Customer Reviews

From London With Love

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read and thoroughly enjoyed Jenna Petersen's first book, Scandalous. As a huge James Bond fan and someone who watched Charlie's Angels way back when, I was anxiously awaiting From London With Love; there is nothing better than a good series and this trilogy promises to combine intrigue and historical romance perfectly. Three women have been recruited to spy and protect the interests of King and country, and our heroine, Meredith Sinclair is one of them. From London With Love pits her against Tristan Archer, a man from her past, someone she is dangerously attracted to. Can Meredith fulfil her duties to the Crown without sending the man she loves to prison? Ms Petersen weaves a tangled web of passion, romance, duty and intrigue complete with full-bodied characters. I particularly liked the relationship that was revived between Meredith and Lady Carmichael, Tristan's mother. And I loved how we were introduced to her partners, Emily and Anastasia, setting the stage for the two books that will complete the trilogy. I thought Scandalous would be hard to beat; From London With Love certainly comes close!

I had been waiting for LONDON to come out for months and didn't hesitate to crack it open the second I got it home. I don't want to give away the plot - otherwise you'd have no reason to buy it. However, let me just say that the book takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with Tristan and Meredith as they overcome the obstacles within their path. Meredith is a strong, resourceful heroine (with the really cool job) who must decide whether to listen to her head or her heart and Tristan is a man caught between his need to avenge a past wrong and his desire to protect Meredith. Reading this book is like watching a movie where you get so engrossed that you don't even realize how much time has passed because it's just that good. I, myself, cannot wait for the rest of the Lady Spies series!

I really enjoyed Jenna Petersen's first book, Scandalous, and From London with Love is a terrific and original followup to that excellent beginning. It is hard to believe this is only her second book. The hook of "Charlie's Angels in Empire Waists" and a fabulous and distinctive cover may draw you in at the beginning, but what's inside will have you waiting anxiously for the next installment of the Lady Spies books (which is thankfully coming out at the end of this December). What I liked about this book was what is rapidly becoming Petersen's strong suit of characterization: you care about Meredith, who is genuinely torn between love and duty. She truly loves Tristan but everything points to his being a traitor and, if he is, she isn't going to hesitate to be the person who sends him to his punishment. You care about Tristan who is trying to do the right thing for his family, trying to protect Meredith from the danger he represents to her, trying to avenge his brother, knowing that everything he is doing may lose him the woman he loves. The villian, Augustine Devlin, is a delicious viper of a man. The supporting characters are fully-formed additions to the story. And I love the camaraderie and interaction of the three lady spies. These are strong women who care about the job they have been called to do, who depend on each other and the special skills each brings to the table, and who most of all care for one another. Something I particularly liked was that these women may be spies but they are also truly ladies and very good at being both.

This book is the first of Ms. Petersen's Lady Spies trilogy and it doesn't disappoint! This book is fabulous! It is a great follow-up to her debut, Scandalous. In this book, we meet Meredith Sinclair and Tristan Archer, Marquis of Carmichael. Meredith, being a spy, is sent to find out if Tristan, a long-time friend, is guilty of treason. And of course, she must fight her attraction to the handsome marquis in the process. Tristan is a hero that every girl would love to have and Meredith is a strong heroine that every girl would love to be. Bravo, Ms. Petersen! I can't wait for the next exciting and thrilling installment in this series!

I loved FLWL!! Meredith is a new breed of heroine. Jenna Petersen has recreated a Charlies Angels type storyline in 1808 London. Who would think that Meredith and her fellow widowed friends are the perfect spies? Meredith's new assignment to find a traitor. Who is the traitor? All the clues point to Tristan Archer, Marquis of Carmichael. Is Tristian guilty?
I can't wait for the next book in the series!!

Loved the story and the characters that were introduced - the three widowed and titled young ladies of the Ton turned spies a-la Charlie's Angels. Very well written and adapted in the regency time period - both characters are superb - the action and development of the story very well done and the chemistry between Tristan and Meredith excellent - love scenes nice and steamy and the involvement of Anastasia and Emily the other two female trained spies is excellent. Great start to a great series. Definitely waiting to ready about their stories - you wont be disappointed with this one! I loved it and so will you.

