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Um Segredo no seu Beijo
Uma rara beleza nasceu no coração exótico do Oriente misterioso na forma de uma mulher.
Mari Sinclair sabe que chegou o momento de pôr um fim na sua carreira como espia inglesa quando consegue evitar um encontro com a morte. Infelizmente, há os que pensam de outra forma e que não têm escrúpulos em usar a chantagem para manter Mari em missão.
Para garantir que ela completa e sobrevive a uma última missão, é destacado um guardião, o major Bennet Prestwood. Mas Mari está furiosa, pois, além de ter este homem à força na sua vida, ele é demasiado dedicado, inflexível, e muitíssimo atraente. Mas, face aos segredos negros e traições mortais, o verdadeiro perigo para Mari é aos poucos revelado e o leal Bennet percebe que, para salvar e conquistar esta mulher extraordinária, terá de fazer o impensável e quebrar as regras, que a paixão e o desejo de repente mudam irrevogavelmente.
Mari Sinclair sabe que chegou o momento de pôr um fim na sua carreira como espia inglesa quando consegue evitar um encontro com a morte. Infelizmente, há os que pensam de outra forma e que não têm escrúpulos em usar a chantagem para manter Mari em missão.
Para garantir que ela completa e sobrevive a uma última missão, é destacado um guardião, o major Bennet Prestwood. Mas Mari está furiosa, pois, além de ter este homem à força na sua vida, ele é demasiado dedicado, inflexível, e muitíssimo atraente. Mas, face aos segredos negros e traições mortais, o verdadeiro perigo para Mari é aos poucos revelado e o leal Bennet percebe que, para salvar e conquistar esta mulher extraordinária, terá de fazer o impensável e quebrar as regras, que a paixão e o desejo de repente mudam irrevogavelmente.
356 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 22, 2012
I wanted to give this book 3 stars. I really did. Anna Randol's a debut author, and every struggling writer knows that it takes years of experience to get your feet under you. She even took a risk, setting the story in Constantinople instead of a collection of boring London drawing rooms where rakes and innocent misses exchange significant glances over tea.
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Georgian England loved giving some significant glances.
So, yes, I wanted to take it easy on A Secret in Her Kiss SO MUCH. Unfortunately, the book packs an overload of shenanigans. The heroine is mega-annoying, unbelievable, and inconsistent. The culture switches from traditional to slapstick several times without warning. Don't even get me started on the grammatical errors. For the love of Mr. Darcy, editors, you're getting paid to make the text readable! Edit!
SUMMARY:
Major Bennett Prestwood, a pretty cool and normal guy, is delayed on his trip home after Waterloo with one last assignment. The Crown needs him to play guardian to a British spy with lady-parts who paints enemy fortresses into pictures of nature. The British spy with lady-parts, unfortunately, is a young spinster by the name of Mari Sinclair. Her father, an architect or archeologist or something, moved her to Constantinople after the death of her Greek mother. Apparently, Mari's taken up her mother's passion for Greek independence. So you have that. But Mari is also friends with the Turkish locals, including a powerful pasha. So you have that, too. Despite Mari's work for the British government, she despises England because her English aunt was mean to her a decade ago and her mother only cared about Greece, DAMN IT! So your plate is probably getting really full now. When the handsome and duty-bound Bennett enters Mari's life, she's convinced to shake him and the British government off because she answers to no man! Too bad Bennett's a hottie, then, because Mari totally finds herself in a frequent state of wanting to jump his British officer bones. Mmm-hmm, smexytimes. And Mari's read the Kama Sutra, so she knows what she's doing. Will these two find an allegiance in common, or will they just boink like animals and part? Even more importantly, will they even survive? (Pretend you don't know these answers. Romance may be predictable, but my enjoyment level went up ten-fold when I convinced myself that Mari could meet her Maker by the end of the book.)
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No, no, NO! Not YOU, Mr. Darcy! I wasn't referring to you!
STUPID THINGS THAT MARI DOES:
You know that annoying tendency that heroines have to do completely off-the-wall stuff without warning or prior communication? "You can't tame me! I'll dress as a boy and go to White's to spy on you because it's my RIGHT AS A WOMAN! RAWR!" Mari does this from the beginning. She's embroiled herself in some serious international politics, which is unfortunate because she often shows the judgment of a lobotamized split-pea. So when she finds out that Bennett's coming to protect her, she gets all indignant and treats him like trash from the beginning. How DARE a man with integrity and the survival skills to last twelve years in active duty try to ... help her? If he had actually done something to piss her off in the first place, I wouldn't have been so puzzled over Mari's petulant attitude. But they had never met before!
After Mari sends her maid dressed in robes and a veil in her place to a meeting with Bennett about enabling her well-being (the nerve!), she takes off all alone in Constantinople knowing very well that someone wants her dead to break her dad out of an opium den. Bennett, being a practical and forthright fellow, tracks her down there and is like, "Okay, not cool, strange woman. I'm just trying to keep you alive." This is how their first meeting progresses. Notice Mari's absence of rationality.
His eyes rested on her father, and pity entered into his gaze.
Her free hand clenched at her side. How dare he? How dare he judge her or her father? She stepped to the right to move around the major.
He mirrored her motion. "Miss Sinclair?"
Mari turned back the other way. He had followed her to the opium den, and he could trail her home because she had no intention of speaking to him here. Thanks to her father's weakness, her life provided enough fodder for public discourse. She refused to add to the subject matter.
The major blocked her again.
She exhaled through clenched teeth. "Would you be so good as to move, sir? My burden is not precisely light."
His eyes narrowed. "You're Miss Sinclair." The words were not a question.
Major Prestood moved toward her father, but she led him a step out of the major's reach. "And you, sir, are arrogant and overbearing. Step aside."
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"Even I wouldn't be such a pretentious dick."
Okay, first off, Mari, RUDE! All Bennett does is try to help her father. It makes no sense. Plus, Mari's hostile demeanor is explained as an attempt to prevent causing a scene. However, short moments later, she kisses Bennett in the middle of the street to ward off curious onlookers. In front of her father, who's wasted out of his mind, but still. IN CONSTANTINOPLE, where women aren't allowed to keep company with men outside of their own houses!
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Mr. Bingley is shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you!
So Mari doesn't like Bennett. Fine. And he, being the hero in a romance novel, dislikes her in return but also gets a really bad boner for her. Nothing new in that department. Although she doesn't trust Bennett and actively thwarts his every attempt to "tame" her, Mari's incredibly sexually aggressive with the poor guy. She touches and straddles him at every opportunity. (Special note: In this world, chaperones aren't a problem.) She talks about studying (lol) the Kama Sutra and how it taught her about the pleasures of the flesh.
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Yes, ladies. Take a moment to let that process.
I can't speak for all women because I'm just some nobody from the wilds of Pennsylvania who reads a lot and talks to her 3 cats like they're real people (so does my husband, for the record). But full disclosure here: By the time I lost my virginity, I'd read tons of romance novels, I'd watched sex on TV and music videos, and I'd had several friends explain it to me. And I was still freaked out of my mind the first time. Terrified. First times are supposed to awkward and kind of uncomfortable, right? But NOT for Mari. Oh, no, she's totally prepared for the wonders of love-making because she's read the Kama Sutra, and apparently that makes her a special snowflake. *Headdesk*
At one point, Mari commits treason. That was a fun development. She was all, "I have no loyalty to England. The people there suck." And Bennett was all, "You're the dumbest person I've met in my entire life, but your hair's so pretty ..." People die for committing treason. Mari didn't just put herself at risk by betraying classified information; she also put Bennett, Achilla (her maid), and her father in grave danger. Especially Bennett. This is all to protect a man who later banishes Mari from Constantinople (with good reason).
The big sex scene takes place in a filthy prison cell, I kid you not. As I read the part where they got thrown in the cell, I checked the pages left in the book and started pleading, "Oh, please. PLEASE don't let them consummate their love in a prison cell." But they did BECAUSE THEIR LOVE CAN'T BE CONTAINED. Freaking nonsense, all of it. The air in the cell is described as "fetid" several times, and they can't even see while they're making love. They could have been bumping uglies on the melted remains of corpse, and they never knew it. That's a lovely image to have in your head while reading a sex scene.
After they escaped from prison, I just wanted the nonsense to be over with. But of course, Mari had to act like a silly ass moron for a little bit longer, rejecting Bennett's marriage proposal because OMG, he follows orders, and maybe the orders mean more to him than being with her. Just ... what the hell? IS THIS WOMAN IMBALANCED? Bennett's in the military. He has to follow orders, or he can be tried for - oh, I don't know - TREASON or WORSE. His ability and willingness to follow orders is what makes him ideal for protecting her sorry life!
To her credit, Mari quickly comes to her senses. But it's too late! Time for a shadowy threat from the book to abduct her and her maid and leave two charred corpses in their place! She's lucky Bennett ends up saving her. Also, I was hoping the book would end when Bennett found what he presumed to be Mari's corpse. It would have been a fitting ending for a tiresome woman who commits treason and betrays all of her alliances like it's no big thing.
There's also the matter of Mari's maid, Achilla, who Mari saved from slavery years ago and still works as her maid in gratitude. Okay, fine. But Achilla rarely behaves as a maid would behave. She's loud and crude and opinionated. Mari interacts with her the same way she would with a friend. But she still orders Achilla about like a maid! The dynamic bothered me, both for its unrealistic portrayal and the condescension of Mari being so kind and selfless to allow her wildly inappropriate maid to stay in her household.
