you find appropriate.
Jennet is an Extraordinary Coercer—someone who can manipulate the emotions of others. And being Extraordinary, she can do it from a distance and to a lot of people at the same time. We've known since the series started that Napoleon Bonaparte is one, also, and that it is an evil, and hence hidden/secret talent and something of a bogeyman. So Jennet is very powerful, but with a tainted talent that we saw in the previous book that she hasn't always used, um, kindly.
And knowing that the alternate timeline is heading for Waterloo, it's a safe bet that she is on a collision course for a confrontation with the big bad of Europe. And I've been looking forward to this story ever since Melissa wrote a short story that showed the potential of that confrontation (from the perspective of a soldier coerced during that conflict. It was heartbreakingly beautiful). And this story fulfilled all of that promise and more! Jennet is trying to work out her redemption, though not in those terms. She feels damned for what she has done but has some hope that she can do/be better. And that arc is at the heart of this story.
And I love her life in disguise in the army. She's a crack shot in the Riflemen, a unit I've loved since consuming the Sharpe stories some years back (both novels and the mini-series are excellent). She uses her talent sparingly, trying to figure out when it is okay, if it ever can be. And that's where she runs into Lieutenant Falconer, a shaper and an officer and she has somehow caught his attention. Though, fortunately, not in that way.
The story starts with the unit marching South to be in position when Napoleon attacks Paris (as all expect him to do now that he has returned). Only, something isn't quite right with their orders. And the friction between Falconer and their captain is growing daily. And then murder happens. And the story pace takes off from there with desperate chases, battles, losses, and a bit of romance.
And I love how this turned out. The confrontation with Napoleon (that's not a spoiler, is it? Really?) is everything it had to be, only better. And Jennet's redemption is so heartbreakingly realized and features some really great developments along the way. And Falconer stole my heart long before Jennet fell for him.
So I'm calling this five stars with a great story and characters I loved spending time with.
A note about Chaste: Jennet is passing as a man and a soldier to boot. And there is lots going on and no time for canoodling. There are a couple of outstanding kisses, though, so that was cool. I consider it very chaste and I think most would agree.
* Conversation approximation:
me: Why can't I go with you to New Orleans?
Melissa: It's a sisters trip. You are not a sister.
me: Neither is Desiree or Chelsea.
Melissa: Sister-in-laws. It's in the name.
me: Hey soul sister!
Melissa: I hate you
me: No, you just hate that song.
Melissa: Are you sure?
And my never standard standard disclaimer applies. I am desperately in love with the author, even if she won't take me with her to New Orleans this year*. I do my best to be honest and think I have achieved that standard. But feel free to apply windage as you find appropriate.
Jennet is an Extraordinary Coercer—someone who can manipulate the emotions of others. And being Extraordinary, she can do it from a distance and to a lot of people at the same time. We've known since the series started that Napoleon Bonaparte is one, also, and that it is an evil, and hence hidden/secret talent and something of a bogeyman. So Jennet is very powerful, but with a tainted talent that we saw in the previous book that she hasn't always used, um, kindly.
And knowing that the alternate timeline is heading for Waterloo, it's a safe bet that she is on a collision course for a confrontation with the big bad of Europe. And I've been looking forward to this story ever since Melissa wrote a short story that showed the potential of that confrontation (from the perspective of a soldier coerced during that conflict. It was heartbreakingly beautiful). And this story fulfilled all of that promise and more! Jennet is trying to work out her redemption, though not in those terms. She feels damned for what she has done but has some hope that she can do/be better. And that arc is at the heart of this story.
And I love her life in disguise in the army. She's a crack shot in the Riflemen, a unit I've loved since consuming the Sharpe stories some years back (both novels and the mini-series are excellent). She uses her talent sparingly, trying to figure out when it is okay, if it ever can be. And that's where she runs into Lieutenant Falconer, a shaper and an officer and she has somehow caught his attention. Though, fortunately, not in that way.
The story starts with the unit marching South to be in position when Napoleon attacks Paris (as all expect him to do now that he has returned). Only, something isn't quite right with their orders. And the friction between Falconer and their captain is growing daily. And then murder happens. And the story pace takes off from there with desperate chases, battles, losses, and a bit of romance.
And I love how this turned out. The confrontation with Napoleon (that's not a spoiler, is it? Really?) is everything it had to be, only better. And Jennet's redemption is so heartbreakingly realized and features some really great developments along the way. And Falconer stole my heart long before Jennet fell for him.
So I'm calling this five stars with a great story and characters I loved spending time with.
A note about Chaste: Jennet is passing as a man and a soldier to boot. And there is lots going on and no time for canoodling. There are a couple of outstanding kisses, though, so that was cool. I consider it very chaste and I think most would agree.
* Conversation approximation:
me: Why can't I go with you to New Orleans?
Melissa: It's a sisters trip. You are not a sister.
me: Neither is Desiree or Chelsea.
Melissa: Sister-in-laws. It's in the name.
me: Hey soul sister!
Melissa: I hate you
me: No, you just hate that song.
Melissa: Are you sure?
Read
April 27, 2023This was where the Extraordinaries series was always headed. Imagine my surprise when it turned out not to be the final volume. I don't remember how that happened, aside from how each book happened a little later in the timeline than I'd expected. And then, when I was writing Liberating Fight--this I do remember, because it was at a planning lunch with my husband, and I said, "I want the Extraordinary Coercer to show up in this one." And that was it.
I did both way too much and far too little research for this one. Way too much with regard to the actual battle of Waterloo, as readers will see when they get to the climax. Way too little about Wellington's Army, or rather I missed some important facts about the Army in general in my focus on the Rifles. I was fortunate to have guidance in figuring out where I'd gone wrong, and the final product is much, much better for it.
