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Point of Honour (Sarah Tolerance #1)

by Madeleine E. Robins (Goodreads Author)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 509 ratings · 98 reviews

Miss Sarah Tolerance ran away with her brother's fencing master when she was sixteen. Now he's dead and she's back in England, and a Fallen Woman. But she refuses to follow the Fallen Women who have gone before her and become a courtesan. Sarah is a straight shooter, with her pistol as well as her wit, and her mind is as sharp as the blade of her sword. She's clever and di...more

Mass Market Paperback, 344 pages

Published May 1st 2005 by Tor Books (first published 2003)

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Apr 11, 2012 Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* rated it 4 of 5 stars

Im not much of a "Regency" fan,but Point of Honor grabbed me from the start and kept me in till the end. Imagine a character from one of Jane Austen's novels who falls for the wrong man and.. well dosent quite get married. Her lover now dead,and her family has forsaken her Sarah Tolerance is on her own."It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Fallen Woman of good family,must soon or late,desend to whoredom",So is Sarah's future,but she will not accept such as this.So to support herself she...more

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Aug 13, 2007 Brownbetty rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been looking for a copy of this book since I first read a preview chapter online, several years ago. After such a long delay, the risk of disappointment is high, but this book met my expectations. Point of Honour is a period piece set in a period that never existed: Regency England where Queen Charlotte, not the Prince, was Regent.

Our Heroine is Sarah Tolerance, called Miss Tolerance throughout the book, a woman whose reputation has been ruined, and is therefore fit, according to society, f...more I've been looking for a copy of this book since I first read a preview chapter online, several years ago. After such a long delay, the risk of disappointment is high, but this book met my expectations. Point of Honour is a period piece set in a period that never existed: Regency England where Queen Charlotte, not the Prince, was Regent.

Our Heroine is Sarah Tolerance, called Miss Tolerance throughout the book, a woman whose reputation has been ruined, and is therefore fit, according to society, for nothing but exchanging sex for money and a man's protection. Miss Tolerance, however, sets herself up as an 'investigative agent', relying on her wits, her discretion, and her short-sword to earn her living in the world, even though she faces pressure from everyone, men and women, to succumb to the pull of society's expectations.

The book is an enjoyable read. Miss Tolerance is a compelling character, smart, but shaped by the attitudes of her time period, even those attitudes she struggles against. The mystery intrigued me, and Robins played fair with it, leaving me with the same clues she gave Miss Tolerance (who solved it before me.) There was a romantic sub-plot which I enjoyed because it was presented as a complex, and far from idyllic interlude; I especially liked that becoming involved with a man in a higher social class did not simplify Miss Tolerance's situation, but rather complicated it. Most readers are probably familiar with the tendency for romantic involvement with a rich man to be both the heroine's aim, and the solution to her problems. Without spoiling the novel, I will say that that was not this case in this book. I also liked watching Miss Tolerance come up against her prejudices. She doesn't reform herself for the education of the reader, but she's capable of critical self-reflection.

My one problem with this book is not a problem with the book per se, but its contribution to a trend. While I was pleased to see fully realized gay characters in this book, and acknowledgement of the existence of and dangers faced by gay men and women in Regency England, I would have been happier still if Robins had not ended up reinforced the pattern of gay characters ending up either evil, or dead.(less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Felicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vaginal-mystery, mystery

This was a fun mystery romp that has alt-history twist to it. Fallen woman turned into detective heroine. I have mixed but generally positive feelings about this book. There were some really fun parts for sure, and the mystery was definitely interesting, but I couldn't buy into it 100% all the time.