Bennett actually isn't that bad. He's gotten his hands dirty in the war, but he doesn't have any woobie-fied crippled legs or sad wittle feelwings that tworture him. He behaves honorably with Mari with the exception of the disgusting prison cell sex, and he doesn't flip-flop on the whole love thing. If only he'd had more to do. He could have been a great hero in a real romantic adventure story with a heroine who didn't squish him like a bug every time she wanted a leg up.
I'll give Randol credit for holding my attention, even if it was to find out what stupid thing Mari would do next. Her prose flowed easily, aside from the grammatical errors. I'm not sure if the draft given to the editors was just so bad that the finished product was the best they could do or if someone in the editing department really dropped the ball. A lot of books these days suffer from sloppy editing. If I have to re-read a sentence to make sense of it solely because of an error, that's bad.
I pine for the days of good romance to return. Remember this?
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Mari and Bennett can't even compare to Anne and Gil, but they could take a few notes on a proper love/hate relationship.
Oh, and for those of you who like to keep track, I'm pretty sure there was sex in a carriage. It isn't clear because the scene was fade-to-black, but the heroine was already tearing the hero's clothes off. I think it's safe to assume that one more soiled carriage got its chance in the Avon spotlight. :D
[image error]
GIFSoup
Georgian England loved giving some significant glances.
So, yes, I wanted to take it easy on A Secret in Her Kiss SO MUCH. Unfortunately, the book packs an overload of shenanigans. The heroine is mega-annoying, unbelievable, and inconsistent. The culture switches from traditional to slapstick several times without warning. Don't even get me started on the grammatical errors. For the love of Mr. Darcy, editors, you're getting paid to make the text readable! Edit!
SUMMARY:
Major Bennett Prestwood, a pretty cool and normal guy, is delayed on his trip home after Waterloo with one last assignment. The Crown needs him to play guardian to a British spy with lady-parts who paints enemy fortresses into pictures of nature. The British spy with lady-parts, unfortunately, is a young spinster by the name of Mari Sinclair. Her father, an architect or archeologist or something, moved her to Constantinople after the death of her Greek mother. Apparently, Mari's taken up her mother's passion for Greek independence. So you have that. But Mari is also friends with the Turkish locals, including a powerful pasha. So you have that, too. Despite Mari's work for the British government, she despises England because her English aunt was mean to her a decade ago and her mother only cared about Greece, DAMN IT! So your plate is probably getting really full now. When the handsome and duty-bound Bennett enters Mari's life, she's convinced to shake him and the British government off because she answers to no man! Too bad Bennett's a hottie, then, because Mari totally finds herself in a frequent state of wanting to jump his British officer bones. Mmm-hmm, smexytimes. And Mari's read the Kama Sutra, so she knows what she's doing. Will these two find an allegiance in common, or will they just boink like animals and part? Even more importantly, will they even survive? (Pretend you don't know these answers. Romance may be predictable, but my enjoyment level went up ten-fold when I convinced myself that Mari could meet her Maker by the end of the book.)
[image error]
GIFSoup
No, no, NO! Not YOU, Mr. Darcy! I wasn't referring to you!
STUPID THINGS THAT MARI DOES:
You know that annoying tendency that heroines have to do completely off-the-wall stuff without warning or prior communication? "You can't tame me! I'll dress as a boy and go to White's to spy on you because it's my RIGHT AS A WOMAN! RAWR!" Mari does this from the beginning. She's embroiled herself in some serious international politics, which is unfortunate because she often shows the judgment of a lobotamized split-pea. So when she finds out that Bennett's coming to protect her, she gets all indignant and treats him like trash from the beginning. How DARE a man with integrity and the survival skills to last twelve years in active duty try to ... help her? If he had actually done something to piss her off in the first place, I wouldn't have been so puzzled over Mari's petulant attitude. But they had never met before!
After Mari sends her maid dressed in robes and a veil in her place to a meeting with Bennett about enabling her well-being (the nerve!), she takes off all alone in Constantinople knowing very well that someone wants her dead to break her dad out of an opium den. Bennett, being a practical and forthright fellow, tracks her down there and is like, "Okay, not cool, strange woman. I'm just trying to keep you alive." This is how their first meeting progresses. Notice Mari's absence of rationality.
His eyes rested on her father, and pity entered into his gaze.
Her free hand clenched at her side. How dare he? How dare he judge her or her father? She stepped to the right to move around the major.
He mirrored her motion. "Miss Sinclair?"
Mari turned back the other way. He had followed her to the opium den, and he could trail her home because she had no intention of speaking to him here. Thanks to her father's weakness, her life provided enough fodder for public discourse. She refused to add to the subject matter.
The major blocked her again.
She exhaled through clenched teeth. "Would you be so good as to move, sir? My burden is not precisely light."
His eyes narrowed. "You're Miss Sinclair." The words were not a question.
Major Prestood moved toward her father, but she led him a step out of the major's reach. "And you, sir, are arrogant and overbearing. Step aside."
[image error]
GIFSoup
"Even I wouldn't be such a pretentious dick."
Okay, first off, Mari, RUDE! All Bennett does is try to help her father. It makes no sense. Plus, Mari's hostile demeanor is explained as an attempt to prevent causing a scene. However, short moments later, she kisses Bennett in the middle of the street to ward off curious onlookers. In front of her father, who's wasted out of his mind, but still. IN CONSTANTINOPLE, where women aren't allowed to keep company with men outside of their own houses!
[image error]
GIFSoup
Mr. Bingley is shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you!
So Mari doesn't like Bennett. Fine. And he, being the hero in a romance novel, dislikes her in return but also gets a really bad boner for her. Nothing new in that department. Although she doesn't trust Bennett and actively thwarts his every attempt to "tame" her, Mari's incredibly sexually aggressive with the poor guy. She touches and straddles him at every opportunity. (Special note: In this world, chaperones aren't a problem.) She talks about studying (lol) the Kama Sutra and how it taught her about the pleasures of the flesh.
[image error]
GIFSoup
Yes, ladies. Take a moment to let that process.
I can't speak for all women because I'm just some nobody from the wilds of Pennsylvania who reads a lot and talks to her 3 cats like they're real people (so does my husband, for the record). But full disclosure here: By the time I lost my virginity, I'd read tons of romance novels, I'd watched sex on TV and music videos, and I'd had several friends explain it to me. And I was still freaked out of my mind the first time. Terrified. First times are supposed to awkward and kind of uncomfortable, right? But NOT for Mari. Oh, no, she's totally prepared for the wonders of love-making because she's read the Kama Sutra, and apparently that makes her a special snowflake. *Headdesk*
At one point, Mari commits treason. That was a fun development. She was all, "I have no loyalty to England. The people there suck." And Bennett was all, "You're the dumbest person I've met in my entire life, but your hair's so pretty ..." People die for committing treason. Mari didn't just put herself at risk by betraying classified information; she also put Bennett, Achilla (her maid), and her father in grave danger. Especially Bennett. This is all to protect a man who later banishes Mari from Constantinople (with good reason).
The big sex scene takes place in a filthy prison cell, I kid you not. As I read the part where they got thrown in the cell, I checked the pages left in the book and started pleading, "Oh, please. PLEASE don't let them consummate their love in a prison cell." But they did BECAUSE THEIR LOVE CAN'T BE CONTAINED. Freaking nonsense, all of it. The air in the cell is described as "fetid" several times, and they can't even see while they're making love. They could have been bumping uglies on the melted remains of corpse, and they never knew it. That's a lovely image to have in your head while reading a sex scene.
After they escaped from prison, I just wanted the nonsense to be over with. But of course, Mari had to act like a silly ass moron for a little bit longer, rejecting Bennett's marriage proposal because OMG, he follows orders, and maybe the orders mean more to him than being with her. Just ... what the hell? IS THIS WOMAN IMBALANCED? Bennett's in the military. He has to follow orders, or he can be tried for - oh, I don't know - TREASON or WORSE. His ability and willingness to follow orders is what makes him ideal for protecting her sorry life!
To her credit, Mari quickly comes to her senses. But it's too late! Time for a shadowy threat from the book to abduct her and her maid and leave two charred corpses in their place! She's lucky Bennett ends up saving her. Also, I was hoping the book would end when Bennett found what he presumed to be Mari's corpse. It would have been a fitting ending for a tiresome woman who commits treason and betrays all of her alliances like it's no big thing.
There's also the matter of Mari's maid, Achilla, who Mari saved from slavery years ago and still works as her maid in gratitude. Okay, fine. But Achilla rarely behaves as a maid would behave. She's loud and crude and opinionated. Mari interacts with her the same way she would with a friend. But she still orders Achilla about like a maid! The dynamic bothered me, both for its unrealistic portrayal and the condescension of Mari being so kind and selfless to allow her wildly inappropriate maid to stay in her household.
Bennett actually isn't that bad. He's gotten his hands dirty in the war, but he doesn't have any woobie-fied crippled legs or sad wittle feelwings that tworture him. He behaves honorably with Mari with the exception of the disgusting prison cell sex, and he doesn't flip-flop on the whole love thing. If only he'd had more to do. He could have been a great hero in a real romantic adventure story with a heroine who didn't squish him like a bug every time she wanted a leg up.
I'll give Randol credit for holding my attention, even if it was to find out what stupid thing Mari would do next. Her prose flowed easily, aside from the grammatical errors. I'm not sure if the draft given to the editors was just so bad that the finished product was the best they could do or if someone in the editing department really dropped the ball. A lot of books these days suffer from sloppy editing. If I have to re-read a sentence to make sense of it solely because of an error, that's bad.
