Customer Reviews

Explosive

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If it weren't for the overdone, overblown writing, I might have enjoyed this one. The premise is interesting -- a lethal secret is buried within Beethoven's Eroica symphony. Enter three characters forced to work together to crack the code (and thus uncover the secret), all with their own agendas. In the hands of a more disciplined writer, perhaps it would have worked. As it is, the language in the book is just so purple, it became somewhat absurd, as if invisible exclamation points ended every other sentence. Just taking out even half of the adjectives in this book would have made the writing better. It's difficult for me to enjoy a book in which the heroine is so hormonally overcome by the hero that each individual eyelash torments her with wanting. No, that's not a sentence in the book, but it could have been. Here's one that is from the book: "Her eyes heavy with sensuality, she replied with a slow kiss to his wide mouth." I doubt it was the writer's intention, but when I read "her eyes heavy with sensuality," I just burst out laughing, it just struck me as so corny (and somewhat poorly written). Or, "Her eyes were drawn ineluctably to the elegant length of his strong legs." Then we're suddenly in the middle of a dry, music appreciation lesson with this gem, "I particularly love the first movement which, instead of a usual sonata form, is an adagio sostenuto built from a romance melody over triplets in the bass." And then back to the heroine exhorting, "I am entirely and supremely tired of you, Blackburn." I wanted to enjoy the book, but by the end, I was wondering if my hands were going to be stained purple. If you like the bodice ripper, breathy kind of story, this is probably an enjoyable read. If you don't, this particular book might not be to your liking. It wasn't to mine.

This debut novel by Charlotte Mede is as EXPLOSIVE as the title indicates. A master spy and a brilliant musician team up to break a deadly code and stop a madman.

Devon Caravelle is the daughter of a brilliant mathematician who is also said to be a traitor to France. Within the manuscript of Beethoven's Third Symphony, the Er'oica composition, lies a formula so deadly in the hands of the wrong man it may well destroy the world. Devon is trapped in a cat-and-mouse game; blackmailed by a madman into trapping a master spy. The trouble really begins when the spy in question wakes up in a dank cell with a gun trained on him by Devon.

Gray Dalton, the Marquess of Blackburn is a deadly adversary. A master spy for the Crown, he is a brilliant mathematician and code breaker. Gray has an allure that is hard to resist though he thinks Devon is the madman's mistress. Devon only wants to prove her father's innocence and find out who killed him. The man known for his cold-bloodedness is now obsessed with a woman who could destroy not only him, but also the innocent people of the world.


A tense and edgy adventure from the first page, EXPLOSIVE is just that. Action-packed with plenty of vile undertones to keep chills running up the spine, it will keep readers on the edge of their seats for the entire novel. With a gothic atmosphere, author Charlotte Mede grabs readers and draws them deep into the intrigue of Gray and Devon's deadly mission to stop a diabolical plot. The chemistry and passion between Gray and Devon is also EXPLOSIVE, culminating in an intense, dark, and sensual delight. The story is packed with wonderfully complex characters whose personalities are gradually revealed. Devon is a woman I was well able to empathize with. The pawn in a deadly intrigue between two powerful men, she is trapped by the need to prove her father innocent and afraid of the consequences if she fails; hanging. Gray is a cold-blooded and jaded individual since the murder of his brother, until he comes face-to-face with Devon. All bets are off when he is trapped by his own desires, as is Devon. Charlotte Mede's thorough descriptive prowess places readers right in the thick of the plot, drawing them in for the duration until the climactic ending. The intricate blending of fact and fiction made for a thrilling read. This is truly a book you don't want to miss.

Scarlet, Reviewer for Romance Junkies

I really enjoyed Explosive which is a terrific example of what I'd personally love to see more of -- historical romantic suspense. Here we have a hero and heroine (and their hot relationship I might add) confronting a crazy madman who who wants power for his own destructive ends.

Devon Caravelle and the Marquess of Blackburn are an unusual couple, reluctantly teaming up to decipher a secret code in Beethoven's Eroica that could change the face of Europe forever. She is a brilliant pianist whose father was a cryptographer mysteriously murdered for his knowledge. Blackburn is a conscienceless spymaster who has a very personal agenda for revenge and will use anyone, including Devon, to get what he wants.

Explosive is a thrilling read because it breaks the formula. You won't find a blushing virgin or useless rake or any of the other tired cliches typical of historical romances between these covers!