I want to warn you, this is NOT A VAGINAL MYSTERY in that...I can't spoil it, but it's just not. So beware, because the ending really threw me for a loop and I kinda liked it but not really. Also, ref...more

7 likes · like · see review

Nov 07, 2011 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-and-science-fiction, alternate-history, authors-qrs

This is a historical mystery novel set in a Regency London that isn't quite our own. I suppose technically this is fantasy, because the history is a slightly altered one (Queen Charlotte is Regent, rather than Prince George), but it contains no magical or fantastical elements other than that. The mystery is intriguing, with a nicely unexpected twist at the end, and the language and milieu are convincing, as is the main character, a fallen woman named Sarah Tolerance who chose to become a private...more

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Dec 03, 2008 LJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1800s, england, female_author, georgian_1714-1811_1820-37, historical, mystery

POINT OF HONOR (Hist Mys-Sarah Tolerance-England-1810/Georgian) – Good
Robins, Madeleine E. – 1st in series
Forge, 2003, US Hardcover – ISBN: 031287202X

First Sentence: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Fallen Woman of good family must, soon or late, descend to whoredom.

Sarah Tolerance is a disowned daughter of nobility who now lives in a cottage behind a high-class brothel and who acts as a private inquiry agent. She is hired by Count Verseillon to locate and retrieve an antique fan he...more

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Aug 19, 2012 notyourmonkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read, library, mystery

I'm giving this four stars because of how much I like the idea of this book, how all the parts of it are things that I adore and have sought so much in other books like this. I just wish I'd, I don't know, enjoyed the book more? It was three stars' worth of enjoyment, not four. For as much as I really like the heroine, I wasn't particularly engaged by her.

I mean, so much is right. This is a slight AU of Regency England (the king goes mad a bit earlier, the queen is made regent, etc etc fallout...more I'm giving this four stars because of how much I like the idea of this book, how all the parts of it are things that I adore and have sought so much in other books like this. I just wish I'd, I don't know, enjoyed the book more? It was three stars' worth of enjoyment, not four. For as much as I really like the heroine, I wasn't particularly engaged by her.

I mean, so much is right. This is a slight AU of Regency England (the king goes mad a bit earlier, the queen is made regent, etc etc fallout etc etc), and it's about a woman of gentle birth who runs away with a swordmaster, lives In Sin with him for many years, and when he dies, she returns to live with her equally fallen aunt, who is a classy madame. Our Heroine, though, establishes herself instead as, well. A consulting detective. Private eye. What have you.

And, oh, there is detecting and politics and lots and lots of thoughts and feelings about women in this society (I don't think there's a single Respectable Woman onscreen for the entire book, a remarkable change), and nothing ever feels guaranteed, and so many of the practical little details that are often skimmed over in novels like this are taken care of, not necessarily made a big deal of, but there. And all the little things that will often make me pause or feel uncomfortable or have to be brushed aside to enjoy the fluffy mystery aren't here, and the mystery is pleasingly involved, and the heroine does not twist herself around and suddenly become someone else just for the sake of romance, and there are so many things I can point to and go, "yes! that thing! I love that thing!"

And it's just. I'm left cold, a little bit. There's very little levity here, and I'm beginning to realize how very much I value laughing, or at least snickering a little bit, or being amused at some point during the course of a story. There are a couple of lighter characters, but their lightness doesn't seem to touch the heart of the story, especially when one of them ends up dead. I just. For as much as this book gave me, I wanted more.

Still, I'm more than willing to pick up the next one. What it did give me was very, very good. Just a little dour. (less)

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Oct 10, 2011 Marfita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anti-romance mystery lovers

Shelves: mysteries, period-mystery

Aside from the total silliness of the premise and the rampant disregard for history (the latter of which the author apologizes for at the end), this was a fun read. So, suspend your disbelief for a few hours and sink into Queen Charlotte's Regency(?!?), where a ruined woman (regardless of how much fun she had getting there) has few choices left to her. Miss Sarah Tolerance chose a route of her own making. Yes, she was "ruined," but in the course of being ruined she managed to acquire a useful sk...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Katharine Kerr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I very much enjoyed POINT OF HONOR and have, in fact, acquired a copy of PETTY TREASON, the next book in the series. Sarah Tolerance, the heroine, is, by the definition of her (slightly alternate)English Regency society, a Fallen Woman. At a young age she ran off with her fencing master, who died before they could marry. According to the morality of her time, she's been thrown out of her family and is on a downward course to prostitution. She refuses to fall all the way, however, and carves out...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Katharine Kimbriel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternative-timeline, history, mystery, book-view-cafe

Recommended for people thirsting for a Regency Noir.

