Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
an entertaining 3 1/2 star read, February 2, 2005
Celeste Bradley begins a new series (the Royal Four or the Quatre Royale) with "To Wed a Scandalous Spy," dealing with spying and intrigue in Regency-era England. This series features four intrepid heroes, all of noble, aristocratic blood, all committed to protecting the realm no matter the cost. "To Wed a Scandalous Spy" features the head of the Royal Four as hero, who bears the codename Cobra, and who is in reality Nathaniel Stonewall, the Earl of Reardon.
Readers were introduced to Reardon in "The Impostor" (Bradley's other Regency-spy series, the Liar's Club). In that book, Reardon had posed as a selfish, dissolute lord in order to infiltrate a group of French sympathisers, the Knights of the Lily. But that operation had left Reardon tarnished with the reputation of a traitor, and it was assumed by one and all (even his family) that the only reason he was never prosecuted for treason was because of his title. Ostracised and shunned, Reardon hasn't allowed the past to affect his work, even if he has been hurt by the reaction of family and one time friends. And now it looks as if one of the ex-members of the Knights, Forster, is back in England, bent of wreaking havoc again. But on the way to intercept and capture Forster, Reardon is felled in a country lane by a young lady with a slingshot. Trying to make up for her mistake, Miss Willa Trent, spends the night caring for a concussed Reardon, only to be discovered in the morning by her guardian. The upshot is that Reardon finds himself married to Willa. All at once, Reardon's life has become quite complicated, for not only is he a spy on a mission, but now he's also a spy with a wife he finds quite delectable -- a wife he'd like to appear a hero to, instead of the treasonous snake everyone assumes him to be! But can the Cobra afford to let go of the callous persona he has created?
While I enjoyed "To Wed a Scandalous Spy" on several levels, certain aspects of this novel (mostly the way things were tied up in the end) gave me pause. The book started off well, and Celeste Bradley did a good job of keeping things humming on an even and interesting vein. And then of course came that fatal last chapter in which certain things about Willa's family and past were revealed, and without going into plot-spoilers, all I can say is all those revelations just made no sense. For if they were true, than Willa's guardians behaved in a manner that could be termed as being completely irresponsible. That niggle aside, "To Wed a Scandalous Spy" was an entertaining read: the story was an interesting one, the hero was a fine and noble one, and the heroine, while a little scatty at first, will win approval because of her steadfast belief in Reardon. On the whole, an entertaining 3 1/2 star read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bradley fans will love this one! Read the Liar's Club first though...., April 9, 2006
(NOTE: I would recommend reading Celeste Bradley's Liar's Club books before this one b/c some of the supporting characters play an important role in this one, and the hero in this one plays important supporting roles in those as well.)
Ok, so Celeste Bradley novels aren't for everyone (I realized this when I notice only one or 2 of her books are stocked in B&N or not at all.) but I would recommend her at least ONCE (book 2 of the Liar's Club The Impostor is my favorite so far and on my DIK list). Her books are NOT easy breezy reads to just skim through - the plot and action is very rich and a very integral part of the novel - not just a setting for a romance.
Plot: Layered so well that it's easy to get sucked into it. The first 120 pages are about how the hero and heroine meet and they ride to his home while he's trying to spy on a villain. There are also two major plot twists near the 2nd half of the book that are related to the Liar's Club books, and I'd imagine that a reader couldn't fully appreciate them if they haven't read the Liar's books first....I was VERY excited when those twists happened, but I don't want to spoil it. I love spy romances like this for all the dangerous elements that add to the story - not just a heroine wondering, "oh, does he love me?" And I'll always declare that Celeste Bradley writes the BEST flashback scenes I've ever read in romances - I feel like I get transported back in time whereas with other novels reading a flashback scene can feel like the plot is stumbling blindly through the pages....
Characters: One thing I LOVE about Bradley's romances is that no two characters are the same - I distinctly remember the differences and personalities of EVERY character I've read in her books so far....Another thing - they don't ALWAYS get a long and live as one happy family - the way they intertwine reminds me of Kleypas' books only more clever - not all of the heroines are trusting friends right away when they first meet - and sure some of the heroes from previous books might be a bit jealous of the other heroes for certain reasons but not one of her characters is completely perfect and paragon w/ out a fault - they are VERY human and full of life and when I read about them I get totally drawn into her books. The heroine in this one seems a little scatter-brained but she's VERY smart with animals and biology. The hero (who has the spy alias "cobra") is told by the heroine that he is "just like a cobra" and at first he panics thinking that she's figured out his secret - but she explains to him that he's just sensitive and he'll puff-up if he's cornered but normally he just prefers a cool distance and he's rather harmless and reserved. I love the Great Aunt and the dress maid Lily that helps Willa prepare for Kitty's party - (I wish I had a "Lily" to help me with wardrobe!) Oh yeah - and all the villain's get their due punishment! :)
Final Grade: A very high B+ to a low A-
This one isn't on my Desert Island Keeper list but I keep all of Celeste Bradley's books anyway b/c of the smart writing and the rich plots and character development. If you enjoy Celeste Bradley's books or if you want a good regency spy romance - this one can't be missed!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, October 4, 2005
This book was amazing. I really enjoy reading each one of her books for the simple fact that each character is unique to that book. So many authers get into rut where each character seems more like the last. Not with Bradley, she always weaves very intersting character with their own unique quirks. I loved how Willa had such a flighty nature and Nate so wanted to be the hero to her. Even the sex scenes were unique to this book and very steamy. While the plot line was a little unbelievable it still was so much fun to read I didn't mind. I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit. Bradley always delivers great characters, great dialoge and great fun. This book really lived up to her other ones.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
