10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptionally fine writing regardless of genre, January 4, 2006
First of all, the reviewer who was disappointed was possibly so because the book is set during the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War. And no, this is not an in-your-face sexual romp, but it's an enormously romantic story where the heroine grows and the hero acts according to the code of gentlemanly conduct of the time. Speas' can set a mood and describe action as well as almost any author I have ever encountered, and that includes both classic and contemporary mainstream authors. If you appreciate some subtlety in your romance, this book is as romantic as any you've ever read. Think Georgette Heyer; think Victoria Holt; think any of the great classic romances. Love in this book is allowed to grow, and while sexual attraction is not described via body parts, it's there and you feel it.
I recommend this book without reservation, as I do all three of Speas' romances. I think she passed away in the early 60's and her work includes several short stories published by the Saturday Evening Post. If you love exceptional descriptive prose, characters who act true to their time, and romance without melodrama, she's left a legacy of three, must read books.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Love, My Enemy, August 2, 2005
The story follows the coming of age of a young American girl during the war of 1812 as a prisoner of war caught between her family's patriotism and a growing love for an English enemy. I love the author's ability to inject a feeling of realism - the characters are believable and engaging and true to their time and situations.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My Love, My Enemy, August 29, 2011
This review is from: My Love, My Enemy (Paperback)
As I prepare this review I must acknowledge that the elements to this story are wonderful.
In the summer of 1813, during the War of 1812, 18 year old irrepressible Page sneaks out from her family home on the Chesapeake for a stolen day in town. As she is returning to meet the Captain of the sloop she stowed on, she rescues an Englishman from an angry mob. Lord Hazard and his gentleman's gentleman, join MacDougall and Page to head back to Bradley House where the gentlemen will pick up their horses and be on their way.
But fate has other plans. The sloop is cornered by British ships. Lord Hazard is able to take responsibility for Page, although he may not be able to stop the British Captain from impressing MacDougall into service. Lord Hazard assures Page that, even though she is surrounded by enemies, he will get her home safely. Later they are overtaken by a Union ship. This is just the start of Page's misadventures which are to include several more boat transfers, storms at sea, and travels from Bermuda to France to London.
Lord Hazard is always quietly, but surely, in control and asserting his interest over Page although he doesn't express his feelings for her until late in the story. Can Page set aside her loyalty to her family and country to accept that she loves an enemy spy? The characters are developed with a nice subtlety that allows you to see depths from their reactions and words. It is interesting to think how the lines of country loyalties are challenged by personal friendships and relationships.
I believe the normal quote is "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts". But that didn't work for me with this book. Although I enjoyed the descriptions, the characters and the plot line, the story seemed very slow to me. It seemed driven by descriptions rather than action and I really didn't feel pulled into the story until the last 50 pages. Where I might rate the individual parts as 4.0s, the overall effect was less to me.
I want to share just one scene as the descriptions of scenery and ship life and swashbuckling are wonderful. The author places you in the setting and it seemed the author had first hand experience with all things related to ship travel.
The Caprice, like all Baltimore schooners, was a wet ship, her deck awash with green fingers of water that swirled about Page's feet; but she ran before the storm like a gull, heeling gracefully to the gusty squalls that marched across the sea in the wake of white flaring lightning and rolling thunder, surging through the water with all the joyful abandon of a porpoise. From the crew, batting to take in more sail, came a tattered shred of laughter blown on the wind, and Daniel Mason's face as he walked toward Page was exhilarated rather than apprehensive. p 127.
The romance is lovely and sweet. I do recommend it. Just be prepared for a lot of descriptive detail even though the story travels with storms and sea battles.
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