This is an alternative world fantasy, for although it’s during the Regency period of England, it’s Queen Charlotte who is the Regent, not her eldest son – and her poor health leads to a lot of scheming, back stabbing and in-fighting amongst the princes for the role of the next regent.

Officially, our heroine, Sarah Tolerance, deals little with royals. She is a Fallen Woman (and in this history, that’s all most people care about her. She should...more Recommended for people thirsting for a Regency Noir.

This is an alternative world fantasy, for although it’s during the Regency period of England, it’s Queen Charlotte who is the Regent, not her eldest son – and her poor health leads to a lot of scheming, back stabbing and in-fighting amongst the princes for the role of the next regent.

Officially, our heroine, Sarah Tolerance, deals little with royals. She is a Fallen Woman (and in this history, that’s all most people care about her. She should go be a whore and get out of the sight of decent folk.) What would Elizabeth Barrett have done if she’d fallen in love with a man, left with him – and for reasons both religious and otherwise, they never married? Sarah has no desire to be a whore (even with an aunt who runs a high-class bordello) and seeks another path. She is an agent of inquiry, the only one in London. Lost trinkets, misplaced spouses, adult children needing shepherding? Miss Tolerance can oblige. She is shrewd, intelligent, and quite good with a blade (her paramour was a fencing instructor.) In a strange no-man’s land, Miss Tolerance has carved out a tiny world for herself, and hangs onto her rung with vigor.

This book is truly a mystery, a Regency Noir, if you will. The book is written in a lovely, formal manner that reflects the thought processes of its heroine. The details and depth of this London intrigue give us a much seamier side than Georgette Heyer or Jane Austen ever shared with us. There is romance found and then lost, for Miss Tolerance cannot live, or conceal, a lie. Politics tars each character with the underbelly of life – and the secrets Miss Tolerance seeks, and eventually uncovers, were secrets possibly better left buried.

We are given a very interesting heroine, but one who may be doomed to never again find happiness in this life. Don’t mistake this for a romance, but if you are looking for a mystery of a Regency England that might have been? Ah, then you’ve come to the right place.
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Mar 19, 2011 Sherwood Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-universe

Robins skillfully lets the reader know right away that this is not quite the Regency England we know (and has become such a cliche in the romance novel world); 'Prinny' is not the Regent for Mad King George, his wife is. And in this London, ladies can belong to clubs, where they can sit and read and drink tea, or meet and talk, or just sit and relax. Thus those of us who read a lot in the period can disengage the custom and language filters that we can't help forming over the years. So she uses...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Jo (Mixed Book Bag) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found the recommendation for Point of Honour and Petty Treason by Madeleine E. Robins on John Hemry’s web site when I was looking for information about his upcoming Black Jack Geary book. When I went to Amazon to purchase I found that Point of Honour released in 2003 was out of print, and Petty Treason released in 20006 was the only other book listed in the series. After doing some research I was happy to find that the series will continue with a new book to be released in the Fall of this yea...more
I found the recommendation for Point of Honour and Petty Treason by Madeleine E. Robins on John Hemry’s web site when I was looking for information about his upcoming Black Jack Geary book. When I went to Amazon to purchase I found that Point of Honour released in 2003 was out of print, and Petty Treason released in 20006 was the only other book listed in the series. After doing some research I was happy to find that the series will continue with a new book to be released in the Fall of this year.

Like the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries, Point of Honour is set in the Regency Period and has a touch of romance to go with the mystery. However, it is missing the trademark HEA of a Regency Romance. Madeleine Robins has also chosen to change some of the history of the period and explains those changes in A Note of History and Thanks in the back of Point of Honour.

Sarah Tolerance is the main character in Point of Honour. Sarah ran away with her fencing master when she was sixteen, lived with him until he died but they never got around to getting married. As a result she is a Fallen Woman. To quote Madeleine Robins “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Fallen Woman of good family must, soon or late, descend to whoredom.” Sarah chooses to make a life for herself outside of that expectation. Upon returning to England after the death of her fencing master she becomes an Agent of Inquiry instead of a courtesan. She uses her skill with a pistol and sword as well as her sharp mind to become a private investigator known for being discreet. Because of her background she can “float between social layers, unearth secrets, find thing that were lost, and lose thing too dangerous to be kept.” As Point of Honour opens Sarah has finished a case where a wife who holds the purse strings hires Sarah to find out where her husband is hiding his latest indiscretions using her money.

