Book Review: A Reckless Soul by Elizabeth Cole

A Reckless Soul
by Elizabeth Cole
Historical Romance/Regency/Suspense
Secrets of the Zodiac Series
4.5 Stars


The second novel in the Secrets of the Zodiac, a series that blends romantic suspense with the rich background of the Regency period.

A seductive agent, a disillusioned lord, and a web of deceit only they can untangle...

Sophie Bertrand is skilled in acting, espionage, and the subtle art of seduction. An independent spirit, she fought her way from rough streets to the top secret circle of spies known as the Zodiac. Her newest assignment is one of her most delicate yet: hunt down a traitor within Britain's own government. But there's a catch...this time she can't work alone.

Bruce Allander has a title, honor, wealth...but he'd trade it all to restore his family. The Zodiac gives him a chance for justice in a world that's already taken too much from him. Now he finds himself close to this captivating Frenchwoman--possibly too close. Sophie defies all his expectations, yet in her he senses a kindred soul.

Passion draws the two together, but a web of betrayals threatens to tear them apart. To survive, they have to trust each other. They have to be a little reckless...

Review:

What do you get if you cross James Bond with Jane Austen? You wouldn't be far wrong with this book by Elizabeth Cole.

Sophie Betrand, French by birth, has learned to survive on her wits. With nowhere to go after the death of her mother at the guillotine, Sophie spent a lot of time on the streets just trying to survive and has learned a hard lesson: you can't trust anyone. Now in England, she is an actress by trade, but is now also an agent of Zodiac which deals in threats to the British Crown.

Bruce Allander is a nobleman who is more likely to be found helping his workers in the fields than gallivanting around London to attend balls, gambling dens or whorehouses. He too is an agent of Zodica, although he and Sophie usually work alone.

For their next assignment, the two of them are to work together and pretend to be a married couple. Neither of them are happy about it and even less so when it was revealed that there may be a mole within Zodiac itself, seeling secrets to the French.

Could one of them be the mole? And who can they trust when the can't even trust each other?

This was a wonderful, romantic adventure. Yes, it's a regency romance, but there are no shy wallflowers here waiting to be asked to dance. Sophie goes after what she wants and she is a very feisty and brave heroine.

I took a bit longer to warm to Bruce, at first he seemed very remote and aloof, but as the story progresses you learn more about him and his past and can see why he finds it hard to trust, as does Sophie.

The love scenes were sensual and tasteful, without being overly explicit. It was more about the emotional connection the characters made than the physical.

Their assignment is fraught with danger at every turn and they gradually let their guard down around each other, but that's when things start going very wrong.

You are breathless with anticipation wondering if they can ever get out of these predicaments and get a happily ever after that they both deserve.

My only niggle was the American spelling in an English-set book, but after a while I didn't care, as I was too keen to see what happened next to our two leads.

Filled with espionage, romance and a rollicking adventure of a story, it's a fantastic read.

***

About the Author

Elizabeth Cole is an author of both historical and contemporary romance. Previously, she worked in bookshops, libraries, and archives…anywhere there were books to be read and cared for. Now she can be found hanging around museums, coffeeshops, and (occasionally) graveyards. In addition to her sweet Regency novellas, Elizabeth is currently writing the Secrets of the Zodiac, a series of romantic spy thrillers also set in the Regency period. Elizabeth loves hearing from readers. Connect with her at elizabethcole.com

Book Review: Wolf by Mo Hayder

Wolf
by Mo Hayder
Jack Caffrey #7
Crime/Thriller
Random House UK
4.5 Stars

Blurb:

I believe, from what I can hear, that either my daughter or my wife has just been attacked. I don't know the outcome. The house is silent. 

Fourteen years ago two teenage lovers were brutally murdered in a patch of remote woodland. The prime suspect confessed to the crimes and was imprisoned.

Now, one family is still trying to put the memory of the killings behind them. But at their isolated hilltop house . . . the nightmare is about to return.

Review:

I have read every one of Mo Hayder's books and while I don't think this one is the best (Pig Island takes that place in my mind, I still think about that one years later), it is terrifyingly good.

Detective Jack Caffrey's brother went missing when he was a child, suspected murdered by a child molester who lived nearby, but no body and no evidence were ever found. Those days huant Jack still and colours his life as a policeman.

A vagrant, known locally as the Walking Man, hints that he may know something about Ewan's murder, for he too lost his daughter and never found her body. But in order to reveal what he knows, the Walking Man sets Jack a task: to discover who a lost dog belongs to, a dog with the words 'Help Us' written on cardboard stuck in its collar.

