Customer Reviews

Scandalous Miranda

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In 1881 Italy, Andrew Macleod feels it is time come in from the cold and retire from the espionage life. He plans to complete his final assignment before going home to England to settle down. However, his mission falls apart and Lady Miranda Hartwell becomes collateral damage. Honor proscribes that Andrew delay his retirement to insure Miranda is safe.

In 1882 to protect Miranda he goes undercover in Kent, England as Andrew MacGregor and obtains the position of secretary to the woman he vows to protect as Miranda does the scandalous thing by hiring a man. However, being near Miranda proves more difficult than any project he has undertaken as his attraction to her is fierce. Still he hides his identity though she thinks he reminds her of her countryman whom she met in Italy when she was injured. As she begins to piece the puzzle together, an unknown culprit tries to kill her.

This is a fabulous Victorian espionage romantic suspense starring a Clark Kent-Superman type as the hero is willing to die to keep the woman he loves safe even as he blames himself for her predicament. The action-packed story line moves forward at an incredible pace as the audience anticipates the explosive climax while admiring SCANDALOUS MIRANDA for her intelligence and courage. Susan Sizemore is at her best with this late nineteenth century spy thriller.

Harriet Klausner

First, I should say that I love Susan Sizemore's vampire romance series (I Thirst for You, I Burn for You, I Hunger for You). I re-read those books often and am looking forward very much to the next book in that series.

So I bought Scandalous Miranda shortly after it came out, assuming I would enjoy it. I'm sorry to say that I found the plot predictable and the characters unconvincing. I figured out almost immediately who Dante was going to turn out to be, and could muster so little interest in the rest of the plot that I ended up just skimming the last half of the book to see how the author developed the romance, but I also found that uninteresting, probably because I never came to care about the characters.

The plot was like a spider spinning it's web that never really led anywhere. I found it slow, boring and predictable. I kept hoping that it would pick up and become more 'Something' but it never did. The Characters including Miranda and Andrew/Dante, all were without depth & without the charisma to draw them to the reader.

Finely paced always interesting with good dialogue.

Susan Sizemore serves a healthy period romance, with a twist of mystery.

Nicely paced with good dialogue and some excellent characters, I was pleasantly suprised with this novel, and have added author Sizemore to my TBP (to be purchased) auto list.

I particularly enjoyed the plausibility of the plot - inasmuch as I have become quite frustrated lately with the leap into bed of most of the leads in romance novels, the book never get more than 30 pages in (you neededn't pull me up over the exaggeration) before both characters are plunging and lunging & sweating up the sheets.

The depressed & repressed Andrew McLeod is on a mission to protect Miranda Hartwell (Lady) from unknown murderers - this could be drawn by her witnessing a traitors face, and the spy who has assigned Andrew this task certainly hopes so.

Watch the capers develop.