Sarah’s next case starts when The Earl of Versellion asks her to find a Italian fan that was given by his Father to his mistress 20 years ago. What Sarah uncovers leads to murder and betrayal. Look of more than a few twists and turns as the story progresses. Point of Honour is a great start to a series. Madeline Robins has taken a slice of Regency England, filled it with great characters, a wonderful plot and many possibilities for future novels.

TOR published Point of Honour by Madeleine E. Robins in 2003.

Point of Honour is out of print. I purchased it used through Amazon.
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Aug 07, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, mystery

My mother sent me to the library on her behalf to find some books she'd been wanting to read, and while browsing the shelves, this one caught my eye. So I checked it out for myself.

This book is not one that can be easily classified. It has romantic elements, but it's not a romance. And while it is a historical novel--set in Regency Era London--it's not quite the same Regency that happened historically, so then you have to add in a touch of fantasy as well. It's also reminiscent of a hardboiled c...more

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Nov 30, 2012 bookczuk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, i-liked-it, read-on-recommendation, tor, thank-you-charleston-county-library

So what if English history was a bit different? That's the underlying premise of this story of Sarah Tolerance, who, though a "fallen woman" (after all, she ran off with her fencing master when she was young, and now that he had the discourtesy of dying, must fend for herself) refuses to join the ranks of other soiled doves and become a courtesan or prostitute. Instead, she carves out a living as an investigator of sorts. Miss Tolerance finds herself involved in a case to find a missing Italian...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Jacob Proffitt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

This is not Heyer's Regency England. Or Jane Austen's. But then, the author makes her distinctive flavor clear from the start and does so with a firm hand born of confidence with her material. Indeed, categorizing the book is difficult because at heart it is a mystery novel but with an alternate-historical twist. Some of the historical changes allow the heroine more freedom than a woman of the time period might reasonably have had.

But some of it seems simply arbitrary in order to explore interes...more This is not Heyer's Regency England. Or Jane Austen's. But then, the author makes her distinctive flavor clear from the start and does so with a firm hand born of confidence with her material. Indeed, categorizing the book is difficult because at heart it is a mystery novel but with an alternate-historical twist. Some of the historical changes allow the heroine more freedom than a woman of the time period might reasonably have had.

But some of it seems simply arbitrary in order to explore interesting "what if..." scenarios. What if the Prince of Wales had openly married his catholic love and found himself removed from the line of succession? What if George III never recovered from his first bout of madness and Charlotte had been regent since 1788? These details influence the plot in important ways (which has heavy political overtones based on reinstating the Prince of Wales—something he wouldn't have needed in our historical timeline), but also lend a sense of surreality to the story that, I think, ended up enhancing my enjoyment of it (but may be a deterrent to others).

The heroine, Sarah Tolerance—a name chosen by her after returning from the disgrace of having run off with a man—has decided not to pursue the occupation believed to be the sole choice for fallen women (uh, that'd be courtesan and/or whore). Given her inquisitive nature and training with smallsword (she fell in love with her swordmaster after arranging private lessons for herself) she has carved out a niche as an agent of inquiry. The book begins with her career just starting to gain enough momentum to feel like she may make a success of it, after all. If she can avoid being coopted by the dashing Count Verseillon or killed by his adversaries.

The book has a good pace and enough action to invoke more Magnum P.I. than Hercule Poirot or Ms. Marple. I like Miss Temperance quite a lot and her determination to live with what she can't quite bring herself to call the mistakes of her past. She's realistic rather than bitter with the hand she has been dealt and while she struggles with the culture she's also not above manipulating it to her own ends.