Jack is half-convinced that it is some sort of prank but he decides to give it a go and hopefully find the owners.

Meanwhile, the dog's owners are being held hostage in their remote house, The Turrets, and tortured by the two men who pretended to be policeman. But who are they really? And what do they want? And how do they know so much about the family?

The book is very well-plotted and tightly paced. Something minor might be mentioned in a previous chapter, but later on it might have some vital significance. Lots of clues are there in the story, but it twists and turns this way and that so that you are never quite sure what exactly is going on.

Although this is the 7th book in the Jack Caffrey series, you do not need to read all of those to understand this one - the author gives little notes about previous things, but you aren't hammered over the head with them. Just enough so you're not lost.

Jack is a very realistic character. He is not perfect, he makes mistakes, but you do feel for him and the guilt he still feels after all these years since his brother disappeared. With each book, I think you get to know him a little bit more each time.

And the major twist at the end I did not see coming. I was completely surprised and being such a thriller and crime fan, you have to work hard to do that these days. I was very impressed.

My only niggle, and it is a niggle, is that most of the novel is written in the present tense. I find it more difficult to get into for novels, but Mo Hayder is one author I will read no matter what tense the book happens to be.

This is a book you do not want to read late at night. Tight suspense and a really good twist make this an excellent crime read.

Book Review: Bound by Deception by Ava March

Reviewer's purchased copy
Bound by Deception
by Ava March
Loose-Id
M/M Historical/Erotic Romance
4.5 Stars

Blurb:
Lord Oliver Marsden has a secret. He's been in love with his childhood friend for years, though Vincent's never shown an interest in him beyond friendship. Ruggedly handsome, wealthy, and successful, Vincent is everything Oliver is not. And Vincent doesn't prefer men.

Then Oliver discovers Vincent hires a man during his visits to a London brothel. Desperate to be with Vincent, Oliver orchestrates a deception, switching places with the brothel's employee. When Oliver arrives at the bedchamber, he's in for another surprise. Restraints and a leather bullwhip? Apparently Vincent isn't as conservative as he appears.

Lord Vincent Prescot has a secret of his own. One kept locked away and only indulged once a month. But this month's appointment is different. The mysterious man is so perfect, so beautiful in his submission, rousing protective instincts Vincent can't deny. Yet he refuses to believe he might truly prefer men, for it could mean the end of his hopes of earning his father's respect.

Will betrayal destroy them or will they be bound together by deception?

Review:

This is a very hot and sensual novella, peeking into the lives of Oliver Marsden and Vincent Prescot, both second sons of the aristocracy who met and became firm friends at boarding school. As the years moved on, however, Oliver fell in love with Vincent, who shows no hint of sharing his friend's preferences for men. That is until Oliver discovers that Vincent goes to a brothel once a month, in order to avail himself of the services of a male prostitute, the same one Oliver uses.

Oliver devises a very ill-informed plan, wherein he will take the place of the prostitute and have Vincent, even if it's only for one night. But the reader knows, long before Oliver does, that one night is never going to be enough and what happens when Vincent discovers the deception?

Although a short novella, you don't feel cheated of storyline and characters. Oliver and Vincent are both well-drawn, rounded characters, Oliver has a bit more depth than Vincent, I would say. Vincent is quite well-to do, but Oliver's families fortunes have waned due to his father and grandfather's gambling problems and the contrast between their two lifestyles is well done. Oliver's house has gone to seed a bit, as he has no maids or valets, unlike Vincent and I had to laugh at the scene wherein Vincent tries to convince him to get a maid, but Oliver doesn't want her to wonder what the hook in the ceiling is for. Vincent says that Oliver doesn't have a hook in the bedroom ceiling. "No, not yet."

The love scenes between our two heroes are scorching and who knew there were so many sex toys around in the Regency era? - Oliver has quite the collection! Some people might be put off by the BDSM elements, but though it is there and is quite sexy in my opinion, you also see the emotional connection between the two characters, it's not all just physical gratification. I don't think Oliver would have been that interested in it if it hadn't been with Vincent. It works for these two characters and that's what's important.

You have to suspend your disbelief a little during that first scene, where Vincent doesn't know it is Oliver he is with. They'd been friends for years, surely he would have recognised his voice even if Oliver had been trying to disguise it? Anyway, I was reading it for the romance, so I can forgive that and it is an interesting way for our two heroes to get together at first. I don't think I've ever read a book with that premise before, so kudos to the author for originality. I think Ava March has cornered the market with Regency M/M erotic romances, she does it very well and you can tell from the writing she loves the era she is writing about, but her books never turn into a history lesson.

A great read.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby.