Customer Reviews

My Love, My Enemy

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

There are not many books available which were written by Ms. Speas, but they are all great reads with strong characters. I hope that her other books are put on kindle soon!

Wow, this book was perfect, I think my only complaint is that it was not longer because I just wanted to keep reading it!

For a book written in the early sixties this is surprisingly full of "modern" romance conventions. The hero is an Alpha male, the heroine is a spunky feaerless miss. There is refernce to the hero's rakishness and former mistresses, the hero is an English lord. The heroine is so great that every falls instantly in love with her or at least treats her like the do. And yet, despite all of this the book was fresh and compelling. Mainly because there were a lot of "real" emoitions infused with htese. I will explain.

The main plot of the story is that we have Page, an American, who saves a man, Joss, from being lynched as a spy. She thinks he's an unlucky Brit who's being falsly acused so she helps him escape, but she does want to turn him over to her father before she lets him go, in case he is a spy, and in the process of getting from point A to point B they are captured bu the British and this sets off a series of events which result in Page getting further and futher from home, and Joss promising that he will see her safely home.

Page is in a tough spot because Joss, also Lord Hazard, is starting to become very appealing to her but not only is he the enemy but he treats her like "an uncle" and she's torn between wanting him to show her some real interest and not wanting that because he is the enemy. There is no side stepping this important issue, like many romances do, Page does like Hazard but she is a true patriot and cannot fogiver herself for likely him. Meanwhile Hazard is a good guy, he is unwilling to take advantage of a woman seperated from her family and not only gets her a chaperon along the way so tht things look good, like most modern romances would, but because he actually cares about her honor and doesn't want to take advantage. So you see we have two people who have real obsticals holding them back and that;s what makes the book good. Ironicly most modern romances set up stories the same way then ignor these obsticals in favor of something much less compeling and believable.

Anyway packed into this book is war, deseption, piracy and abduction. We also have a hero who 100% alpha but who is not only dominating everyone else in the book, but himself as he forces himself to be honorable, you also get a heroine who is brave and makes one foolish choice at the very begining of the book, but who never becomes TSTL, wow.

The story leaps from the America's to Europe and all amid a brewing war between the British and US in 1812. The story does not have the typical torrid sexual undercurrent of a romance novel, rather the naive heroine slowly comes to realize her love for Lord Hazard through the turmoil of war.

This is a very thrilling novel. It is not often that I have come across a book set in this time period in this setting - the war of 1812 rather than the English fighting Bonapart. The adventures keep the first half of the book enthralling and even knowing the outcome of the war doesn't diminish the excitement and anticipation as events unfold. There are several fun side characters that you meet along the way and have a way of popping up when you least expect them. I must say that I found Lord Hazard to be a character I couldn't quite connect with. Page was a delightful character whom I could sympathize with and could feel her pain and confusion. I almost cried with her at some points in the story. Good read and I would recommend it.

Set during the War of 1812, MY LOVE, MY ENEMY by Jan Cox Speas is a story of conflicting loyalties and how the fate of individuals can diverge from the fate of nations. Ranging from America to Bermuda, France and England, the story is a cornucopia of historical detail interwoven with a fast-paced adventure story and, of course, romance.

In 1813 Annapolis, Maryland, Page saves suspected British spy Joss from hanging by Americans furious at the encroachments of the occupying British. As they sail back to her father's house, the British capture them. Page, now a prisoner, is forced to sail away from her home. But the British Joss protects Page from the harsh realities of nations at war. Love blossoms between these two people separated by national loyalties. But individuals compose nations, and Page and Joss must decide if their love can surmount their differences.

I love stories that combine rousing adventure and tons of accurate history with the romance. Ms. Speas succeeds on all accounts. Without ever being intrusive, she weaves history, sea lore, adventure and romance into an exciting tale of the choices people at war must make. Joss was a little too much of an overbearing superman for my taste, and Page too reckless and too young (eighteen). But the characters are true to their era, and the novel, written in 1961, is also a reflection of its time.

For those of us who like action and adventure with our romance, MY LOVE, MY ENEMY is a welcome addition to our libraries.

ARC provided by Sourcebooks

My wife really enjoyed reading this book. It is very difficult to find so she was thrilled when it came in the mail. Jan Cox Speas is one of her favorite authors .
Thanks.

Being a fan of revolution era stories I looked high and low for this book. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations. It starts out with promise. A very bubbly young miss comes upon a man being hanged by a mob for treason......and saves him by claiming he's a friend of hers. They get away on her little sloop but they inadvertenly get captured by the English. Lord Hazard, an englishman, does all he can to procure her return to annapolis. But then that ship gets captured by an american ship. I read half of the book and they were still on a ship......no romance even insinuated about....and the male character very distanced from the reader. I decided I didn't much care if they ever got off the ship and abandoned it.