So I liked it as a fair mystery novel in a setting I enjoy. Now if only someone would explain to the illustrator that a smallsword is a variant on the French rapier and not at all the same as a shortsword...(less)

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Aug 26, 2011 Lorena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, historical-fiction, mystery

This book was enjoyable except on one score. The main character, Sarah Tolerance, is interesting and sympathetic...she is a "fallen woman" in the year 1810, earning her keep as a private investigator. (The author terms her genre as "hardboiled Regency.") The book is well-written and the plot moves along in a satisfactory way. The fly in the ointment is the fact that the author has chosen to significantly alter the history of the period for no real reason whatsoever. Without giving too much away,...more This book was enjoyable except on one score. The main character, Sarah Tolerance, is interesting and sympathetic...she is a "fallen woman" in the year 1810, earning her keep as a private investigator. (The author terms her genre as "hardboiled Regency.") The book is well-written and the plot moves along in a satisfactory way. The fly in the ointment is the fact that the author has chosen to significantly alter the history of the period for no real reason whatsoever. Without giving too much away, the crux of the plot is, at its heart, a political struggle in which the two sides battle for possession of some information which may permit one to discredit the other, and so gain power. The precipitating event of this power struggle, in the book, is that Queen Charlotte, as Regent for George III (???), has fallen ill, and thus it is presumed that a new government will be formed by her heir, whoever that may be, since in this story the Prince of Wales has been disinherited over his Catholic marriage (???), but is now a widower (???), and thus may be reinstated as heir, and everyone wants his favor. Of course, Charlotte was never regent, Wales WAS (hence...the REGENCY period in which this book is set...), and his first Catholic wife was not dead at the time of his eventual remarriage. And the thing is, none of that has any real bearing on the plot of the book. The struggle for power between the opposing parties could have easily been over some actual political issue of the day, or between two competing greengrocers over cornering the market on cabbage, and it would have made no material difference to the actual mystery to be solved. (The resolution of which, may I say, (view spoiler))

This bizarre authorial choice, to completely alter historical events to no purpose, serves only to make the rest of the slight historical liberties taken (an independent female private detective wearing men's clothing and fencing well enough to defend her honor in the early 19th century) seem much more glaring than they otherwise would to a reader caught up in the excitement of the plot. It's a shame, because I did enjoy the book, but am left dwelling more on why the author chose this course than I am upon the story. (less)

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Sep 06, 2009 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It was... alright. I think I might have liked the book better had it settled on a genre and stayed there. I liked the main character well enough, although the author had an annoying tendency to *constantly* refer to her formally, when her intimates all addressed her by first name. Yes, alright, her nom de guerre is clever, but it ceases to be so after the 40th repetition. The male lead was... well, he's a conniving politician, and he remained a conniving politician to the very end of the book, n...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Viridian5 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, action-adventure, mystery

In an alternate Regency London, a "fallen" woman disowned by her family eschews the profession most of her society expects a "ruined" woman to take, prostitution, and instead becomes a kind of private investigator, using her wits and small-sword to make a living for herself. What at first seems like a small, routine task--find and recover an antique fan for a client--quickly becomes complicated and even lethal for some of the contacts she talks to. Sarah Tolerance has to figure out what's going...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Callie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Point of Honour is an alternate history Regency novel. I've read many an alternate history, and often it is used as an excuse to cover up a lack of research. This novel, however, could very well pass itself off as a "real" Regency novel. In language, dialogue, characters and attitude it in every way is accurate, while remaining effortless.

I enjoyed this book very much. Not only for its marvelous language and writing, but its main character and mystery plot. I will admit that I figured out the la...more

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Oct 24, 2010 Erica Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-era-romance, historical-mystery, 2010-reads

I'm not usually into sword-wielding heroines, but my sister is and she sent me this book, which I found to be well-written and engrossing. Because the heroine ran off with her brother's fencing instructor at sixteen, she lives beyond the bounds of polite society. At a brothel. Which, to my surprise, actually works as a plot device. The hero, the Earl of Versellion, doesn't get much time in the book, but the time he does get is well spent. He's mighty fine, albeit a bit more accepting of heroine'...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Li rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-new-to-me-author, fantasy, mystery, read-in-2011, series

This was an impulse buy, which turned out to be a rather enjoyable historical mystery.