I pine for the days of good romance to return. Remember this?
[image error]
GIFSoup
Mari and Bennett can't even compare to Anne and Gil, but they could take a few notes on a proper love/hate relationship.
Oh, and for those of you who like to keep track, I'm pretty sure there was sex in a carriage. It isn't clear because the scene was fade-to-black, but the heroine was already tearing the hero's clothes off. I think it's safe to assume that one more soiled carriage got its chance in the Avon spotlight. :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2012
I loved this book...a Regency historical sent in Constantinople. Unique and intriguing...with a secondary plot line that neither overshadows nor disappears in the wake of the main love story.
February 8, 2012
Not bad for a first book. The setting, descriptions, characters, and historical detail are fantastic (as is the stunning cover). Bennett made a great stern, honorable hero, and Mari is an intriguing mystery-- a blend of cultural influences and conflicting motivations, a bit spoiled in some ways (her tricks on Bennett are occasionally childish), but she's good-hearted and brave, and she's got a head on her shoulders.
The intrigue, was a bit lacking for me-- not that there's no tension in the book (there's PLENTY), but I felt like they got absolutely nowhere in their investigation, only to have the author Reveal All at the very end. (Nor did I entirely understand the villains' motivations at the end-- they had such minor appearances in the main part of the story that it was a little hard to make sense of it all.) The relationship between Mari's maid and the butler, too, could have been played up a little more.
Still, a respectable effort and a good story, and I'm definitely going to look for her next book.
The intrigue, was a bit lacking for me-- not that there's no tension in the book (there's PLENTY), but I felt like they got absolutely nowhere in their investigation, only to have the author Reveal All at the very end. (Nor did I entirely understand the villains' motivations at the end-- they had such minor appearances in the main part of the story that it was a little hard to make sense of it all.) The relationship between Mari's maid and the butler, too, could have been played up a little more.
Still, a respectable effort and a good story, and I'm definitely going to look for her next book.
April 18, 2018
La historia me gustó se centra e el tiempo de las guerras de Inglaterras y de cómo los griegos quieren su libertad. Los personajes principales ambos son fuertes, pero eso les complica dejarse ser sumiso hacia el otro.
Al paso de la historia la trama va tomando un giro inesperado a partir de la mitad hasta el final. Me gustó, pero no creo volver a releerlo.
Al paso de la historia la trama va tomando un giro inesperado a partir de la mitad hasta el final. Me gustó, pero no creo volver a releerlo.
February 4, 2013
4.5 stars. Wow.
January 27, 2012
Obviously the biggest thing that drew me to this book was the unique setting. The entire book is set in Constantinople and with that came the lush descriptions of the land and fashions, which were done very well. I really enjoyed our strong heroine, Mari and her belief that she can protect herself even though her life has been in danger before due to her secretive drawings. When the overbearing, Adonis looking Major Bennett Prestwood arrives to protect her during her last mission, the gloves are drawn on both sides and the sparks fly.
For a debut I was very happy with this book. The storyline was interesting and moved quickly along. There is a sweet side story that was enjoyable and I really did not see the big reveal at the end of the villain. The chemistry between Mari and Bennett was smoldering and the little attentions to detail were fabulous. It is so refreshing to read a historical that is set within a unique setting that gave me glimpses of the new area without overwhelming me with too many details. There is just enough freshness that will have you finishing up this books with a wonderful smile on your face. I would have liked an epilogue, but that is just me. I love epilogues :) If you are in the mood for a fresh location and storyline that features a strong couple amongst danger and intrigue, Anna Randol looks to be an author on the rise if her debut is any indication.
For a debut I was very happy with this book. The storyline was interesting and moved quickly along. There is a sweet side story that was enjoyable and I really did not see the big reveal at the end of the villain. The chemistry between Mari and Bennett was smoldering and the little attentions to detail were fabulous. It is so refreshing to read a historical that is set within a unique setting that gave me glimpses of the new area without overwhelming me with too many details. There is just enough freshness that will have you finishing up this books with a wonderful smile on your face. I would have liked an epilogue, but that is just me. I love epilogues :) If you are in the mood for a fresh location and storyline that features a strong couple amongst danger and intrigue, Anna Randol looks to be an author on the rise if her debut is any indication.
February 13, 2012
Loved, loved, loved from start to finish!
August 12, 2013
Às vezes arrisco. Sem ler críticas/opiniões ou sem um segundo olhar atento para uma sinopse, vejo uma capa e decido que quero ler um livro. Felizmente, muitas das vezes, surpreendo-me pela positiva como aconteceu com Um Segredo no Seu Beijo.
Categorizada como uma narrativa sensual, a história de Anna Randol cumpre os predicados deste género de forma eficaz, ainda que breve, através de descrições repletas de paixão e ao mesmo tempo, para minha satisfação, faz um relato de época maravilhoso para leigos, como eu, de uma tão conturbada como peculiar Constantinopla no início do século XIX – 100 anos antes da sua queda em 1922.
Tendo como pano de fundo estratégias militares, este livro desenvolve a sua faceta mais romântica entre um major, ansioso por regressar a casa, e uma espia à força ao serviço reino inglês, que apenas desejava travar uma luta de cariz pessoal. Quando se conhece, este par estabelece uma relação por interesse, no entanto, esta deixa-os rapidamente presos a uma atracção irresistível, e quando perigo parece começar a ceifar vidas é tempo de domar o inoportuno, o impossível, em tempos de guerra.
Gostei de todas as personagens deste livro, tanto das que merecem lugar de destaque como das que intervêm de forma secundária, pois todas elas desempenham e representam um papel fundamental nesta ficção que retrata, levemente, uma parte da história que me era desconhecida.
Mari Sinclair, a protagonista deste enredo, cometeu o erro de dar a conhecer as suas maravilhosas capacidades artísticas onde, por vezes, por detrás de cada insecto desenhado para estudo futuro, escondia informação tão valiosa quanto sigilosa para derrubar as forças rebeldes. Corajosa, forte e perspicaz, esta jovem mulher cresceu abruptamente após a morte da sua mãe, que era apoiante dos rebeldes gregos, pelo que foi obrigada a gerir um lar nesta terra dominada por homens, numa terra onde predomina a cultura muçulmana.
Major Bennet Prestwood, por seu lado, é o típico militar inglês, repleto de honra e princípios, que age sempre em nome da pátria amada. Descontente por ser destacado numa última missão, como protector de uma jovem que julga inconsequente, este irá surpreender-se de forma constante ao longo do texto, enquanto descobre uma nova cultura, se envolve em estratégias/conflitos que não são seus e descobre que o amor pode existir mesmo por detrás de toda a dor que conheceu anteriormente.
Ou seja, Mari e Bannet são um casal interessante devido às suas diferenças e conflitos, estabelecendo uma espécie de amor ódio que oferece laivos de humor à narrativa, e na forma como se descobrem, em segredo do próprio par, por observação, algo que combate o cliché habitual e que atenua a previsibilidade desta união.
Quanto aos restantes intervenientes e temas que estes permitem abordar, gostei particularmente de Achilla, a empregada/amiga de Mari neste país estranho, que não só a educou culturalmente como permite ao leitor ter uma noção da escravatura da época. Também o pai da protagonista merece destaque, como viciado em ópio, ele mostra uma visão bastante realista dos efeitos desta droga de outros tempos e, é importante citar ainda, Esad Pasha, como o próprio título indica um Pasha que tem Mari sob sua protecção mas que é fiel às lutas que esta combate.
Como já dei entender, este livro é igualmente interessante por tudo o que trata em torno do Império Otomano e a sua força na Europa Ocidental em crescimento. Ainda que não seja explorada forma profunda, é permitido ao leitor compreender um pouco da diplomacia levada a cabo pela Inglaterra e, da mesma forma, os jogos de poder que eram levados a cabo com os rebeldes da época. Desta feita, o embaixador Daller é uma personagem pertinente, assim como Talad, um outro muçulmano rico, ávido por poder, que acaba por ter um papel fundamental nesta história que está, muito além, de um simples romance.
Depois do tudo o que já disse, não posso deixar ainda de vos falar das diversas descrições que vamos encontrando, em que, atendendo ao facto de este ser um livro pequeno - com 356 páginas -, a autora esmerou-se para dar a ver tudo o que é importante de uma forma simples mas bastante sólida. Dos campos idílicos onde Mari desenha, à cidade efervescente que nos faz sentir em pleno Médio Oriente, há espaço ainda para conhecermos como funcionam quartéis de rebeldes com as suas torturas macabras, a opulência excêntrica típica dos ingleses na embaixada local e, até, um pouco das consequências/retratos de batalha por onde Bennet passou, o que é bastante enriquecedor para uma obra que não deixa de ter uma índole fortemente emocional.
Em suma, este é um romance sensual belíssimo, não só pela bonita história que desenvolve entre o casal principal como por tudo o resto que oferece, marcando pela diferença através de uma abordagem pouco habitual neste género que surpreenderá as fãs deste género literário.
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt...
Categorizada como uma narrativa sensual, a história de Anna Randol cumpre os predicados deste género de forma eficaz, ainda que breve, através de descrições repletas de paixão e ao mesmo tempo, para minha satisfação, faz um relato de época maravilhoso para leigos, como eu, de uma tão conturbada como peculiar Constantinopla no início do século XIX – 100 anos antes da sua queda em 1922.