Extraordinaries books usually have three plots: the action plot, the romance plot, and the main character plot. These are labeled A, B, C, but which is which varies according to the book. Here, plot A was always Jennet's redemption. Having established her in Liberating Fight as someone who believes she is damned for what she has done, turning her into a sympathetic character and then into someone the reader wanted to see succeed was my primary concern. (This is part of what made the action plot fail in the middle, because it ended up as the C plot when it needed to be at least B or even A-2. Now I look back and wonder what I was thinking.) I hope readers will love Jennet, because she is of all the Extraordinary heroines the one most in need of being loved.
I needed Jennet's love interest to be an officer, which meant he probably needed some psionic talent or other. He ended up being a Shaper (not an Extraordinary) because I'd had a number of them salted throughout the series and they were all vain and shallow, and I wanted to show that this wasn't a given for a European Shaper.
And I really wanted the story to center on this group of people with an urgent quest so Jennet could develop relationships with people that weren't based on her Coercing them. This was extremely difficult given the circumstances.
In any case, I am really pleased with the final result. I hope readers are, too.
Final note: I don't usually cast the movie of my books in my head, but in this case, I had young Rob Lowe in mind for Falconer from the beginning. Younger readers are free to imagine Jensen Ackles or James Marsden as well, or anyone resembling Greek statuary who could reasonably be referred to as "beautiful" despite being male. Just for fun.
I did both way too much and far too little research for this one. Way too much with regard to the actual battle of Waterloo, as readers will see when they get to the climax. Way too little about Wellington's Army, or rather I missed some important facts about the Army in general in my focus on the Rifles. I was fortunate to have guidance in figuring out where I'd gone wrong, and the final product is much, much better for it.
Extraordinaries books usually have three plots: the action plot, the romance plot, and the main character plot. These are labeled A, B, C, but which is which varies according to the book. Here, plot A was always Jennet's redemption. Having established her in Liberating Fight as someone who believes she is damned for what she has done, turning her into a sympathetic character and then into someone the reader wanted to see succeed was my primary concern. (This is part of what made the action plot fail in the middle, because it ended up as the C plot when it needed to be at least B or even A-2. Now I look back and wonder what I was thinking.) I hope readers will love Jennet, because she is of all the Extraordinary heroines the one most in need of being loved.
I needed Jennet's love interest to be an officer, which meant he probably needed some psionic talent or other. He ended up being a Shaper (not an Extraordinary) because I'd had a number of them salted throughout the series and they were all vain and shallow, and I wanted to show that this wasn't a given for a European Shaper.
And I really wanted the story to center on this group of people with an urgent quest so Jennet could develop relationships with people that weren't based on her Coercing them. This was extremely difficult given the circumstances.
In any case, I am really pleased with the final result. I hope readers are, too.
Final note: I don't usually cast the movie of my books in my head, but in this case, I had young Rob Lowe in mind for Falconer from the beginning. Younger readers are free to imagine Jensen Ackles or James Marsden as well, or anyone resembling Greek statuary who could reasonably be referred to as "beautiful" despite being male. Just for fun.
April 30, 2024
Another good installment in this series. This might be in my top two or three of the series, but I haven't quite decided yet.
One thing that stood out early on was how few characters there were in this book compared to the previous ones. I've started a habit of writing down every name that shows up when I'm reading a fantasy book, to help me keep track, and the previous books had over 50-60 people who were at least mentioned (sometimes they're just guests at a dance or brief acquaintances aboard a ship, but since you don't know where the story's going it's impossible to know which names will be important later). This book only had about 30, if that.
Most of the story was about Jennet (an Extraordinary Coercer) traveling across France with a small group of fellow soldiers after they narrowly escaped Napoleon's Coercive grasp. Because so much of the plot is this journey, there are very few other characters, hence the low head count. The plot was also fairly straight forward, with an unsurprising ending () but I don't think I minded the predictability. It felt more like, "Yes, this is right" rather than "Ugh, this is boring."
However, speaking of predictable....I have to comment, yet again, on the formulaic romance. Every book in this series has featured a low-key, slow-burn romantic subplot that always remains very chaste except for a few kisses and a marriage at the end. Like, it's so consistent that I looked to see if maybe the author was previously a romance writer, where a romantic Happily Ever After is basically a requirement. With the first book it was fine, but with each consecutive book it starts to feel like a lackluster ending. Like, they basically ALL end with the guy going, "Actually, I loved you this whole time too" and then they kiss and get married. It takes like two pages to go from a confession of mutual love to being Mr. and Mrs.
Somewhere along the way in this series, I started to suspect that maybe the author is a Christian, and that could be guiding some of the romantic choices. There's nothing hugely overtly Christian in these books, and the closest thing to religious content is when a character very rarely has a conversation with another character about their god, but it's not done in a way that feels like it's preaching at the reader. There was a moment in a previous book that felt like a whisp of "pro-life" thought, but I might have also been reading too deeply into it because of my religion suspicions. THIS book did have a moment that made me cringe: we finally FINALLY had a moment where a same-sex pairing was shown...and in this case it was a sexual predator Coercing another man into almost sleeping with him. It would be one thing if we'd seen other same-sex relationships throughout these books, but unfortunately this is the closest thing we've seen to acknowledging queer people...and that one character is a predator. That's...not...great. It may just be an unfortunate coincidence, but I also can't help but wonder if the author's religious beliefs subconsciously affected this choice. And yes, after a little bit of interneting (and a hunch based on the author living in Utah), I confirmed that she's a Mormon. That definitely explains the chaste no-sex-before-marriage romances. I don't think I'd label these books as a Christian™ fantasy series, because they're not that overt or preachy....but they're definitely Christian Friendly. On one hand, I don't mind this because I HAVE gotten sick of fantasy books where the romance derails the plot, so having a low key romance is more my preference (if we must have a romance)...but on the other hand it's become very predictable in this series. And, again, those couple of other tiny details pinged my atheist religion-radar.