The writing quickly took me back to the British regency era, albeit a slightly alternate-history version, with a protagonist, who, as a "Fallen Woman" now making her way as a private inquiry agent, provides an unusual viewpoint. While I haven't completely warmed to Sarah Tolerance, I have a feeling I will in future books, and hopefully more about her past will be revealed.

I liked the London backdrop very much...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-reader-s-choice

Set in England during the Regency period, this book is a murder mystery whose central character is a Fallen Woman of the upper class. She ran off with her brother's fencing instructor before she'd left the school room; they'd never married and now he was dead. She returns to England a skilled fencer, with no ability to return to the upper classes and no mind to turn prostitute, which was the only occupation available to a Fallen Woman. She becomes instead a private investigator (naturally).

Given...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, detective-series, favorites, historical-fiction, mystery, part-of-a-series, political-intrigue, romance-historical, absolutely-beloved-character

4.5/5; 5 stars; A

This book was recommended to me by my GR friend, Werner, who manages one of the groups I belong to, Action Heroine Fans. I loved the protagonist in this story, Sarah Tolerance, and she is definitely a worthy character for the Action Heroine Fans to admire! I really enjoyed this book, even despite that fact that I've been resistant to reading historical fiction in recent months. Once I got going on the story, the characters really pulled me and kept me there, for the duration.

M...more

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Apr 10, 2008 GraceAnne rated it 3 of 5 stars

A hard-boiled Regency. A marvelous swashbuckling heroine, Sarah Tolerance. Yes, there is a slightly altered British history, but the language is fresh and tart, the manners exquisite. The author lays gratitude at the feet of both Jane Austen and Dashiell Hammett. Brava.

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Oct 12, 2012 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, mystery, fiction

Really enjoyed this alternate-history Regency mystery. It's Regency England, but Queen Charlotte is the regent for her mad husband rather than the prince. Women have a bit more freedom under the queen's regency than they did in reality, and Sarah Tolerance--a 'fallen woman'--earns her living as a proto-private detective.

The plot itself is reminiscent of The Maltese Falcon. (view spoiler)...more

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May 04, 2013 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-books, favorites

Sarah Tolerance is a Fallen Woman of good family, having run away with her brother's fencing instructor at the age of sixteen. Now, at twenty-eight, she is a private enquiry agent running her business from a cottage at the back of her (also Fallen) aunt's brothel. The setting is a slightly alternate Regency where Queen Charlotte became regent instead of the Prince of Wales.

The story runs along at a good pace, the characters are well drawn, and there are enough twists and red herrings to keep the...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Maya Bohnhoff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-view-cafe

I am now an unabashed Sarah Tolerance fan girl.

Madeleine Robins has given us a superb heroine: smart, savvy, brave, athletic, kind, patient, strong of character, and honorable. I was immersed in Sarah's adventure and couldn't put the book down (thank God I had it on my iPhone). But lest you think this is just a beach read—not so. Yes, it's got great pacing, intrigue, mystery, clues to ferret out, villains to distrust. But the characterization and the way Robins handles the precarious position o...more

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Aug 10, 2012 victoria.p rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 30, 2012 Deanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Liked the premise. Strong woman who never makes excuses for her life choices. She is trying to make a living doing what she is good at: solving puzzles. She has one family member who still accepts her, her aunt who runs a high classed house. There are strong women characters. I loved the way "Miss Tolerance" protected her high born client and made decisions as to his safety. The first half of the book was a little slow but that can be ususal in the set up of a mystery. The ending surprised me an...more

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Jan 22, 2012 CRO rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: murder-mystery, romanceymancemanz, alternate-history, goodreads-stalking, books-read-in-2011

3 ¾ Stars

Yeah!! What a fun, kick-butt heroine. For full disclosure, I feel that I should admit that part of the reason I've fallen so hard for this series and this character is that, when I started reading it ,I had just come off of plowing through Perdido Street Station. Diving into something that seemed so sweetly genre driven and straight forward was a welcome relief. Even still, Sarah Tolerance is a great character that is mature, accessible, and best of all.... wait for it..... has mad, mad...more 3 ¾ Stars

Yeah!! What a fun, kick-butt heroine. For full disclosure, I feel that I should admit that part of the reason I've fallen so hard for this series and this character is that, when I started reading it ,I had just come off of plowing through Perdido Street Station. Diving into something that seemed so sweetly genre driven and straight forward was a welcome relief. Even still, Sarah Tolerance is a great character that is mature, accessible, and best of all.... wait for it..... has mad, mad sword fighting skills.