Tendo como pano de fundo estratégias militares, este livro desenvolve a sua faceta mais romântica entre um major, ansioso por regressar a casa, e uma espia à força ao serviço reino inglês, que apenas desejava travar uma luta de cariz pessoal. Quando se conhece, este par estabelece uma relação por interesse, no entanto, esta deixa-os rapidamente presos a uma atracção irresistível, e quando perigo parece começar a ceifar vidas é tempo de domar o inoportuno, o impossível, em tempos de guerra.
Gostei de todas as personagens deste livro, tanto das que merecem lugar de destaque como das que intervêm de forma secundária, pois todas elas desempenham e representam um papel fundamental nesta ficção que retrata, levemente, uma parte da história que me era desconhecida.
Mari Sinclair, a protagonista deste enredo, cometeu o erro de dar a conhecer as suas maravilhosas capacidades artísticas onde, por vezes, por detrás de cada insecto desenhado para estudo futuro, escondia informação tão valiosa quanto sigilosa para derrubar as forças rebeldes. Corajosa, forte e perspicaz, esta jovem mulher cresceu abruptamente após a morte da sua mãe, que era apoiante dos rebeldes gregos, pelo que foi obrigada a gerir um lar nesta terra dominada por homens, numa terra onde predomina a cultura muçulmana.
Major Bennet Prestwood, por seu lado, é o típico militar inglês, repleto de honra e princípios, que age sempre em nome da pátria amada. Descontente por ser destacado numa última missão, como protector de uma jovem que julga inconsequente, este irá surpreender-se de forma constante ao longo do texto, enquanto descobre uma nova cultura, se envolve em estratégias/conflitos que não são seus e descobre que o amor pode existir mesmo por detrás de toda a dor que conheceu anteriormente.
Ou seja, Mari e Bannet são um casal interessante devido às suas diferenças e conflitos, estabelecendo uma espécie de amor ódio que oferece laivos de humor à narrativa, e na forma como se descobrem, em segredo do próprio par, por observação, algo que combate o cliché habitual e que atenua a previsibilidade desta união.
Quanto aos restantes intervenientes e temas que estes permitem abordar, gostei particularmente de Achilla, a empregada/amiga de Mari neste país estranho, que não só a educou culturalmente como permite ao leitor ter uma noção da escravatura da época. Também o pai da protagonista merece destaque, como viciado em ópio, ele mostra uma visão bastante realista dos efeitos desta droga de outros tempos e, é importante citar ainda, Esad Pasha, como o próprio título indica um Pasha que tem Mari sob sua protecção mas que é fiel às lutas que esta combate.
Como já dei entender, este livro é igualmente interessante por tudo o que trata em torno do Império Otomano e a sua força na Europa Ocidental em crescimento. Ainda que não seja explorada forma profunda, é permitido ao leitor compreender um pouco da diplomacia levada a cabo pela Inglaterra e, da mesma forma, os jogos de poder que eram levados a cabo com os rebeldes da época. Desta feita, o embaixador Daller é uma personagem pertinente, assim como Talad, um outro muçulmano rico, ávido por poder, que acaba por ter um papel fundamental nesta história que está, muito além, de um simples romance.
Depois do tudo o que já disse, não posso deixar ainda de vos falar das diversas descrições que vamos encontrando, em que, atendendo ao facto de este ser um livro pequeno - com 356 páginas -, a autora esmerou-se para dar a ver tudo o que é importante de uma forma simples mas bastante sólida. Dos campos idílicos onde Mari desenha, à cidade efervescente que nos faz sentir em pleno Médio Oriente, há espaço ainda para conhecermos como funcionam quartéis de rebeldes com as suas torturas macabras, a opulência excêntrica típica dos ingleses na embaixada local e, até, um pouco das consequências/retratos de batalha por onde Bennet passou, o que é bastante enriquecedor para uma obra que não deixa de ter uma índole fortemente emocional.
Em suma, este é um romance sensual belíssimo, não só pela bonita história que desenvolve entre o casal principal como por tudo o resto que oferece, marcando pela diferença através de uma abordagem pouco habitual neste género que surpreenderá as fãs deste género literário.
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt...
October 20, 2013
http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...
Este foi um livro que me surpreendeu bastante! A sinopse revela um pouco da história, mas há algo que permanece no escuro e que no momento da leitura me deixou presa ao enredo. Estas palavras podem parecer um pouco estranhas, mas é o que sinto neste momento e não consigo encontrar outra forma de o dizer. Anna Randol foi uma novidade para mim, desconhecia o seu trabalho e penso que também nada da autora tinha sido publicado antes no nosso país (espero não estar errada nesta afirmação), neste momento tenho a esperança de voltar a ouvir o seu nome e de ver mais dos seus livros à venda. A sua escrita é verdadeiramente calorosa e faz-nos ter a sensação que participamos na acção, que sentimos o que as personagens sentem.
Adorei o Bennet, ele é uma personagem que ao início me parecer um pouco dura. Apesar da preocupação com a sua irmã, pensei que a sua personalidade era um pouco diferente, que ia ser um pouco mais difícil de se apaixonar por Mari. Acabou por tudo se tornar um pouco mais simples devido à enorme pressão a que estavam expostos e também á personalidade de ambos. Demasiado parecidos, mas ao mesmo tempo diferentes. A autora manobrou-os de uma forma exímia e que a cada passo deixava algo em suspenso, permitindo ao leitor questionar-se acerca do que se estava a passar. Achilla e Selim foram outro casal de que gostei muito e que tinham um passado difícil. Tal como as outras personagens, tinham um papel muito importante na trama e só no final se descobriu realmente o que escondiam e de que lado estavam. Achei que tinham uma química muito especial e fiquei muito contente por não me ter enganado acerca dos sentimentos que nutriam um pelo outro. Esses sentimentos, que se mantiveram escondidos até ao fim, faziam com que ambos protagonizassem momentos hilariantes e que sempre deixavam um sorriso no meu rosto.
Um livro carregado de acção, mistério, romance e sensualidade. Adorei!
Este foi um livro que me surpreendeu bastante! A sinopse revela um pouco da história, mas há algo que permanece no escuro e que no momento da leitura me deixou presa ao enredo. Estas palavras podem parecer um pouco estranhas, mas é o que sinto neste momento e não consigo encontrar outra forma de o dizer. Anna Randol foi uma novidade para mim, desconhecia o seu trabalho e penso que também nada da autora tinha sido publicado antes no nosso país (espero não estar errada nesta afirmação), neste momento tenho a esperança de voltar a ouvir o seu nome e de ver mais dos seus livros à venda. A sua escrita é verdadeiramente calorosa e faz-nos ter a sensação que participamos na acção, que sentimos o que as personagens sentem.
Adorei o Bennet, ele é uma personagem que ao início me parecer um pouco dura. Apesar da preocupação com a sua irmã, pensei que a sua personalidade era um pouco diferente, que ia ser um pouco mais difícil de se apaixonar por Mari. Acabou por tudo se tornar um pouco mais simples devido à enorme pressão a que estavam expostos e também á personalidade de ambos. Demasiado parecidos, mas ao mesmo tempo diferentes. A autora manobrou-os de uma forma exímia e que a cada passo deixava algo em suspenso, permitindo ao leitor questionar-se acerca do que se estava a passar. Achilla e Selim foram outro casal de que gostei muito e que tinham um passado difícil. Tal como as outras personagens, tinham um papel muito importante na trama e só no final se descobriu realmente o que escondiam e de que lado estavam. Achei que tinham uma química muito especial e fiquei muito contente por não me ter enganado acerca dos sentimentos que nutriam um pelo outro. Esses sentimentos, que se mantiveram escondidos até ao fim, faziam com que ambos protagonizassem momentos hilariantes e que sempre deixavam um sorriso no meu rosto.
Um livro carregado de acção, mistério, romance e sensualidade. Adorei!
March 11, 2014
I skimmed this book in paperback while my iPad was waiting for a replacement charging cable. I was roped in by the unique and interesting plot. The heroine, a Mari Sinclair, is an artist who works for Britain in the war effort by drawing flora and fauna with hidden details of enemy lines microscopically drawn into her pieces. She is at risk of being discovered in Constanipole and Major Bennett Prestwood, a handsome blonde Adonis, is assigned to protect her life. They decide that he will play at courting her, an explanation for why Bennett is suddenly around Mari all the time.
The problem with this good plot and good time period is that the author didn't capitalize on building a slow burn type of chemistry between the two protagonists. The heat rating is MILD. Also, she made Bennett seem kind of asexual and a bit of a cold fish. His attractive hotness could have seemed to desire the heroine more and could have seemed to be uncontrollably attracted to her, but no, he is a good uptight military man who will do his job.
The problem with this good plot and good time period is that the author didn't capitalize on building a slow burn type of chemistry between the two protagonists. The heat rating is MILD. Also, she made Bennett seem kind of asexual and a bit of a cold fish. His attractive hotness could have seemed to desire the heroine more and could have seemed to be uncontrollably attracted to her, but no, he is a good uptight military man who will do his job.
February 26, 2012
I was excited to read a Regency novel set somewhere unusual. I was hoping for tasty historical detail and different social conventions.
What I got was the uneasy feeling that the heroine was secretly a time-traveler from this century, out to thwart everyone and make them crazy. Where Heyer's Grand Sophy knew that she was defying conventions, and did it on purpose, Mari doesn't appear to be operating under the rules for English OR Turkish ladies, nor does she appear to notice. She walks home from parties alone, visits opium dens alone, and generally does not have the fetters that would make the story more interesting and more difficult.
On the other hand, I really liked Bennet and his angsty but efficient mind. He takes his job very seriously, and I respected him for it.