Oh, also, speaking of predictable: the titles. The titles should have just been something normal, but the insistence on the "ing-ight" titles is pushing credibility a bit. I mean, "Burning Bright" was fine, "Wondering Sight" is ok...but by the time we get to "Beguiling Birthright" I'm just like, come on, enough already.
Hold on, this all makes it sound like I DON'T like this series. I do, I really do, but as usual it's easier to explain why I don't like than what I do like.
So, to sum up, besides the predictable titles and the predictable romance, I'm still really enjoying this series. I like the tough female main characters, and the friendships that they form with those around them. I like the setting and the world building A LOT; it's obvious that the author has done her research on the time period and I AM HERE FOR IT. I obviously really enjoyed the woman-dressed-like-a-soldier aspect of this one. Overall, this is a delightful series, and I'll continue to read more.
(But, like, also....gay people existed back then too. Just sayin')
One thing that stood out early on was how few characters there were in this book compared to the previous ones. I've started a habit of writing down every name that shows up when I'm reading a fantasy book, to help me keep track, and the previous books had over 50-60 people who were at least mentioned (sometimes they're just guests at a dance or brief acquaintances aboard a ship, but since you don't know where the story's going it's impossible to know which names will be important later). This book only had about 30, if that.
Most of the story was about Jennet (an Extraordinary Coercer) traveling across France with a small group of fellow soldiers after they narrowly escaped Napoleon's Coercive grasp. Because so much of the plot is this journey, there are very few other characters, hence the low head count. The plot was also fairly straight forward, with an unsurprising ending () but I don't think I minded the predictability. It felt more like, "Yes, this is right" rather than "Ugh, this is boring."
However, speaking of predictable....I have to comment, yet again, on the formulaic romance. Every book in this series has featured a low-key, slow-burn romantic subplot that always remains very chaste except for a few kisses and a marriage at the end. Like, it's so consistent that I looked to see if maybe the author was previously a romance writer, where a romantic Happily Ever After is basically a requirement. With the first book it was fine, but with each consecutive book it starts to feel like a lackluster ending. Like, they basically ALL end with the guy going, "Actually, I loved you this whole time too" and then they kiss and get married. It takes like two pages to go from a confession of mutual love to being Mr. and Mrs.
Somewhere along the way in this series, I started to suspect that maybe the author is a Christian, and that could be guiding some of the romantic choices. There's nothing hugely overtly Christian in these books, and the closest thing to religious content is when a character very rarely has a conversation with another character about their god, but it's not done in a way that feels like it's preaching at the reader. There was a moment in a previous book that felt like a whisp of "pro-life" thought, but I might have also been reading too deeply into it because of my religion suspicions. THIS book did have a moment that made me cringe: we finally FINALLY had a moment where a same-sex pairing was shown...and in this case it was a sexual predator Coercing another man into almost sleeping with him. It would be one thing if we'd seen other same-sex relationships throughout these books, but unfortunately this is the closest thing we've seen to acknowledging queer people...and that one character is a predator. That's...not...great. It may just be an unfortunate coincidence, but I also can't help but wonder if the author's religious beliefs subconsciously affected this choice. And yes, after a little bit of interneting (and a hunch based on the author living in Utah), I confirmed that she's a Mormon. That definitely explains the chaste no-sex-before-marriage romances. I don't think I'd label these books as a Christian™ fantasy series, because they're not that overt or preachy....but they're definitely Christian Friendly. On one hand, I don't mind this because I HAVE gotten sick of fantasy books where the romance derails the plot, so having a low key romance is more my preference (if we must have a romance)...but on the other hand it's become very predictable in this series. And, again, those couple of other tiny details pinged my atheist religion-radar.
Oh, also, speaking of predictable: the titles. The titles should have just been something normal, but the insistence on the "ing-ight" titles is pushing credibility a bit. I mean, "Burning Bright" was fine, "Wondering Sight" is ok...but by the time we get to "Beguiling Birthright" I'm just like, come on, enough already.
Hold on, this all makes it sound like I DON'T like this series. I do, I really do, but as usual it's easier to explain why I don't like than what I do like.
So, to sum up, besides the predictable titles and the predictable romance, I'm still really enjoying this series. I like the tough female main characters, and the friendships that they form with those around them. I like the setting and the world building A LOT; it's obvious that the author has done her research on the time period and I AM HERE FOR IT. I obviously really enjoyed the woman-dressed-like-a-soldier aspect of this one. Overall, this is a delightful series, and I'll continue to read more.
(But, like, also....gay people existed back then too. Just sayin')
July 6, 2023
I’ve enjoyed every book in this series.
Adventure stories set during the early 1800’s. Some of the characters have supernatural powers. The world building is excellent. The characters are fascinating. The pace keeps up.
This book in the series follows a young woman disguised as a man to keep her safe and allow her to use her talents. Her sex and her “super power” are both marks against her but she maintains this quiet optimism and willingness to work hard. I just loved her from the beginning even knowing the part she played in one of the earlier books in the series.
The relationships between the characters and their motivations really pushed this story to the top for me. Just very well done.
There’s a very happy ending with a lot of satisfaction.
Violence. No sex scenes but some innuendo/discussion and make out scenes. Some language. War, prostitution, drinking, possession/mind control, mention of rape and assault, sexism, bullying, etc
Adventure stories set during the early 1800’s. Some of the characters have supernatural powers. The world building is excellent. The characters are fascinating. The pace keeps up.
