I love spy stories and I love stories with tons of twists
and turns. Anne Cleeland’s Regency romance-thriller spy story Daughter of the God-King has plenty of
both.
Hattie’s archeologist parents have disappeared, so the
fearless young woman travels to Paris to begin her search for them. In 1814,
Paris in the wake of Napoleon’s defeat is all aquiver. The surprising fact is everyone
treats the sheltered, mostly neglected child of world-famous parents as if she
is a major player in the historic aftermath. Much is unsaid, but nefarious
characters pursue her for some unknown reason.
Ms. Cleeland again demonstrates her deft hand with mystery and
suspense as Hattie, her unflappable companion, Miss Bing, and their guide and
protector, Monsieur Berry, work their way from Paris to Cairo and then up the
Nile amid plots to kidnap or kill our heroine. Nothing is what it seems, and the
answer, when we finally discover it, is startling, as well as historically
possible.
There’s plenty of action and thrills for those, like me, who
like other threads in the story besides the romance. Ms. Cleeland also paints a
fascinating picture of Europe’s and Egypt’s politics and people in the wake of
the Napoleonic wars.
The two main characters were a different story. While I
liked Hattie’s determination, I think she is a little too sure of herself for a
sheltered eighteen-year-old with no skills and little learning. With her
illustrious parentage, I would have expected her to develop some other interests
in addition to snagging a husband.
I also found the hero, the enigmatic M. Berry, a little too
superhuman for my tastes. But I liked Hattie’s companion, Miss Bing, much more.
Supremely capable, no-nonsense, nothing-fazes-her, Miss Bing would be a heroine
more to my taste.
While Daughter of the God-King
can be read alone, the book is the second in the Ms. Cleeland’s Regency spy
series after Tainted Angel, and makes
one reference to that novel.
Daughter of the God-King
is another great Regency spy story. I look forward to more.
Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks
3 comments:
Wonderful review. I tweeted and shared on FB.
Thanks, Ella. I appreciate it.
Excellent review! I'm about to read and review this book so I'm pleased you enjoyed it, Linda. I haven't read the first in the series, but it appears that's not necessary.
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