The best scene may have been when they are mostly-naked together and he discovers the henna she has hidden on her body, and loves the way it makes her seem wild and otherwordly. I also liked the exploration ofhow her father's addiction has colored her perception of other people in her world -- I found that compelling.
On the whole, though, the ahistorical heroine is somehow extra jarring in an unusual regency setting.
Read if: you don't know much about Constantinople and want some color. You like steadfast heroes.
Skip if: you're a history buff, you only read for the heroines.
What I got was the uneasy feeling that the heroine was secretly a time-traveler from this century, out to thwart everyone and make them crazy. Where Heyer's Grand Sophy knew that she was defying conventions, and did it on purpose, Mari doesn't appear to be operating under the rules for English OR Turkish ladies, nor does she appear to notice. She walks home from parties alone, visits opium dens alone, and generally does not have the fetters that would make the story more interesting and more difficult.
On the other hand, I really liked Bennet and his angsty but efficient mind. He takes his job very seriously, and I respected him for it.
The best scene may have been when they are mostly-naked together and he discovers the henna she has hidden on her body, and loves the way it makes her seem wild and otherwordly. I also liked the exploration ofhow her father's addiction has colored her perception of other people in her world -- I found that compelling.
On the whole, though, the ahistorical heroine is somehow extra jarring in an unusual regency setting.
Read if: you don't know much about Constantinople and want some color. You like steadfast heroes.
Skip if: you're a history buff, you only read for the heroines.
February 7, 2016
3,5
Ok... tenho que admitir que o livro é bom, a história em si é boa, mas tinha outras expetativas para este livro.
O que me chateou? A atração fatal instantânea.
Bolas! Uma pessoa que anda a ser perseguida, a fazer de espiã, com inimigos em todos os cantos, sem saber se o traidor (ou traidora) está mais perto dela do que ela pensa, lá pensa no kamasutra?
Pelo amor de Deus!!!!
Tivesse a autora tornado esta atração fatal em algo menos forçado e mais natural, o livro seria MUITO MELHOR!
Quanto ao resto, este livro é bastante completo. Ideal para levar para uma esplanada e desfrutar do Verão enquanto os nossos heróis e heroínas percorrem as vielas sujas e quentes de Constantinopla em busca de segredos obscuros.
Ok... tenho que admitir que o livro é bom, a história em si é boa, mas tinha outras expetativas para este livro.
O que me chateou? A atração fatal instantânea.
Bolas! Uma pessoa que anda a ser perseguida, a fazer de espiã, com inimigos em todos os cantos, sem saber se o traidor (ou traidora) está mais perto dela do que ela pensa, lá pensa no kamasutra?
Pelo amor de Deus!!!!
Tivesse a autora tornado esta atração fatal em algo menos forçado e mais natural, o livro seria MUITO MELHOR!
Quanto ao resto, este livro é bastante completo. Ideal para levar para uma esplanada e desfrutar do Verão enquanto os nossos heróis e heroínas percorrem as vielas sujas e quentes de Constantinopla em busca de segredos obscuros.
July 31, 2012
*sigh!* that's how it made me feel at the end! It was sweet and you really feel that they've gotten to know one another and see how they fell in love. I really like how every single character was well thought out. There were nobody in here that I didn't feel like they had a past, present, and future. So yeah I felt like I was lying on a settee with my hand to my forehead and just sighing. *sigh* Wonderful debut by Anna Randol. I can't say enough good things.
January 19, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. Fresh historical setting? Check. Interesting characters? Check. Great writing that pulled me in and helped me escape kid-induced insanity? Check. Can't wait for more from Anna Randol!
June 30, 2015
Gostei bastante desta historia , achei-a bastante exótica por se passar em Constantinopla e as aventuras de espionagem e o romance também foi muito bonito ( nada muito rápido levaram o seu tempo a apaixonarem-se) e com muita aventura á mistura ;)
March 24, 2012
Claptrap. I don't know whose is the bigger mistake - the author's for writing it, or me for actually reading it.
June 10, 2013
Deixo aqui a minha opinião!
http://cronicasdeumaleitora.blogspot....
http://cronicasdeumaleitora.blogspot....
July 21, 2014
The last 20 pages surprisingly made up for an otherwise dry boring predictable story.
And kudos to the art department for that stunning cover. A+ Very accurate and so gorgeous.
And kudos to the art department for that stunning cover. A+ Very accurate and so gorgeous.
June 4, 2012
Originally published at http://www.torimacallister.com on May 24, 2012
I adore Regency romances because the time period is so fascinating. The early nineteenth century shaped a country in a state of flux, one that was either experiencing the Napoleonic Wars or recovering from them, and the whole nation was poised on the brink of an industrial revolution which would change the world, to say nothing of Great Britain itself. From a writing standpoint, social strictures were still a little looser, a hold-over from the more licentious period of the late 18th century, which has fortunately given authors more wiggle room for creating interesting scenarios that allow romance to flourish in a compressed period of time for our hero/heroine.
But as much as I love Regencies, I'm really picky about the writers I love. Not like - I like plenty of Regency authors - but really love. You know, love, love. The majority of novels in this sub-genre are kind of, well, "meh" for me. It's writers like Stephanie Laurens and Sarah MacLean that have me forking over full price for both the ebook AND the print version of their books. Most other authors just don't get my steam engine running on all cylinders even though I still enjoy the immersion into the time period.
Months ago, I saw a contest on Facebook for Avon Books about proving how enthusiastic an Avon reader you were by filling out this long survey. I purchase Avon books constantly and had enormous fun writing the little responses and talking about my favorites. I didn't hear anything more and totally forgot about it, until I got a package in the mail about 8 weeks ago that held two Avon books. *doing happy dance*
One of them was A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol, a book I was so interested in reading that I had already purchased it in ebook form. With other reading more pressing, it made its way to my back burner, until the other day when I had the need of a marathon bubble bath. iPads and baths don't go well together, so I perused my paper to-reads and my Avon freebie leapt into my hand.
I was riveted, to the point of shooing my husband away when he wanted to catch up on the latest Mad Men episode (which is usually a solemn occasion in our house). Never have I read a Regency romance which manages to convey the customs of its time period yet paint such an evocative sense of place (in this case, the Ottoman Empire). There isn't a ton of reliable information about this time period from a Western perspective, but Randol has some lovely historical information that is so seamlessly interwoven through the plot that you just swallow it and say "yum" afterward. I think this is the mark of great historical fiction.
I worry when my female protagonist is described by other reviewers as "empowered" or "non-traditional" simply because my disbelief can only be suspended so much. In a desperate bid for a new slant on the Regency heroine, we get authors making women into pirates or bohemian artists who have slept with a bunch of lovers yet miraculously never gotten pregnant (but they have no fertility problems after marrying the hero). Really, people?
In the case of A Secret in Her Kiss, our heroine is unique and strong for her time period, but the reader buys it, hook, line and sinker. Strikingly beautiful Mari Sinclair is the daughter of a damaged archeologist father, who has raised her in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, leaving her to her own devices. A talented artist, Mari has become a naturalist painter with has strong personal ties to the local Pasha, but she has been coerced by the British into using her drawing to spy on local fortifications. The reason for this is not her loyalty to the British Empire - she has none for the country that she feels rejected her and her mother - but rather due to her imperative to keep resources near the Greek rebels trying to throw off the yoke of the Ottomans. Mari, you see, is the daughter of a Greek slave, a beautiful and intelligent woman who her father fell for and freed prior to marriage.
Major Bennett Prestwood, son of an Earl, is fresh off the battlefield where over the years he has both won honors and witnessed atrocities all in the name of the King. While admired for his golden good looks and military prowess, Bennett has a total focus on duty - to King, country and family, in that order. When he hears that his sister has returned to her abusive husband, he buys a ticket for England immediately to save her, but his plans are derailed when he receives urgent orders to head to Turkey to guard a female spy for England. Bennett is stuck with the job because his cousin is the British ambassador, offering him unobtrusive cover for his assignment.
Bennett promised to keep his sister Sophia's secret when she left her husband last time, so he doesn't feel alerting the rest of the family to the gravity of her situation is within the boundaries of his oath to her. He resolves to finish this assignment as quickly as possible so he can get home and save his sister further abuse. Always a soldier and an excellent spy himself, he rapidly assesses the political landscape in which Mari is at the center. Fascinated by her despite his feelings of urgency, they both experience attraction and the usual misunderstandings as they grow to understand each other's character. Bennett helps Mari be a better spy, even though he wars with the desire to protect her from everything, and Mari helps Bennett understand that a blind sense of duty which fulfills oaths while ignoring the larger good might not really support the honor that makes up his core sense of self.
While this book would only fall about midrange on the sensuality scale in terms of content, Randol does an excellent job at letting the reader feel the incredible sexual tension and attraction between the couple. Mari, surrounded by Turks, is more than cognizant of the intimacies between men and women and has even read the Kama Sutra (in the original Hindustani). Rather than be offended by Mari's innate sensuality and knowledge, Bennett accepts it as part of her exotic upbringing. It simply makes him even more attracted to her while she finally gets to see what a reliable and honorable Englishman looks like, and it's an compelling sight.
Randol is to be applauded for her outstanding writing. It's hard to believe that a novel with such three-dimensional characters is a debut author's effort! Bennett, who secretly writes poetry, is a true heart-breaker of a damaged hero and any reader will be moved reading about Mari's neglected childhood. I feel that the location of the Ottoman Empire is so well drawn that it is another protagonist, moving the plot along and lending depth of understanding to the hero/heroine's actions.