This book in the series follows a young woman disguised as a man to keep her safe and allow her to use her talents. Her sex and her “super power” are both marks against her but she maintains this quiet optimism and willingness to work hard. I just loved her from the beginning even knowing the part she played in one of the earlier books in the series.
The relationships between the characters and their motivations really pushed this story to the top for me. Just very well done.
There’s a very happy ending with a lot of satisfaction.
Violence. No sex scenes but some innuendo/discussion and make out scenes. Some language. War, prostitution, drinking, possession/mind control, mention of rape and assault, sexism, bullying, etc
Read
May 22, 2022I've really enjoyed reading this series as fun, light escapism. For me, the series peaked with WHISPERING TWILIGHT; the others, while enjoyable, haven't enthralled me as much with their plots or their characters. I particularly did not care for this installment's predecessor, LIBERATING FIGHT; I just couldn't get on board with the characters, the romance, or the historical plot. What I enjoy about the series overall is the premise of Talented people (think superheroes) in Napoleonic-era Europe combined with really nice research and world-building. I'm not much of a romance-reader, so that aspect of the individual stories sometimes works for me and sometimes doesn't (I thought the romance in WHISPERING TWILIGHT was delightful; the others have been kinda meh, with the male characters starting to seem pretty similar to one another).
This most recent book focuses on a heroine with the Extraordinary Talent of Coercion, meaning she has the ability to manipulate others' emotions and force them to think/feel what she wants. What was interesting to me was how this controversial Talent paved the way for McShane to present a view of religion and human redemption/salvation as an organic part of the plot. From the get-go we learn that Jennet Graeme believes herself damned because she is an Extraordinary Coercer, incapable of using her Talent except for evil: God, she assumes, will never accept her because of who she is and what she has done. While there is a some kind of redemptive aspect to the character arcs in most of these novels, Jennet's Talent allows it to be more explicit here; Jennet spends the story not only getting closer to a showdown with the other Extraordinary Coercer on the map, Napoleon, but wrestling with the fate of her soul.
I suspect some people reading this book/the series in general might assume the author is a Christian, since she engages more deliberately with contemporary-to-her-characters'-world Christianity than a lot of literature does. In fact, though, the ultimate 'answer' to Jennet's conundrum was disappointing to me, coming from a biblical perspective. Commence spoilers, though they are not particularly surprising:
Through the medium of a priest and some other characters, Jennet comes to learn that human salvation and acceptance by God is contingent on how hard people try to be good. If you've done bad things in the past, the correct thing to do is forgive yourself, try to make amends to the people you've wronged, and do better in the future. This is a human-centric view of salvation that explicitly rejects the concept of original sin and insists that humans can make themselves acceptable to God. God is not really holy, and humans aren't really all that bad. This makes Jennet feel better, no longer so 'dirty' because of her Talent, but actually it falls far short of answering her problem and honestly rings hollow after the angst throughout the book. Feeling sorry and trying to make amends doesn't wipe out past actions and their consequences, and being told - essentially - "Don't worry about it so much!" is unhelpful (not to mention anticlimactic). Having a salvation system in which God weighs the bad things and the good things people have done may sound like a reasonable plan, until we realize that it only sounds good as long as we're the ones doing the weighing: a holy God probably has a different scale than we do.
The author, I believe, is LDS, hence the wildly different perspective on redemption. From a biblical point of view, human beings are responsible for sin - we are all Jennet and we are all damned - and salvation must come from an outside power, not from our own actions, which even at their best always derive from mixed, impure motives. In other words, human damnation has to be faced up to and dealt with (by Jesus Christ, the God-Man), not explained away. I found the redemptive arc in BEGUILING BIRTHRIGHT interesting to follow and appreciated the way it was woven into the story, but ultimately disagreed with it on theological grounds and found the conclusion weak in the context of Jennet's character arc.
This most recent book focuses on a heroine with the Extraordinary Talent of Coercion, meaning she has the ability to manipulate others' emotions and force them to think/feel what she wants. What was interesting to me was how this controversial Talent paved the way for McShane to present a view of religion and human redemption/salvation as an organic part of the plot. From the get-go we learn that Jennet Graeme believes herself damned because she is an Extraordinary Coercer, incapable of using her Talent except for evil: God, she assumes, will never accept her because of who she is and what she has done. While there is a some kind of redemptive aspect to the character arcs in most of these novels, Jennet's Talent allows it to be more explicit here; Jennet spends the story not only getting closer to a showdown with the other Extraordinary Coercer on the map, Napoleon, but wrestling with the fate of her soul.
I suspect some people reading this book/the series in general might assume the author is a Christian, since she engages more deliberately with contemporary-to-her-characters'-world Christianity than a lot of literature does. In fact, though, the ultimate 'answer' to Jennet's conundrum was disappointing to me, coming from a biblical perspective. Commence spoilers, though they are not particularly surprising:
Through the medium of a priest and some other characters, Jennet comes to learn that human salvation and acceptance by God is contingent on how hard people try to be good. If you've done bad things in the past, the correct thing to do is forgive yourself, try to make amends to the people you've wronged, and do better in the future. This is a human-centric view of salvation that explicitly rejects the concept of original sin and insists that humans can make themselves acceptable to God. God is not really holy, and humans aren't really all that bad. This makes Jennet feel better, no longer so 'dirty' because of her Talent, but actually it falls far short of answering her problem and honestly rings hollow after the angst throughout the book. Feeling sorry and trying to make amends doesn't wipe out past actions and their consequences, and being told - essentially - "Don't worry about it so much!" is unhelpful (not to mention anticlimactic). Having a salvation system in which God weighs the bad things and the good things people have done may sound like a reasonable plan, until we realize that it only sounds good as long as we're the ones doing the weighing: a holy God probably has a different scale than we do.