Spent all weekend reading this book and I couldn't put it down. Explosive is an historical romance with a difference, in that there's more suspense than in your typical romance. Both Devon and Blackburn are strong and intriguing characters that have to come to terms with their own complicated pasts before they can build a relationship together. The sparks fly and ignite and it's about as hot and sexy a read as you can get. Then there's the thriller suspense aspect which forces the two of them to confront a powerful and dangerous enemy whose plans would not only destroy them both but also change history.

If you want a read that will keep you up all night, Explosive is it.

This story weaves a code-breaking plot around the genuine historical event of the composition by Beethoven of his Eroica symphony, originally dedicated to Napoleon but changed at the last minute when Napoleon declared himself emperor. The author has used the Beethoven's composition to provide a background to her story in which the Duke of Wellington is after the secret formula for a new explosive, dynamite that he knows is embedded in the score. Only two people have the skills and knowledge to decode it - the daughter of a mathematician and an English spy. The mathematician's daughter is named Devon Caravelle, a most unlikely name for a lady of the Regency period, and the spy is Gray Dalton, Marquess of Blackburn, although Gray, too, doesn't sound at all like an English name; the author really should have done a little more basic research. A French Comte, who is actually in possession of the score but is unable to decode it, also wants to find out the secret of the explosive so that Napoleon, imprisoned following the battle of Waterloo, can be released and can continue his empire building. The story is an England vs France race to find and decode the manuscript in order to head off Napoleon's plans a third time.

Unfortunately the book isn't exciting, despite the potential in the plot. We know that one character has the score at the beginning of the story and that two other characters are needed to decode it; the entire rest of the book seems to be made up of machinations between the three people, with occasional scenes with Wellington, the Marquess of Blackburn's spurned mistress Susannah Treadwell and a few other people. There's little action, no interesting events and the dialogue is tedious and unrealistic for the time period. The first half of the book feels rather aimless with the Marquess and Devon meeting, telling each other they need the Eroica score to be extracted from Devon's french lover the Comte, and casting smouldering looks at each other before leaping into bed; the second half was just trying to find the score and avoid the baddies. The situations and dialogue all seemed rather unlikely, as did the expectation that Devon, or even the Marquess, would be able to seduce the score from the man who has it - le Comte de Maupassat - and in fact that anyone could bind someone else to them just through sex.

The historical details of Beethoven's composition of the score have been researched but apart from that most of the book didn't feel particularly accurate. The characters call each other by their first names very early on in the story and there seems little consideration of the social mores of the time when our characters carry out their actions. Characterisation in this story isn't very convincing either. Blackburn is a spymaster and does seem suitably divorced from his own feelings and right and wrong, although of course at the end he turns into a wonderful monogamous reformed rake. Devon (that bizarre name rankled every time) just seemed weak and irritating and, despite being a famous pianist, barely seems to need to practise. The only really interesting character was the Duke of Wellington who pops up briefly.

This was a boring and disappointing book which was a real struggle to finish. It's definitely only one for fans of Charlotte Mede and if this is the standard of her writing I certainly won't become one of those!

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2008

Explosive is just that -- an engaging adventure from the first page to the last. A master spy, a brilliant musician and a madman round out a cast of characters and drive a diabolical plot that make for a thrilling read. The heroine Devon is cool and smart (nice change) while the hero Blackburn is pretty hot, particularly when he finds himself trapped by his own desires. The chemistry between these two is also explosive -- so get ready!

In 1818 Marquess Gray Dalton, still recovering from the opiate his enemy's operatives used to capture him, meets Devon Caravelle, mistress to high ranking French official le Comte, in a dank cell. Each has a need that they believe the other can fulfill. They need each other to decipher a secret code hidden in Beethoven's third symphony, "Eroica."

Both have a reputation for remaining calm almost aloof under dangerous situations. Yet each desire the other, but conceal those feelings out of fear that weakness would expose them. They each try to take charge of a game of seduction even as enemies from both sides of the Channel threaten to end their duet in death.

This is a great espionage Regency romantic suspense that grips the audience from the first encounter in the prison cell in which on the surface Grey is Devon's prisoner, but readers will soon realize they are each other's prisoner. The story line is fast-paced and never slows down from that superb opening act while the tension on several levels including the heart is palpable. Charlotte Mede provides an excellent EXPLOSIVE historical romantic thriller that readers of any era will relish

Harriet Klausner