I did call this a “genre” novel, and sometimes, that can imply (unfairly) that the book is a guilty pleasure – trashy writing for the lowest common denominator. Not really so with this book. If anything, I would call this book an incredibly well thought out and well written potpourri of several different styles. There is the romancey element. But it's not trashy or graphic – really – it's thoughtful, tasteful, grownup romance. The heroine, refreshingly, is not a wide eyed innocent with whom we have to endure the obligatory, unrealistic, soft porn, loss of the maiden head scene. Sarah is not a virgin – the horror – she is already a ruined woman when the novel opens who has found a unique way to earn her keep in Regency England without having to become a prostitute or a penitent spinster. She is basically a private detective. I wish Robins would have given more background about Sarah's relationship with her deceased lover who basically became her common law husband for 7 years – maybe in the next book.

There is also a little alternate history going on here. The author cleverly twitches British history a bit to create a Regency style world where a woman like Sarah Tolerance could realistically exist and operate outside the bounds of polite society.

There is also murder mystery and a lot of action adventure going on. I like how Robins gives Sarah a practical and realistic survival skill set with which to be a murder-solving, action loving, adventuress. Sarah uses her intelligence and her skills as a fencer to save her butt. The detail with which Robins describes Sarah's fencing aptitude and Sherlock Holmes knack for deduction makes it seem at least plausible that Sarah would be able to travel through the seedier parts of 19th century London without getting the pea soup kicked out of her. She is a heroine you would definitely not want to misjudge on a darkened street corner, but there was no over reliance on coincidence, fate, male/ supernatural intervention, magic, or psychic abilities – just a woman real handy with a sword.

I was ¾ of the way through this book and the book seemed to me a solid 3 stars. The book was hitting all the usual, perfunctory notes for this type of book. There was a romance with the slightly bad boy politician. - check. There was a relationship with an older, maternal figure type aunt (who also just happens to be the madame of a high priced brothel) who gives unwanted advice and unconditional support – check. There was the “I'm really a good girl” smugness and preachiness from our main character who, despite her ruined status, is always loudly proclaiming the fact that she is not a prostitute (this is to make sure we know that she is a woman ahead of her time – she is experienced but not slutty) – check. All the right notes are hit so that the reader stays with the heroine – everything falls quite nicely into the well worn grooves of convention. But Robins does a couple of unexpected things with the plot and the romance and the relationships – just nudges things a couple of degrees off course – so that the whole novel is shaken loose from the well worn ruts of genre. Things don't turn out how you think they should – or how the rules of the genre would necessarily dictate. The characters prove to be much more complex and – well – realistic then you would expect – and this was a very welcome surprise (hence the extra ¾ of a star).

I won't go into too much of the unexpected turn of events of the romance or the aunt relationship – I don't want to reveal any spoilers. But the whole thing with the prostitution....it appears ,at first, that Sarah and her vehement protests that she is not a prostitute is just doing the same vaguely hypocritical thing that all of the conventional, sexually active, historical romance heroines who are all just societally misrepresented goody good girls would do in a similar situation. Right at the ¾ mark of the book I was starting to get a little perturbed with our heroine – I felt she was protesting too much – coming off as slightly snooty and judgmental with regards to the women she lived with and called friends (her home and offices were on the grounds of her aunt's brothel). Just as I was starting to severely unlike my new favorite action, adventuress, a turn of events reveals to the reader the real reasons behind Sarah's emphatic protests. Sarah's ire and indignation are not because she sees herself as being better than or more virtuous than a whore, but that she is so frustrated at the lack of choices in her life as a functioning and participating member of society – and yes, a sexually active member of her society. In the Regency period, the sexual life of a man, for the most part, was his own business and up to his own discretion. His sexual life had very little effect on his business or social life. For a woman, it was the age old extremes of Madonna, whore, or spinster. Your sexual life spoke to everything about your life in society. Sarah isn't railing against the sting of the gossip about her sexual promiscuity; she is railing against the fact that she can not live her sexual life separate from her professional or social life– well – like a man can.