The author, I believe, is LDS, hence the wildly different perspective on redemption. From a biblical point of view, human beings are responsible for sin - we are all Jennet and we are all damned - and salvation must come from an outside power, not from our own actions, which even at their best always derive from mixed, impure motives. In other words, human damnation has to be faced up to and dealt with (by Jesus Christ, the God-Man), not explained away. I found the redemptive arc in BEGUILING BIRTHRIGHT interesting to follow and appreciated the way it was woven into the story, but ultimately disagreed with it on theological grounds and found the conclusion weak in the context of Jennet's character arc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2026
Perhaps the title I most anticipated from the beginning of the series, here we watch a coercer at work. She must deal with the conflict between the accepted 'knowledge' that her talent is 'evil' and her continued need to use the talent anyway. A really well thought out story. One difficulty with this story is that we are only given glimpses of Jennet's background and have to fill in the blanks as readers. Also a minor quibble (and one that I think could have been addressed with a more complete backstory) we are told that a strong minded person can resist coercion, even without a talent, but we never get to see that happen.
2026 update: I am tempted to delete the last line of my former review because it is just not true, you do see this happen both in this book and in the prior one. In this book there is a character who maintains his course of action despite a change of emotions because he is sure that it is right and in the previous book the main character pushes away introduced feelings knowing they are not her own. However I did think that McShane cheated a little in deciding that a strong emotion could only defeat coercion in the first few days after it happens.
2026 update: I am tempted to delete the last line of my former review because it is just not true, you do see this happen both in this book and in the prior one. In this book there is a character who maintains his course of action despite a change of emotions because he is sure that it is right and in the previous book the main character pushes away introduced feelings knowing they are not her own. However I did think that McShane cheated a little in deciding that a strong emotion could only defeat coercion in the first few days after it happens.
June 29, 2023
I love this series by Melissa McShane and this one did not disappoint! It seems too often authors abandon good stuff to make more money elsewhere, so I am so grateful she kept writing it even with other projects in the middle. I'm looking forward to reading the next two and seeing how the series resolves.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it was about the Army and was interested in how everything worked, the camaraderie between the main character and her company was great, and I liked seeing how the author adapts the Napoleonic Wars to her world. The romance was good (although I got tired of how many times she thought he was so good-looking) and the overall plot suspenseful and exciting.
As I said, I loved it, but I did have some things I disliked, as you can find out in my essay below ...
I am usually willing to suspend my disbelief when I read because I just want to enjoy some fiction, but I wasn't convinced the main character spent 6 years in the Army passing as a male with no one ever finding out and apparently never having a period.
I also felt there was too much time spent on the setting - I usually love this but sometimes as the characters were slogging through France I felt like I was slogging through the book, just waiting for something to happen.
This book in particular is interesting because it deals with the ethics and morality of Coercion, the (magical) Talent the main character has of being able to manipulate and change other peoples' emotions to suit her own purposes. (The only other Extraordinary Coercer is Napoleon himself - which he obviously uses for evil.)
To be honest, I don't think that it's really resolved in the end about whether it's good or bad. I'm not convinced the main character won't continue to use it when she is in a pinch, since she does often throughout the book whenever she deems it necessary. It's completely based on her own beliefs; no one else is telling her when it is appropriate to use or not, or holding her accountable. I can't help but think that as she gets older and tired and has kids it would be so easy to manipulate them to listen instead of being little brats, but maybe that's just me, as a tired mom ...
There's a lot of spirituality in this book, because of the moral questions, and I wasn't too impressed. The main character is told that as long as she does enough good to outweigh the bad that she has done, she will be saved and God will forget about her past sins. Nope, sorry, that is not how salvation works. You can never do enough good to force God to accept you. It's the other way around - God saves us from own evil, changes our hearts, and from that stems a desire to do good for him and put our past life behind us, out of thankfulness and joy, and a desire to show Christ to others. The main character even quotes the Bible (not called that in this book, though) and gets it completely wrong. In the end, she feels satisfied that if she works hard enough, she will earn her own salvation and that's what makes her keep going. Yikes. The author is a Mormon - this is obvious, now.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it was about the Army and was interested in how everything worked, the camaraderie between the main character and her company was great, and I liked seeing how the author adapts the Napoleonic Wars to her world. The romance was good (although I got tired of how many times she thought he was so good-looking) and the overall plot suspenseful and exciting.
As I said, I loved it, but I did have some things I disliked, as you can find out in my essay below ...
I am usually willing to suspend my disbelief when I read because I just want to enjoy some fiction, but I wasn't convinced the main character spent 6 years in the Army passing as a male with no one ever finding out and apparently never having a period.
I also felt there was too much time spent on the setting - I usually love this but sometimes as the characters were slogging through France I felt like I was slogging through the book, just waiting for something to happen.
This book in particular is interesting because it deals with the ethics and morality of Coercion, the (magical) Talent the main character has of being able to manipulate and change other peoples' emotions to suit her own purposes. (The only other Extraordinary Coercer is Napoleon himself - which he obviously uses for evil.)
To be honest, I don't think that it's really resolved in the end about whether it's good or bad. I'm not convinced the main character won't continue to use it when she is in a pinch, since she does often throughout the book whenever she deems it necessary. It's completely based on her own beliefs; no one else is telling her when it is appropriate to use or not, or holding her accountable. I can't help but think that as she gets older and tired and has kids it would be so easy to manipulate them to listen instead of being little brats, but maybe that's just me, as a tired mom ...