I cannot wait for more from this author, and luckily, I won't have to be patient for too long. Although not yet in the Amazon database despite a June 26th release date, the enovella, A Most Naked Solution, Bennett's sister Sophia's story, is in the works (why can't I order this anywhere?). I've already preordered Randol's next novel, Sins of a Virgin , even though I have no idea what it is about, simply based off Randol's writing and the kick-ass cover - seriously, who is she giving a supply of chocolate to at Avon to get these amazing covers????
People looking to get more from Anna Randol can keep up with her on Facebook or on Twitter as well as periodically check her website. I was interested to discover the collaborative blog on which she posts, The Dashing Duchesses, comprised of other historical romance writers and have added this little gem into my Google Reader.
It's thrilling that in a field of standard Regency romance writers I can find an author who can put a fresh spin on a favorite time period. Anna Randol has shattered the Regency mold with her debut book and the whole genre is a little better for it.
I adore Regency romances because the time period is so fascinating. The early nineteenth century shaped a country in a state of flux, one that was either experiencing the Napoleonic Wars or recovering from them, and the whole nation was poised on the brink of an industrial revolution which would change the world, to say nothing of Great Britain itself. From a writing standpoint, social strictures were still a little looser, a hold-over from the more licentious period of the late 18th century, which has fortunately given authors more wiggle room for creating interesting scenarios that allow romance to flourish in a compressed period of time for our hero/heroine.
But as much as I love Regencies, I'm really picky about the writers I love. Not like - I like plenty of Regency authors - but really love. You know, love, love. The majority of novels in this sub-genre are kind of, well, "meh" for me. It's writers like Stephanie Laurens and Sarah MacLean that have me forking over full price for both the ebook AND the print version of their books. Most other authors just don't get my steam engine running on all cylinders even though I still enjoy the immersion into the time period.
Months ago, I saw a contest on Facebook for Avon Books about proving how enthusiastic an Avon reader you were by filling out this long survey. I purchase Avon books constantly and had enormous fun writing the little responses and talking about my favorites. I didn't hear anything more and totally forgot about it, until I got a package in the mail about 8 weeks ago that held two Avon books. *doing happy dance*
One of them was A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol, a book I was so interested in reading that I had already purchased it in ebook form. With other reading more pressing, it made its way to my back burner, until the other day when I had the need of a marathon bubble bath. iPads and baths don't go well together, so I perused my paper to-reads and my Avon freebie leapt into my hand.
I was riveted, to the point of shooing my husband away when he wanted to catch up on the latest Mad Men episode (which is usually a solemn occasion in our house). Never have I read a Regency romance which manages to convey the customs of its time period yet paint such an evocative sense of place (in this case, the Ottoman Empire). There isn't a ton of reliable information about this time period from a Western perspective, but Randol has some lovely historical information that is so seamlessly interwoven through the plot that you just swallow it and say "yum" afterward. I think this is the mark of great historical fiction.
I worry when my female protagonist is described by other reviewers as "empowered" or "non-traditional" simply because my disbelief can only be suspended so much. In a desperate bid for a new slant on the Regency heroine, we get authors making women into pirates or bohemian artists who have slept with a bunch of lovers yet miraculously never gotten pregnant (but they have no fertility problems after marrying the hero). Really, people?
In the case of A Secret in Her Kiss, our heroine is unique and strong for her time period, but the reader buys it, hook, line and sinker. Strikingly beautiful Mari Sinclair is the daughter of a damaged archeologist father, who has raised her in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, leaving her to her own devices. A talented artist, Mari has become a naturalist painter with has strong personal ties to the local Pasha, but she has been coerced by the British into using her drawing to spy on local fortifications. The reason for this is not her loyalty to the British Empire - she has none for the country that she feels rejected her and her mother - but rather due to her imperative to keep resources near the Greek rebels trying to throw off the yoke of the Ottomans. Mari, you see, is the daughter of a Greek slave, a beautiful and intelligent woman who her father fell for and freed prior to marriage.
Major Bennett Prestwood, son of an Earl, is fresh off the battlefield where over the years he has both won honors and witnessed atrocities all in the name of the King. While admired for his golden good looks and military prowess, Bennett has a total focus on duty - to King, country and family, in that order. When he hears that his sister has returned to her abusive husband, he buys a ticket for England immediately to save her, but his plans are derailed when he receives urgent orders to head to Turkey to guard a female spy for England. Bennett is stuck with the job because his cousin is the British ambassador, offering him unobtrusive cover for his assignment.
Bennett promised to keep his sister Sophia's secret when she left her husband last time, so he doesn't feel alerting the rest of the family to the gravity of her situation is within the boundaries of his oath to her. He resolves to finish this assignment as quickly as possible so he can get home and save his sister further abuse. Always a soldier and an excellent spy himself, he rapidly assesses the political landscape in which Mari is at the center. Fascinated by her despite his feelings of urgency, they both experience attraction and the usual misunderstandings as they grow to understand each other's character. Bennett helps Mari be a better spy, even though he wars with the desire to protect her from everything, and Mari helps Bennett understand that a blind sense of duty which fulfills oaths while ignoring the larger good might not really support the honor that makes up his core sense of self.
While this book would only fall about midrange on the sensuality scale in terms of content, Randol does an excellent job at letting the reader feel the incredible sexual tension and attraction between the couple. Mari, surrounded by Turks, is more than cognizant of the intimacies between men and women and has even read the Kama Sutra (in the original Hindustani). Rather than be offended by Mari's innate sensuality and knowledge, Bennett accepts it as part of her exotic upbringing. It simply makes him even more attracted to her while she finally gets to see what a reliable and honorable Englishman looks like, and it's an compelling sight.Randol is to be applauded for her outstanding writing. It's hard to believe that a novel with such three-dimensional characters is a debut author's effort! Bennett, who secretly writes poetry, is a true heart-breaker of a damaged hero and any reader will be moved reading about Mari's neglected childhood. I feel that the location of the Ottoman Empire is so well drawn that it is another protagonist, moving the plot along and lending depth of understanding to the hero/heroine's actions.
I cannot wait for more from this author, and luckily, I won't have to be patient for too long. Although not yet in the Amazon database despite a June 26th release date, the enovella, A Most Naked Solution, Bennett's sister Sophia's story, is in the works (why can't I order this anywhere?). I've already preordered Randol's next novel, Sins of a Virgin , even though I have no idea what it is about, simply based off Randol's writing and the kick-ass cover - seriously, who is she giving a supply of chocolate to at Avon to get these amazing covers????
People looking to get more from Anna Randol can keep up with her on Facebook or on Twitter as well as periodically check her website. I was interested to discover the collaborative blog on which she posts, The Dashing Duchesses, comprised of other historical romance writers and have added this little gem into my Google Reader.
It's thrilling that in a field of standard Regency romance writers I can find an author who can put a fresh spin on a favorite time period. Anna Randol has shattered the Regency mold with her debut book and the whole genre is a little better for it.
October 27, 2018
I DIDN'T KNOW TO GIVE THIS 4.5 OR 5 STARS. BUT I WILL BE GENEROUS TODAY.
THE ROMANCE OF THIS WAS JUST WONDERFUL. IT'S JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EVERYTHING FOR ME. IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT INSTA LOVE THAT'S FOR SURE, BUT THERE WAS LUST AND PASSION THE SPARK THAT STARTED THE WHOLE THING.
OUR HERO is an agent of sorts for the British government and has been forced to play bodyguard to a British woman in Ottoman Empire. Most reviewers were raving about the setting, and I guess it was indeed special and exotic to read about Turkey during the historical period. He's a bit frustrated because he wants to return to England to settle a family problem he shouldn't have overlooked and wants it dealt with promptly. But, he is waylaid by his duty for England. One thing about Bennett, he was definitely too invested in his DUTY that later he starts wavering when the woman he loves is placed in danger. There was a bit of friction when he forces Mari to sketch the one edifice that may very well endanger her life, and for once Bennett is met with a very stubborn woman who challenges him, but also puts his heart in a bad place when her life is threatened by unseen enemies. I liked Bennett's character mainly because he's the kind the heroine will feel safe with, loved and properly cherished when he puts his mind to it and he's also responsible while sensible.
OUR HEROINE has been given a long leash for a long time and has been raised in Turkey since she was 12. Her mother was Greek while her father is English - he is also an opium addict which makes her life emotionally turbulent. Mari is angered when she realizes that the British has appointed her a bodyguard she believes is a nuisance and hopes to get rid of him, but Bennett is too loyal to duty that he won't budge. The antagonism mixed with sensual attraction made their banters, fights and conversations all the more interesting. Mari is not a meek woman, and she's also smart though not as adept as the Major. There will be problems they both face, which makes them both question each other's loyalty to Mother England.
OVERALL this story was quite emotional and passionate, not in the sad sense but I don't know, it made me happy by the time it ended. I liked the characters, liked their chemistry and how they accepted each other's flaws. I guess their romance was more likely the reason I rated this a 5 stars. I enjoyed it till the end, not going to nitpick at anything and that's the end of it.
THE ROMANCE OF THIS WAS JUST WONDERFUL. IT'S JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EVERYTHING FOR ME. IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT INSTA LOVE THAT'S FOR SURE, BUT THERE WAS LUST AND PASSION THE SPARK THAT STARTED THE WHOLE THING.
