A passion for adventure...beautiful, naive, and impulsive, Page Bradley inadvertently rescues English spy Lord Hazard in Baltimore during the tumultuous War of 1812. Now she must put herself at the mercy of her country's enemy.
An aptitude for deception...Lord Hazard is no stranger to the atrocities of war, but he never imagined the beauty that could come of it until he meets the fiery and irresistible Page. Now he finds himself questioning every loyalty he's ever felt for the King and Country.
My Thoughts:
First off, I want to say Do Not Judge a Book By Its Cover!! This one screams bodice ripper and a mindless plot line, but it couldn't be further from the truth. I wasn't sure what to expect when I was offered this title for review, but I'm always willing to try anything once and figured I had nothing to lose by reading My Love, My Enemy. Can I just say that I was really pleased with the entire story. This was a fun way to spend an afternoon. I really loved the characters that the author brought to life and she captured the time period wonderfully. Her descriptions of the dress, countries, ships, war, and scenery were fantastic and brought this story alive before my eyes. What I found to be the most refreshing part was the fact that there was very little physical romance! I loved that. The author created a relationship (gasp! can you believe that the characters actually got to know each other and they didn't have to have sex to accomplish this goal???) that was exciting to watch unfold. In fact, the author did a splendid job with all of the relationships in this book and that is why I enjoyed this story so much.
Recommend? Absolutely, especially to readers who enjoy Historical fiction with slight romance involved. This was more of an adventure story that takes the reader from the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, to the glorious beaches of Bermuda, the oppressed people and foggy shore lines of France, and finally to the ton of the town in jolly London.
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer:Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel
Published: February, 2011Publisher: Sourcebooks CasablancaPages:249Genre: Historical Fiction/RomanceISBN: 9781402255779*Uncorrected Advance Copy © 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
I totally thought this was a romance novel by the cover... glad to know that I was wrong! I LOVE your review on this! Sounds like a FAB book! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to see this review, Staci. I actually discovered three books by Jan Cox Speas (she wrote in the 1950's and 1960's) after reading Susanna Kearsley's books. (The Winter Sea, etc...) Kearsley said Jan Cox Speas was a big influence on her writing, so I looked up the old books on ebay. They are very similar in style to Kearlsey's books -- delightful historical fiction with VERY subtle romance. I'm glad Sourcebooks is re-issuing these wonderful books, but I, too, think the covers are sending the wrong message. You are so right -- do not judge these books by Jan Cox Speas by their covers! Great review!
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, I saw the cover and I thought, uh oh, throbbing members! :--) Glad to hear the cover was a bit exaggerated!
ReplyDeleteI do judge romance by their covers, and for me it screams READ ME ;) Hihi, that's me
ReplyDeletegreat review--I enjoyed your tip about the cover as well.
ReplyDeleteNow, Staci, I saw the cover and thought - Oh good, a bodice ripper! (Can't please everybody, can you?) I like the sound of the story but I would, of course, have to cover up the cover. I'll check to see if it's on Kindle. No problem there with covers.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm in. I usually avoid romances with these covers so I'm glad you reviewed it. Now I cxan add it to my list.
ReplyDeleteOh, forgive me, I would have judged this a bodice ripper by the cover. I liked Joanne's comment and may have to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteJust gotta love those covers. I've found some good mystery suspense books that if judged by the cover, you'd think they were bodice rippers.
ReplyDeleteReally? I never would have guessed from the cover or the title. That's why I said no. Glad it was good one. I'll be sure to look it up.
ReplyDeleteI would have seen the cover and kept walking but it just goes to show you that you can miss out on a good book that way!
ReplyDelete