There's a lot of spirituality in this book, because of the moral questions, and I wasn't too impressed. The main character is told that as long as she does enough good to outweigh the bad that she has done, she will be saved and God will forget about her past sins. Nope, sorry, that is not how salvation works. You can never do enough good to force God to accept you. It's the other way around - God saves us from own evil, changes our hearts, and from that stems a desire to do good for him and put our past life behind us, out of thankfulness and joy, and a desire to show Christ to others. The main character even quotes the Bible (not called that in this book, though) and gets it completely wrong. In the end, she feels satisfied that if she works hard enough, she will earn her own salvation and that's what makes her keep going. Yikes. The author is a Mormon - this is obvious, now.
February 3, 2023
I enjoyed this one a lot. More than I expected to, as I didn't particularly care for Jennet in Liberating Fight
As usual, McShane has done it again, bringing out another windswept historical in the fantasy alternate history set within the Regency era in England (though the contexts are not limited to England) where there are people with talent in one of eight categories (including coercing, moving (telekinesis), scorching, discerning, etc...).
Extraordinaries are those whose talents are of the highest extraordinary level. They are rare individuals and are highly valued by the war office. Well, most are. You see, in the fight against Napoleon, you'd need someone who can match. But how easy is that to achieve when Napoleon is an Extraordinary Coercer, one of the most reviled talents of the eight?
Jennet is an Extraordinary coercer. And she has a complex relationship with her talent since it has manifested. She is also a character that one can empathise with even though she is an Extraordinary Coercer. We begin this book with her returning to the army, after her venture with a Spanish rebel in the previous book. Much like the last book, she is once again masquerading as a man, and with the assistance of her ability, she is able to redirect eyes into thinking about her gender too deeply. What I enjoyed most about Jennet's storyline is that this book explores the tangles of human relationships and the emotional bonds of these people to Jennet.
What I also enjoyed, was the romance which was expected, of course, as this is also a romance. Admittedly, I didn't think much of Lieutenant Falconer until after the first big clash of the book, which lead to Jennet, her comrades, and the Lieutenant to travel the hard way to report what happened. He grew on me though, and he is also an equally interesting character!
The side characters - they were also excellent additions alongside Jennet and Falconer. They were all great from Veronique to Whittiney.
But, the one thing I wish had more of, was what happened in Jennet's past. We saw more of her internal conflict with her coercion and the events that moved the plot, but not much about her past. At least, I was hoping for a little more detail.
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this one, and looking forward to the next.
As usual, McShane has done it again, bringing out another windswept historical in the fantasy alternate history set within the Regency era in England (though the contexts are not limited to England) where there are people with talent in one of eight categories (including coercing, moving (telekinesis), scorching, discerning, etc...).
Extraordinaries are those whose talents are of the highest extraordinary level. They are rare individuals and are highly valued by the war office. Well, most are. You see, in the fight against Napoleon, you'd need someone who can match. But how easy is that to achieve when Napoleon is an Extraordinary Coercer, one of the most reviled talents of the eight?
Jennet is an Extraordinary coercer. And she has a complex relationship with her talent since it has manifested. She is also a character that one can empathise with even though she is an Extraordinary Coercer. We begin this book with her returning to the army, after her venture with a Spanish rebel in the previous book. Much like the last book, she is once again masquerading as a man, and with the assistance of her ability, she is able to redirect eyes into thinking about her gender too deeply. What I enjoyed most about Jennet's storyline is that this book explores the tangles of human relationships and the emotional bonds of these people to Jennet.
What I also enjoyed, was the romance which was expected, of course, as this is also a romance. Admittedly, I didn't think much of Lieutenant Falconer until after the first big clash of the book, which lead to Jennet, her comrades, and the Lieutenant to travel the hard way to report what happened. He grew on me though, and he is also an equally interesting character!
The side characters - they were also excellent additions alongside Jennet and Falconer. They were all great from Veronique to Whittiney.
But, the one thing I wish had more of, was what happened in Jennet's past. We saw more of her internal conflict with her coercion and the events that moved the plot, but not much about her past. At least, I was hoping for a little more detail.
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this one, and looking forward to the next.
March 17, 2022
2022 continues to deliver great books. This is in a genre I call regency Fantasy and send to be increasingly popular (or maybe I’m just searching them out). It’s set in the early 1800s, often referencing the napoleonic wars, and is a mash up of fantasy and Austen/Heyer. There tends to be a romance although that isn’t the main focus, and there is magic to a greater or lesser degree. As I enjoy both parents genres this is a no brainer.
In the extraordinaries a plague left some people gifted with various powers such as telepathy (speech) or teleportation (bounding). If you have the ability full strength you are an extraordinary. As both men and women can have these powers society has had to adjust somewhat.
This instalment focuses on coercion, namely that of Napoleon, a nice play on the charisma everyone notes about him, and that of Jennet our heroine who is disguised as one of Wellington’s rifles. I don’t think this makes her trans but I could be wrong. Jennet has a lot of baggage to carry with regards to her talent but events leading up to Waterloo force her to come to some sort of peace with it.
It’s a fun read, not my favourite of the series, but a solid read and the plot is really where the series has been heading towards. I thought this would be the last but luckily we have two more talents to explore which will be set in the aftermath of Waterloo. The romance is also nicely done, it’s important but it’s not what ultimately motivates Jennet to confront Napoleon.
I wouldn’t read this first but you could. There’s only a passing reference to one of the earlier main characters, and you don’t really need Jennet’s back story from the previous book. But it’s better if you start at the beginning (which is actually my favourite).
In the extraordinaries a plague left some people gifted with various powers such as telepathy (speech) or teleportation (bounding). If you have the ability full strength you are an extraordinary. As both men and women can have these powers society has had to adjust somewhat.