OUR HERO is an agent of sorts for the British government and has been forced to play bodyguard to a British woman in Ottoman Empire. Most reviewers were raving about the setting, and I guess it was indeed special and exotic to read about Turkey during the historical period. He's a bit frustrated because he wants to return to England to settle a family problem he shouldn't have overlooked and wants it dealt with promptly. But, he is waylaid by his duty for England. One thing about Bennett, he was definitely too invested in his DUTY that later he starts wavering when the woman he loves is placed in danger. There was a bit of friction when he forces Mari to sketch the one edifice that may very well endanger her life, and for once Bennett is met with a very stubborn woman who challenges him, but also puts his heart in a bad place when her life is threatened by unseen enemies. I liked Bennett's character mainly because he's the kind the heroine will feel safe with, loved and properly cherished when he puts his mind to it and he's also responsible while sensible.
OUR HEROINE has been given a long leash for a long time and has been raised in Turkey since she was 12. Her mother was Greek while her father is English - he is also an opium addict which makes her life emotionally turbulent. Mari is angered when she realizes that the British has appointed her a bodyguard she believes is a nuisance and hopes to get rid of him, but Bennett is too loyal to duty that he won't budge. The antagonism mixed with sensual attraction made their banters, fights and conversations all the more interesting. Mari is not a meek woman, and she's also smart though not as adept as the Major. There will be problems they both face, which makes them both question each other's loyalty to Mother England.
OVERALL this story was quite emotional and passionate, not in the sad sense but I don't know, it made me happy by the time it ended. I liked the characters, liked their chemistry and how they accepted each other's flaws. I guess their romance was more likely the reason I rated this a 5 stars. I enjoyed it till the end, not going to nitpick at anything and that's the end of it.
July 5, 2021
Not real literature but a good read, rather complex plot, good characters, escapism for an afternoon.
A rare beauty, raised in the exotic heart of the mysterious East, Mari Sinclair knows it’s time to end her career as a British spy when she narrowly avoids a brush with death. Unfortunately, there are those who think otherwise—and they are not above using blackmail to keep Mari in the game.
Saddled with a handsome, duty-obsessed "minder" to ensure that she completes—and survives—one last mission, Mari is incensed . . . for her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is simply too dedicated, too unbending, and too disarmingly attractive. But in the face of dark secrets and deadly treacheries, as the true peril to Mari is slowly revealed, loyal soldier Bennett realizes that to save and win this extraordinary woman, he will have to do the unthinkable and break the rules—rules that passion and desire have suddenly, irrevocably chan
A rare beauty, raised in the exotic heart of the mysterious East, Mari Sinclair knows it’s time to end her career as a British spy when she narrowly avoids a brush with death. Unfortunately, there are those who think otherwise—and they are not above using blackmail to keep Mari in the game.
Saddled with a handsome, duty-obsessed "minder" to ensure that she completes—and survives—one last mission, Mari is incensed . . . for her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is simply too dedicated, too unbending, and too disarmingly attractive. But in the face of dark secrets and deadly treacheries, as the true peril to Mari is slowly revealed, loyal soldier Bennett realizes that to save and win this extraordinary woman, he will have to do the unthinkable and break the rules—rules that passion and desire have suddenly, irrevocably chan
May 11, 2017
Para ser una literatura sencilla estuvo buena. Te entretiene a pesar de que es predecible algunas situaciones.
Cada tanto me gusta leer novelas con historias sencillas que te hagan pasar un buen rato.
Cada tanto me gusta leer novelas con historias sencillas que te hagan pasar un buen rato.
May 3, 2020
Hay no, le tenia tantas esperanzas a este libro porque estaba ubicado fuera de inglaterra y nos contextualizaban en una epoca un poco dificil. y la verdad es que me dejo aburrida, se me hizo largo, queria sacudir a la protagonista por tonta y psss esperaba mas de el.
Read
June 25, 2021Read 2021
Want to read
May 24, 2022May 2022
I’ll be honest - the setting of this in Constantinople is what interest me. No idea if the author gets it right or not … let’s find out 🤞
I’ll be honest - the setting of this in Constantinople is what interest me. No idea if the author gets it right or not … let’s find out 🤞
July 7, 2025
interesante historia de acción muy bien contada, es una linda historia de una espía y el oficial Bennet, que se llevó excelente.
March 1, 2019
De verdad que , wow.
Ame tanto este libro y no precisamente por las escenas , eh , ¿como decirlo? ¿pasionales?
Realmente es un amor tan bonito y el final es tan dulce que veía corazoncitos y de verdad me dio esperanzas de vivir y asi , es por eso que este libro es bello y Anna Randol, eres tan increíble que mereces el mundo entero.❤❤❤
Ame tanto este libro y no precisamente por las escenas , eh , ¿como decirlo? ¿pasionales?
Realmente es un amor tan bonito y el final es tan dulce que veía corazoncitos y de verdad me dio esperanzas de vivir y asi , es por eso que este libro es bello y Anna Randol, eres tan increíble que mereces el mundo entero.❤❤❤
February 8, 2012
I reviewed this for Night Owl Reviews - Rated 4.5 Stars Top Pick
Raised in the East, Mari Sinclair knows it’s time to end her career as a British spy when she narrowly misses a bullet. Unfortunately, those in power need the information she’s been obtaining for them and they’re not above blackmailing her and forcing her to work for them.
Given a “protector” to ensure she survives and completes her final mission, Mari becomes infuriated. Her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is too dedicated, too obstinate and too handsomely distracting. As Bennett faces dark secrets and the growing treachery, it’s clear that the danger to Mari is growing. And as passion and desire between them spirals out of control, Bennett will have to break the rules to keep Mari alive.
A Secret in Her Kiss is a captivating debut regency romance by Anna Randol. Set in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the focus of this story is the romance between Mari Sinclair, a half British-half Greek young woman spying on the Ottoman Empire for the British, and Major Bennett Prestwood, a British nobleman and army officer tasked with keeping her alive. Ms. Randol’s characters and descriptions of life in Constantinople are captivating and captured my attention from the first page.
Unlike other young women in her situation, Mari Sinclair, does not have marriage on her mind. The daughter of a British archeologist and Greek woman, Mari is determined to help her mother’s people obtain their freedom from the corrupt Ottoman Empire. Spying on several military forts throughout the countryside of Constantinople, Mari is able to disguise her drawings as naturalist renditions of butterfly wildlife. When her safety is at risk and she wants to quit acting being a spy for the British, she finds herself blackmailed by the British government, whose agent threatens to leak his knowledge of her support of Greek freedom fighters. Forced to accept a “guardian” and continue spying for the British, Mari does not expect to fall in love with the dedicated officer she accepts as a pretend suitor.
After surviving the Battle of Waterloo, Major Bennett Prestwood simply wants to go home. He wants to visit his family, deal with his sister’s abusive husband, and retire to his estate. Instead, he finds himself on a “final” assignment, tasked with guarding a spy for the British government. Using the cover of visiting his cousin, the British ambassador in Constantinople, Bennett plans to push the spy to get the job done. He never planned on falling in love or on questioning his duty.
Forced to act as Mari’s suitor, Bennett can’t deny his attraction to the exotic beauty. While neither Mari nor Bennett planned on having a real relationship, the attraction between them is undeniable, not matter how hard they try to fight it. I really enjoyed how Ms. Randol developed their relationship; as their attraction grows, their relationship evolves into love, though it’s filled with a lot of misunderstanding. Both Mari and Bennett are strong, loyal and headstrong people and their dialogue is sharp and filled with a lot of give and take. While Mari is at odds with Bennett’s determination to do his duty, Bennett is forced to admire her fierce independence and loyalty to her cause.
While the danger around them intensifies, and betrayal seems imminent, Mari and Bennett are forced to rely on each other. Will they be able to complete the final assignment without being caught? And will Bennett and Mari finally admit their love for each other? You’ll have to read A Secret in Her Kiss to find out. I really enjoyed Ms. Randol’s book and believe she’ll be an author to watch.
Raised in the East, Mari Sinclair knows it’s time to end her career as a British spy when she narrowly misses a bullet. Unfortunately, those in power need the information she’s been obtaining for them and they’re not above blackmailing her and forcing her to work for them.
Given a “protector” to ensure she survives and completes her final mission, Mari becomes infuriated. Her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is too dedicated, too obstinate and too handsomely distracting. As Bennett faces dark secrets and the growing treachery, it’s clear that the danger to Mari is growing. And as passion and desire between them spirals out of control, Bennett will have to break the rules to keep Mari alive.
A Secret in Her Kiss is a captivating debut regency romance by Anna Randol. Set in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the focus of this story is the romance between Mari Sinclair, a half British-half Greek young woman spying on the Ottoman Empire for the British, and Major Bennett Prestwood, a British nobleman and army officer tasked with keeping her alive. Ms. Randol’s characters and descriptions of life in Constantinople are captivating and captured my attention from the first page.
Unlike other young women in her situation, Mari Sinclair, does not have marriage on her mind. The daughter of a British archeologist and Greek woman, Mari is determined to help her mother’s people obtain their freedom from the corrupt Ottoman Empire. Spying on several military forts throughout the countryside of Constantinople, Mari is able to disguise her drawings as naturalist renditions of butterfly wildlife. When her safety is at risk and she wants to quit acting being a spy for the British, she finds herself blackmailed by the British government, whose agent threatens to leak his knowledge of her support of Greek freedom fighters. Forced to accept a “guardian” and continue spying for the British, Mari does not expect to fall in love with the dedicated officer she accepts as a pretend suitor.
