Source: Bought
Annique Villiers, a French spy known as the Fox Cub, is trapped in a prison. And not just with any other prisoners, but with two premier English spies: Robert Grey, one of the leaders of England's spy network, and a high-ranking spy called the Hawker. Still, they all want out and make a temporary alliance to help each other. Grey wants nothing more than to capture the Fox Cub and bring her back to London for questioning about the much-desired Albion Plans (Napoleon's plans for invading England). Taking advantage of a moment of weakness, Annique is bribed with water and captured by Grey and his henchmen. On the road to England, though, Annique becomes aware of a budding attraction to Grey, complicating matters considerably. Locked in a battle of wits, Grey and Annique get closer to each other.
OK, here's the thing…I really thought I'd like this book, and it didn't work for me. Which was super disappointing. I mean, there's a positive blurb on the cover from Diana Gabaldon (who is one of my favorite authors). So I was totally bummed. Here's what I did like. The plotting itself was very, very well done. The only reason that the ending dragged for me was due to my dislike of some of the characters (more on that later). Starting from the beginning, there was plenty of action, including an absolutely awesome scene where Leblanc, a French spy trying to get to Annique before the English can question her, open fires at the English spy headquarters. There's romance, fighting, politics, and they're all well-balanced throughout.
The romance itself between Grey and Annique developed well, and I liked that they were engaged in a battle of wit and skills that began to turn into a romance. Their attraction didn't seem forced, and it was not a love-at-first-sight kind of thing (which can work, but can also be a dull plot device). Instead, it's based on their appreciation for each others' intellect and skills as much as physical attraction.
Unfortunately, I need to like the main characters (especially in a romance), and I just didn't like Annique. At first, I did like her skill and smarts, and she's certainly one of the most independent romantic heroines I've seen. But, jeeez, this woman talked none stop. Every time she was explaining something or responding to something, she just went on and on. It got to the point where I couldn't even figure out her point, there was so much crap in there. I think it was a sort of cover; if she's chattering away, no one knows her mind is busy calculating. It sounds good in theory, but I just couldn't see Annique being able to do it. I definitely think she's one smart gal, but there were moments when she makes incredibly stupid mistakes (like falling for Grey's initial trap). True, Grey makes mistakes, too, but they seemed more like a way to make them seem more equal. I don't know, she just seemed a little less resourceful and clever than others made her out to be. But even that wouldn't have bugged me, if she hadn't chattered constantly. Plus, Ms. Bourne makes the effort to have the dialogue sound French (apparently she lived in France, so I assume it's pretty authentic), which is fine, but it became tedious because she talked way too much.
I did, however, like the English, especially Adrian and Doyle. I liked how easily they interacted with each other and with Annique, and my favorite part of the novel is when they're on the road to England. There's a lot of joking around, despite the seriousness of them trying to escape, and it was a lot of fun to read. They made up an interesting team, and the parts where they got to work (like when they posed as Germans on holiday) was really cool to read. This is where I could see how competent Annique was; for some reason, she just seemed to fade as a cool, competent woman and turned into a compulsive chatterer. It was an odd development, and her character didn't seem consistent to me. The last part of the novel is based on Annique coming to terms with who she is (which, by the way, was a so-so plot twist to me…I was expecting something grander, the way they went on about it), so the ending focusing on her and less on the entire cast made the ending drag for me. I just wanted it to end so she's stop talking.
Overall, the story is well-plotted, the writing is excellent throughout, and most of the characters were interesting. I just couldn't stand Annique, which just ruined the entire experience of reading the book. I do plan to read the next book, to see if some different characters change my experience of reading Ms. Bourne's books. I do really like her writing. I'm still bummed that this one didn't work for me. Still, definitely give this book a try; Annique is a cool character, and the story is excellent. Plus, you might really like her.
Grade: 3/5-only because I wanted to smack Annique on a number of occasions
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