This instalment focuses on coercion, namely that of Napoleon, a nice play on the charisma everyone notes about him, and that of Jennet our heroine who is disguised as one of Wellington’s rifles. I don’t think this makes her trans but I could be wrong. Jennet has a lot of baggage to carry with regards to her talent but events leading up to Waterloo force her to come to some sort of peace with it.
It’s a fun read, not my favourite of the series, but a solid read and the plot is really where the series has been heading towards. I thought this would be the last but luckily we have two more talents to explore which will be set in the aftermath of Waterloo. The romance is also nicely done, it’s important but it’s not what ultimately motivates Jennet to confront Napoleon.
I wouldn’t read this first but you could. There’s only a passing reference to one of the earlier main characters, and you don’t really need Jennet’s back story from the previous book. But it’s better if you start at the beginning (which is actually my favourite).
February 27, 2022
My favorite of this series. I’ve really enjoyed all of the books in this series; I like the premise (gifted women, during the Napoleonic war, finding a way to use their talents to help their country while finding romance along the way), the fast-paced, adventurous nature of the stories, and the engaging characters. This book, however, seemed to delve a bit deeper, and we are able to follow the protagonist as she struggles NOT to use a talent which is perceived as evil, yet still strives to aid her country in the best way she knows how.
If I had to pick on anything, I would only say that I would have liked to have the mystery of what had happened in Jennet’s past explained (I kept waiting for it), and I felt like the declaration of love and subsequent marriage at the end was a bit of a rushed shift of relationship, despite, of course, being the ending I had hoped for. I also would have liked Jennet to meet with the characters from the previous book where we first met her, and resolve that relationship; I was surprised that those events received so little mention in this book.
So, despite my criticism, may I repeat: this was my favorite book in this series, and I enjoyed it very much. I hope to see some of my questions answered in the final 2 books in the series, but will eagerly await their release regardless.
I was lucky enough to receive this book as an advanced reader copy for free, but all my opinions, and the choice to leave a review, are wholly mine.
If I had to pick on anything, I would only say that I would have liked to have the mystery of what had happened in Jennet’s past explained (I kept waiting for it), and I felt like the declaration of love and subsequent marriage at the end was a bit of a rushed shift of relationship, despite, of course, being the ending I had hoped for. I also would have liked Jennet to meet with the characters from the previous book where we first met her, and resolve that relationship; I was surprised that those events received so little mention in this book.
So, despite my criticism, may I repeat: this was my favorite book in this series, and I enjoyed it very much. I hope to see some of my questions answered in the final 2 books in the series, but will eagerly await their release regardless.
I was lucky enough to receive this book as an advanced reader copy for free, but all my opinions, and the choice to leave a review, are wholly mine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2026
I'm so conflicted on this one. On one hand, I really enjoyed it. Jennet's inner turmoil, the historical research, the journey, and also the side characters were excellent here. On the other hand... I still had so many questions after this book ended.
We were first introduced to Jennet in the previous book of this series, and one of the main parts I was looking forward to was why Jennet was so loyal to Valentino. We never get an answer to this question, which really bummed me out. Jennet only reflects on this situation as something she is atoning for, but never gives us the reason why she was so faithful. Yes, I know in the previous book she says he saved her life, but we never get anything more in this book. How could he have saved her life in a way that led to such blind devotion for so long? I really thought there was more to the story here.
I loved the male lead in this book also, up until the end where he makes some confessions that just struck me as weird. It felt at odds with who the male lead had presented himself to be throughout the book.
All in all, I think this book was a 3.5 stars to me, but I rounded up to a 4 because I still think people should read it and the story is quite good regardless. However out of all the ones I have read so far, this book has left me with the most questions/loose strings so I couldn't mark it as highly as some of the others in the series.
September 9, 2022
I adooore this world-building created by MM. Napoleonic war-time but with fantasy, and the powers are soo well done. They are intrinsic and very well explained. And the historical part is also so well written, like even if this was just a historical without fantasy, it would be a good reading.
I've been very into this world from beginning to end. So why the 3 stars? Looking back, it is slow and seems like not many things happen. Also, Jennet, "Ned", our heroine disguised as a soldier, has like 4-5 companions in her regimen, and I had trouble telling who was who, like I couldn't put a face to each one. And the romance was nice but a bit lackluster, even if I did like both of them and Falconer was a dreamy lieutenant, but how he fell for her was, uhm, not very convincing.
Jennet is somewhat of a grey character due to her power, Coercion, which leads the author to include a bit of religion in this book. It surprised me a bit since I didn't notice in her other books. Or maybe it was necessary for the redemption of Jennet (I didn't read books 3 to 5 so I don't know if her story started in previous books and how terrible she was before).
Next book is about Clemency which is a Mover (she can fly! her story, however, is sad and just terrible).
I've been very into this world from beginning to end. So why the 3 stars? Looking back, it is slow and seems like not many things happen. Also, Jennet, "Ned", our heroine disguised as a soldier, has like 4-5 companions in her regimen, and I had trouble telling who was who, like I couldn't put a face to each one. And the romance was nice but a bit lackluster, even if I did like both of them and Falconer was a dreamy lieutenant, but how he fell for her was, uhm, not very convincing.
Jennet is somewhat of a grey character due to her power, Coercion, which leads the author to include a bit of religion in this book. It surprised me a bit since I didn't notice in her other books. Or maybe it was necessary for the redemption of Jennet (I didn't read books 3 to 5 so I don't know if her story started in previous books and how terrible she was before).
Next book is about Clemency which is a Mover (she can fly! her story, however, is sad and just terrible).
August 19, 2022
Loved Jennet's journey in this one, and how well-developed the side characters were. And despite a lot of this book being military maneuvers or traveling, I was consistently engaged in the plot!