After surviving the Battle of Waterloo, Major Bennett Prestwood simply wants to go home. He wants to visit his family, deal with his sister’s abusive husband, and retire to his estate. Instead, he finds himself on a “final” assignment, tasked with guarding a spy for the British government. Using the cover of visiting his cousin, the British ambassador in Constantinople, Bennett plans to push the spy to get the job done. He never planned on falling in love or on questioning his duty.
Forced to act as Mari’s suitor, Bennett can’t deny his attraction to the exotic beauty. While neither Mari nor Bennett planned on having a real relationship, the attraction between them is undeniable, not matter how hard they try to fight it. I really enjoyed how Ms. Randol developed their relationship; as their attraction grows, their relationship evolves into love, though it’s filled with a lot of misunderstanding. Both Mari and Bennett are strong, loyal and headstrong people and their dialogue is sharp and filled with a lot of give and take. While Mari is at odds with Bennett’s determination to do his duty, Bennett is forced to admire her fierce independence and loyalty to her cause.
While the danger around them intensifies, and betrayal seems imminent, Mari and Bennett are forced to rely on each other. Will they be able to complete the final assignment without being caught? And will Bennett and Mari finally admit their love for each other? You’ll have to read A Secret in Her Kiss to find out. I really enjoyed Ms. Randol’s book and believe she’ll be an author to watch.
November 4, 2012
http://elcabodelolvido.blogspot.com.e...
El comandante Bennett Prestwood de la 95 de fusilería está a puntito de regresar a su casa...necesita regresar a su casa lo antes posible por su hermana. Sus deseos se ven truncados con una nueva misión, una nueva orden...proteger a la señorita Sinclair. Cosa que al principio parece simple, pero que al final le costará más de lo que se imagina. Mari Sinclair es una mujer devota a los suyos, tanto familiares como amigos, y hará lo que sea preciso para protegerlos, ya signifique ser una espía o una traidora. Su única lealtad está con la gente que quiere. Así, cumplir órdenes a rajatabla no es lo de Mari, algo que les traerá a estos dos personajes dispares más de un quebradero de cabeza.
Le tenía ganas a este libro tras leer algunas reseñas muy positivas sobre él, y debo decir que me ha gustado mucho. Anna Randol ha escrito una historia original ambientada en la Constantinopla de 1815, una época y lugar poco comunes en la literatura romántica. El argumento está bien hilado, cargado de intriga y pasión, que te mantiene enganchado y sumergido en las coloridas y ruidosas calles de la antigua Estambul. De trasfondo en el libro tenemos interesantes matices históricos, como la revolución de los griegos, que luchan por su liberación, la intervención de Inglaterra en el asunto, la ocupación otomana,... que hacen que la lectura despierte más el interés del lector.
Los personajes protagonistas de esta obra son, como antes comentaba, Bennett, un hombre bastante dominante, inteligente, misterioso y sobre todo bondadoso. Y Mari, una mujer sensual, inteligente, fuerte pero a la par algo inocente y delicada. Ambos tienen unas personalidades que chocan continuamente, generando unos tira y afloja de lo más divertido, pero también intensos. Debo decir que ambos personajes tienen profundidad, no se quedan en una mera descripción acompañada de un puñado de acciones, sino que hay momentos en los que puedes llegar a sentir su frustración, su tristeza, etc. El mejor desarrollado en este sentido para mí es Bennett, un hombre marcado por la guerra en lo más profundo del alma, atrapado por el deber para con su patria y para con su familia, que tiene corazón de poeta. Me ha enamorado, eso desde luego. De Mari me ha gustado mucho su inteligencia, mordaz a veces.
(Nota: lo único que no me ha resultado creíble en ellos es el poco tiempo que transcurre en su loca historia de amor, sigo sin creerme que uno se enamore tantísimo de una persona en un par de días, pero se puede pasar por alto porque la historia sigue siendo buena).
El beso de una espía es una obra llena de misterio y sensualidad ambientada en el oriente más exótico, con un toque de galantería inglesa y buenas dosis de pasión, cuyo inteligente final es digno de las mejores historias de aventuras, lo que harán las delicias de aquell@s amantes del género romántico.
Yo le doy un 4,5 de 5
El comandante Bennett Prestwood de la 95 de fusilería está a puntito de regresar a su casa...necesita regresar a su casa lo antes posible por su hermana. Sus deseos se ven truncados con una nueva misión, una nueva orden...proteger a la señorita Sinclair. Cosa que al principio parece simple, pero que al final le costará más de lo que se imagina. Mari Sinclair es una mujer devota a los suyos, tanto familiares como amigos, y hará lo que sea preciso para protegerlos, ya signifique ser una espía o una traidora. Su única lealtad está con la gente que quiere. Así, cumplir órdenes a rajatabla no es lo de Mari, algo que les traerá a estos dos personajes dispares más de un quebradero de cabeza.
Le tenía ganas a este libro tras leer algunas reseñas muy positivas sobre él, y debo decir que me ha gustado mucho. Anna Randol ha escrito una historia original ambientada en la Constantinopla de 1815, una época y lugar poco comunes en la literatura romántica. El argumento está bien hilado, cargado de intriga y pasión, que te mantiene enganchado y sumergido en las coloridas y ruidosas calles de la antigua Estambul. De trasfondo en el libro tenemos interesantes matices históricos, como la revolución de los griegos, que luchan por su liberación, la intervención de Inglaterra en el asunto, la ocupación otomana,... que hacen que la lectura despierte más el interés del lector.
Los personajes protagonistas de esta obra son, como antes comentaba, Bennett, un hombre bastante dominante, inteligente, misterioso y sobre todo bondadoso. Y Mari, una mujer sensual, inteligente, fuerte pero a la par algo inocente y delicada. Ambos tienen unas personalidades que chocan continuamente, generando unos tira y afloja de lo más divertido, pero también intensos. Debo decir que ambos personajes tienen profundidad, no se quedan en una mera descripción acompañada de un puñado de acciones, sino que hay momentos en los que puedes llegar a sentir su frustración, su tristeza, etc. El mejor desarrollado en este sentido para mí es Bennett, un hombre marcado por la guerra en lo más profundo del alma, atrapado por el deber para con su patria y para con su familia, que tiene corazón de poeta. Me ha enamorado, eso desde luego. De Mari me ha gustado mucho su inteligencia, mordaz a veces.
(Nota: lo único que no me ha resultado creíble en ellos es el poco tiempo que transcurre en su loca historia de amor, sigo sin creerme que uno se enamore tantísimo de una persona en un par de días, pero se puede pasar por alto porque la historia sigue siendo buena).
El beso de una espía es una obra llena de misterio y sensualidad ambientada en el oriente más exótico, con un toque de galantería inglesa y buenas dosis de pasión, cuyo inteligente final es digno de las mejores historias de aventuras, lo que harán las delicias de aquell@s amantes del género romántico.
Yo le doy un 4,5 de 5
February 6, 2012
I really enjoyed this book! Not only did it have a great romance, but it was witty and exciting.
The setting was really unique—the Ottoman Empire after the Napoleonic Wars. You could tell that it was well-researched, but you never feel like you’re getting a history lesson or reading a travel guide—the setting and historical aspects were really well-integrated into the story. And there’s so much adventure in this book. This is definitely not a romance novel where all the characters do is go to balls. Randol has the characters traveling and spying and getting up to their ears in intrigue.
Randol does a fantastic job at keeping the characters believable. They are talented and strong but have their share of weaknesses too. Mari was resourceful and brave—which are both characteristics I love in heroines. She definitely wasn’t the shrinking violet type, but she wasn’t headstrong either. I feel like so many times when an author tries to write a brave heroine, the character just ends up doing really stupid things that have me pulling my hair. But Mari’s practical and levelheaded, and she ended up being someone I really admired.
Bennett is a great character too. He’s very duty-conscious but not to the extreme where he’s too straight-laced or smothering. Randol does a great job at making his motivations clear, so even when he does slightly overbearing things, you can at least understand why he’s doing it. The secondary characters were surprisingly well-rounded and made for an entertaining backup cast.
Most of all, I think this book was just so well-written and readable. The writing style flowed and felt natural and never seemed awkward or obvious. It was really well-paced too. I started reading this book intending just to stop at bedtime, but I got so sucked in, I stayed up way past that. So needless to say, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Anna Randol.
The setting was really unique—the Ottoman Empire after the Napoleonic Wars. You could tell that it was well-researched, but you never feel like you’re getting a history lesson or reading a travel guide—the setting and historical aspects were really well-integrated into the story. And there’s so much adventure in this book. This is definitely not a romance novel where all the characters do is go to balls. Randol has the characters traveling and spying and getting up to their ears in intrigue.
Randol does a fantastic job at keeping the characters believable. They are talented and strong but have their share of weaknesses too. Mari was resourceful and brave—which are both characteristics I love in heroines. She definitely wasn’t the shrinking violet type, but she wasn’t headstrong either. I feel like so many times when an author tries to write a brave heroine, the character just ends up doing really stupid things that have me pulling my hair. But Mari’s practical and levelheaded, and she ended up being someone I really admired.
Bennett is a great character too. He’s very duty-conscious but not to the extreme where he’s too straight-laced or smothering. Randol does a great job at making his motivations clear, so even when he does slightly overbearing things, you can at least understand why he’s doing it. The secondary characters were surprisingly well-rounded and made for an entertaining backup cast.
Most of all, I think this book was just so well-written and readable. The writing style flowed and felt natural and never seemed awkward or obvious. It was really well-paced too. I started reading this book intending just to stop at bedtime, but I got so sucked in, I stayed up way past that. So needless to say, I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Anna Randol.
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