Even today, there is no real male equivalent for spinster or whore – those very undesirable incarnations of womanhood. An unmarried man has the very flattering moniker of bachelor. And a promiscuous man is tolerated with a smile and a wink Even today, a promiscuous man may be called a male whore or a slut but it is more of a teasing remark and lacks the sting and derision of the same comment to a woman. And Sarah understands just how tenuous her little sliver of off the beaten path social acceptance really is– this little corner of ruined adventuress that she has cleaved out for herself. Her position is really very fragile despite the strength of choices that it allows her to make .

A fun, and in the end, a very thoughtful read. I'm definitely going to hunt down the rest in the series.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 19, 2012 Lori McD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-lit, tough-subject-matter, suspense, social-issues, regency, mystery, historical-fiction, easy-read, drama, 2012_read

Good thing the jacket cover gives a summary of who Sarah Tolerance is before we start the book... that's my only nit with this book, that it plunges us in without much background about our main character. We get hints and clues, but there's much "assumed" and much revealed only slowly, over the course of the story. WHY Sarah took the surname of "Tolerance", and WHY she is considered "Fallen"... WHY Sarah dresses in mens/boys clothing, and WHY she is an "inquiry agent". These are all things that...more Good thing the jacket cover gives a summary of who Sarah Tolerance is before we start the book... that's my only nit with this book, that it plunges us in without much background about our main character. We get hints and clues, but there's much "assumed" and much revealed only slowly, over the course of the story. WHY Sarah took the surname of "Tolerance", and WHY she is considered "Fallen"... WHY Sarah dresses in mens/boys clothing, and WHY she is an "inquiry agent". These are all things that should be addressed in some form or fashion much sooner in the story than they are. I understand the fuller reveal should come as the story unfolds, but readers need context!

However, that being said, this intriguing tale draws you right in. The mystery of the missing fan... where is it now? Why is it so important? How could a fan possibly contain a secret big enough to take down an earl of the realm, even if he is the leader of a political party? Earls were allowed indiscretions, and his father was known for them; so what about a fan could possibly be so dangerous - enough to kill for? At first, Sarah is determined only to locate the fan to fulfill her commission. But when an old lady and her good friend Matt are killed because of Sarah's pursuit, Sarah begins to wonder about the mystery behind the fan.

A full cast of characters provides a good look into Regency England - it's mores and attitudes. While the history is incorrect (Queen Charlotte was never the Regent for King George), the basics behind the story, including the social values and attitudes are right on.

It's interesting that the author provides a love interest for Sarah, especially since he's an earl and she's Fallen. One wonders how the romance could possibly be resolved? But the author finds a way... a very safe, predictable way. Along the journey, however, the author throws in a variety of bad guys with so many different possible motives, it soon becomes difficult to pick out who is truly "bad" and what the motive is behind the actions. Politics is the main theme, but Sarah discovers that politicians aren't the only ones who claim to do what they do "for the good" of others or society. Isn't the central goal of every human being to do what's good in his or her own eyes? What's best for one's own self and survival?

My ONLY other "nit" would be that the narrative constantly uses Miss Tolerance rather than Sarah to refer to our main character. Since the book is pretty much from her point-of-view, I don't quite understand the distinction. WE know she's Sarah; SHE knows she's Sarah. WE understand that society at large would refer to her as Miss Tolerance. So why must the narrative? (less)

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About Madeleine E. Robins

Writing gives Madeleine Robins the chance to focus on many of her ruling passions: cities, history, swordplay, the history of disease, and the future of mankind–with a side order of historical costuming and infrastructure (urban plumbing is far more interesting than you’d think).

Born in New York City, the Author has been, in no particular order, a nanny, a teacher, an actor and stage-combatant, an...more

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The Sleeping Partner (Sarah Tolerance, #3)

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Point of Honour (Sarah Tolerance #1)

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