I do think there were parts that should have gotten a little more attention (like Jennet's previous experience of assault), but there were also times those things were touched on in terms of side characters in very thoughtful ways.
And I really liked how Jennet's 2 big secrets were handled!
I do think that because Jennet had such a big character arc in this one, and because the plot was so prominent, the romance felt a little underdeveloped to me, but overall this was another great installment in the series.
CW: Grief, war, violence, murder, sexism, sexual harassment, mind control, off-page rape
I do think there were parts that should have gotten a little more attention (like Jennet's previous experience of assault), but there were also times those things were touched on in terms of side characters in very thoughtful ways.
And I really liked how Jennet's 2 big secrets were handled!
I do think that because Jennet had such a big character arc in this one, and because the plot was so prominent, the romance felt a little underdeveloped to me, but overall this was another great installment in the series.
CW: Grief, war, violence, murder, sexism, sexual harassment, mind control, off-page rape
January 26, 2025
3.5/4 rounded up because I blew through this book, even though it was partially to get through the slow bits to get to the good parts. Jennet doesn't have much of a personality, but she does grow on you. Likewise, her companions are pretty interchangeable, but Falconer is a great romantic interest and that relationship blooms pretty organically. The twin secrets of Jennet's gender and her coercion were well-paired, because it meant the stakes were still high even when one thing was revealed. I think coercion was a very interesting Talent, and I liked seeing the different ways it could be used.
March 10, 2022
Honestly this might be my favorite (so far!) of this series?! But I'm a sucker for a good self-redemption story, especially when it's the MC who learns how to forgive themselves. Jennet was lovely and the historical detail felt immaculate - I am by no means a scholar of this particular time period, but never felt jolted out of it :)
April 14, 2022
Jennet redeems herself
Jennet the Coercer from Book 5 has joined the British Army disguised as a Man. She is determined to not coerce anyone except to preserve her anominity and safety. She deeply regrets her past actions yet she has influenced those near her to befriend her. Most awkward is her developing feelings for her Commanding Officer.
Very original plot, great romantic obstacles, and all characters fully developed and sympathetic except for Napoleon of course.
Jennet the Coercer from Book 5 has joined the British Army disguised as a Man. She is determined to not coerce anyone except to preserve her anominity and safety. She deeply regrets her past actions yet she has influenced those near her to befriend her. Most awkward is her developing feelings for her Commanding Officer.
Very original plot, great romantic obstacles, and all characters fully developed and sympathetic except for Napoleon of course.
April 19, 2022
I wanted to like it better….
I confess I read this without having read anything else in the series, which made it all seem a bit strange…The premise was interesting, and parts were excellent, but too much of the ‘action’ just seemed too improbable…I don’t mean the Talents and the fantasy aspects, but the mundane world actions in which it all operated.
I confess I read this without having read anything else in the series, which made it all seem a bit strange…The premise was interesting, and parts were excellent, but too much of the ‘action’ just seemed too improbable…I don’t mean the Talents and the fantasy aspects, but the mundane world actions in which it all operated.
April 29, 2022
My favorite of all the series so far
My favorite of all the series so far. I LOVE a good redemption story, and this one did not disappoint. Read at least the book before this one, though even that is not truly necessary. I LOVE both of the main characters, and the supporting characters. So well written, a marvelous group to spend time with.
Clean, with some kissing.
My favorite of all the series so far. I LOVE a good redemption story, and this one did not disappoint. Read at least the book before this one, though even that is not truly necessary. I LOVE both of the main characters, and the supporting characters. So well written, a marvelous group to spend time with.
Clean, with some kissing.
June 2, 2022
wonderful read, on to the next
December 31, 2022
My favourite of the series.
November 13, 2025
Quite a bit more fun than I’d thought it might be! I am very intrigued with this series.
March 21, 2022
Love this series and the world McShane has created! I’m looking forward to the last two novels, and the two types of Extraordinary talents we haven’t seen yet.
April 12, 2023
Minor spoiler: Reread this before reading Soaring Flight. I've enjoyed this series for years, but I was really disappointed reading this again and realizing that the only gay character in this series (that I remember) is evil and hypersexualized. I get that Jennet needed to notice that Fosse's actions were out of character, but the author could have done it a different way instead of using a stereotype of queerness as such a foil. I really hope McShane gets the chance to get to know members of the queer community and learns how to write them as humans and not evil plot devices. I've recommended this series to a lot of people, and I still love the idea and think McShane is really talented, but this was a massive bummer.
March 20, 2024
I am just fascinated by this series. When I first read the description of a Coercer, I found it quite upsetting and really wasn't sure I wanted to read a book where one was the main character, even though the introduction we had to Jennet in Liberating Flight was intriguing.
I shouldn't have doubted McShane's ability to handle such a talent. Jennet was quite wonderful, despite the burden she carried and the view of herself as a person that she suffered with. I loved seeing her grow through her career as a soldier at the end of the Napoleonic wars, and I loved the characters who became friends, in some ways in spite of herself.
I'm eager for the next book in the series.
I shouldn't have doubted McShane's ability to handle such a talent. Jennet was quite wonderful, despite the burden she carried and the view of herself as a person that she suffered with. I loved seeing her grow through her career as a soldier at the end of the Napoleonic wars, and I loved the characters who became friends, in some ways in spite of herself.
I'm eager for the next book in the series.
August 31, 2022
Love the majority of this book. The beginning was a little slow, and the ending felt a little preachy , but everything else in between had me completely enthralled and unable to put it down. There were a couple of moments I was a little uncomfortable with in their portrayal, and her redemption felt...lacking. But overal I enjoyed the rest of it.
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