It was hard to rate this book. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't that good either. The book seemed that it would be a light easy read but it took me days to finish reading it. From the first I think I was annoyed by the too obivious Charlie's Angel angle. A mysterious Lady that the spies never met and the contact person named of all things Charles and called Charlie.

The spy aspect was weak. I could not take Meredith seriously. Her investigation of Tristan was sloppy and annoying. Tristan and the villian could read her every expression. She didn't have the necessary poker face. She didn't do anything spy like. She couldn't even walk out of a room she searching without getting caught. She just happened upon information to use against Tristan. Most of the evidence wasn't even solid proof that Tristan was a traitor. There was no suspense or intrigue. I expected the heroine to have more skils and sophication as a spy. I don't buy her constant excuses that it's her past friendship and attraction to Tristan that is afftecing her ability to be a good spy. And what's worse she never inproved or showed any skills she learned from her intensive spy training. We were told many times that the three spys had serious training but it would have been nice it the author had let us read it for ourselves. Finally the ending was just as annoying as the rest of the book with more fumbles and bumbling by the crowns best female spys.

I liked Tristan but I wish I could learned more about him. More inner dialogue would have made the book much better. Too much time was spent on Meredith the spy and less on Meredith the woman. It would have been okay if the spy aspect had been developed but for me it wasn't.

I was pretty excited when I read the blurb for this book: I've been wanting to see more Regency novels use the female spy premise for a while now. I've seen it done well in several cases where the male protagonist is involved in espionage (Lucien in Gaelen Foley's Lord of Fire may be my favorite), but very few similar novels with female protagonists (Lillian Walters in Elizabeth Elliott's Scoundrel is a great example).
But once I got settled into the novel, I was seriously disappointed. While the characters, back-story and main plot are fairly well-formed, there are a lot of period inconsistencies that could very easily have been solved by a good editor. Basic things like appropriate description of period clothing have been ignored in places, and the social customs of the period, the basic framework of the regular routines of Regency society, are ignored.

The other thing that I found really prevented me from getting into the story was that the espionage premise is not very well developed. The characters talk so openly and frequently about being spies that it's difficult to remember theirs is supposed to be a clandestine operation! It wouldn't have been difficult to let the characters develop more of an air of secrecy, and use synonyms or euphemisms for their supposedly private roles. They seem to take very few steps to hide their jobs: their single male 'contact' appears at their homes at all hours, with no regard for period custom, manners or mores. There is little to no interference from any male relatives in their lives, again, not strictly. All their servants are apparently in on the secret as well, with no apparent worries about eavesdropping, bribes or below-stairs gossip, mainstays of most Regency households.

It's very clear (altogether too much, in my opinion) that these are meant as a 'Regency' take on Charlie's Angels: the reader is hardly ever allowed to forget it, which is a real problem. All in all, a disappointment. I won't be reading the sequels.

This was a great book with lots of action and romance. I enjoyed it immensely and was so happy I bought the 3 books in this series at the same time. As soon as I finished From London with Love, I immediately started on #2 Desire Never Dies. I knew the author as Jess Michaels and Jenna Petersen is her other pen name. She doesn't disappoint, no matter her name. Thank you.

Jenna Petersen's From London With Love mixes classic images and hints of pop culture icons with an original twist in this marvelous regency historical romance. The characters will steal your heart and mind. The romance and the mystery will captivate you. The plot is well-constructed and drives the reader forward to the very last page.

In the tradition of the truly great writers, Jenna Petersen has taken the familiar stories and crafted them in unusual ways. The title alone is a hint of the literary fun to be found within. Who can forget James Bond and yet, in historic London, roles have changed. Who leads up this chosen group of three lady spies? Charley Isley, of course! In this period, however, telephones do not provide anonymity and he must actually appear before the ladies to assign cases. It is the mysterious Lady M who guides Charley's not-quite-so angelic spies.

Who can forget the famous lovers Tristan and Isolde and the threat to the King whether in any of the countless Medieval versions or even the famous opera of Richard Wagner? Tristan's noble heart torments him as it should in any good Tristan tale, but Meredith is a more worthy and exciting Isolde to the classic sad Tristan driven crazy by love! I won't spoil the fun and give away all the literary fun, but you will love the twist on Charles Perrault's Cinderella's glass slipper!