My Lord and Spymaster (The Spymaster Series) (Paperback)

~ Joanna Bourne (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bourne's latest espionage-based series historical (following The Spymaster's Lady) entices with subtle subterfuge and heated romance. Jess Whitby, daughter of suspected spy Josiah Whitby, is doing everything in her power to exonerate her imprisoned father. In order to free him, she must prove that someone other than her father is the Cinq, a notorious mole. But Jess has met her match in Capt. Sebastian Kennett, wealthy bastard son of an English nobleman, equally as clever at keeping tabs on Jess as she is at tracking him. Sebastian is responsible for Josiah's arrest; Jess believes that Sebastian may be the Cinq; their mutual attraction proves a lovely foil for their suspicious minds. Glimpses of the leads' sordid pasts add depth, and Bourne's consummate way with a story line and an explosive denouement do the rest. (July)
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Review

“Bourne's latest espionage-based series historical (following The Spymaster's Lady) entices with subtle subterfuge and heated romance. Jess Whitby, daughter of suspected spy Josiah Whitby, is doing everything in her power to exonerate her imprisoned father. In order to free him, she must prove that someone other than her father is the Cinq, a notorious mole. But Jess has met her match in Capt. Sebastian Kennett, wealthy bastard son of an English nobleman, equally as clever at keeping tabs on Jess as she is at tracking him. Sebastian is responsible for Josiah's arrest; Jess believes that Sebastian may be the Cinq; their mutual attraction proves a lovely foil for their suspicious minds. Glimpses of the leads' sordid pasts add depth, and Bourne's consummate way with a story line and an explosive denouement do the rest.”
-- Publisher’s Weekly

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425222462
• ISBN-13: 978-0425222461
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #259,438 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eagerly awaited second book - doesn't disappoint!, July 3, 2008

By	JSG "paper lion" (Texas) - See all my reviews

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I've been eagerly awaiting this second book by author Joanna Bourne and it didn't disappoint. Great book. Loved it almost as much as her first one, "The Spymaster's Lady", which I have to say is one of my favorite books in recent memory. What an excellent author we have here. While the plot was not as fascinating to me as the first book (to me this story focuses more on the h/h's interaction and somewhat less on an intricate story line and secondary characters, compared to the first book), the main characters are amazing, their interaction with each other so interesting to read and very satisfying, and the overall writing is wonderful. Ms. Bourne says so much but presents it to the reader so indirectly. You really understand what the main characters are feeling without it being spelled out for you, and yet the people in the story still seem so beautifully drawn. Ms. Bourne seems to know how to reach into her characters and, with seeming ease and thru fascinating dialogue between the h/h and other characters (including a ferret in this one!), shows the reader the h/h's deepest fears and hopes, including feelings of stark terror, moments of great bravery, and levels of great romance. This book is highly recommended. 5 stars! Loved it. Kudos to Ms. Bourne.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent, July 1, 2008

By	Rendezvousbooks.com "Australia's romance bkstore" (all over Oz) - See all my reviews

After a magnificent debut with The Spymaster's Lady, Joanna Bourne shot straight to our keeper shelves.
If you love Samantha Saxon and Jo Beverely, then discover the daring adventure, well-crafted plots and compelling romance of this great new author.
After her father is wrongly accused of selling secrets to Napoleon, lovely Jess Whitby infiltrates the London underworld for the real traitor only to end up naked in the bed of a rude merchant captain. Not only is she falling in love with him, but he may be the scoundrel she's looking for.Don't miss her debut:The Spymaster's Lady

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real buckler for your swash!, September 19, 2008

By	kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Truly, I feel so sorry for those readers who feel they absolutely have to dash through every book they pick up --reading it as fast as they can--and wanting it to contain sex, sex, and more sex! Those readers should not read this book, as they just won't appreciate it.

As someone mentioned to me just recently, you shouldn't rush ragtime music--and neither should you rush through a book by Joanna Bourne. You need to turn the pages slowly, savoring the beauty or her descriptions, the wit of her writing, the magnificence of her plots, the intelligence of her characters (especially those of the female persuasion) and above all, the feelings that the two main characters have for each other. There is an enormous amount of sexual tension in this story, but it's cleverly disguised as longing. One doesn't feel battered by it, but rather is comforted by the lyricism of the author's prose as she demonstrates her skillful use of the English language, whether she's writing about adventure, history, romance, mystery or a travelogue.

How can you not appreciate an author who writes this sentence? ||Outside, one bird woke up to sing ten or twenty notes and then rolled over and went back to sleep.||

I loved her previous book and was practically counting the days until this one was released. I was not in any way disappointed by it, either. It's very different, but also very fabulous!

Yes, there are a few little places where the language is perhaps a tad more modern than it needs to be--but they're few and far between.

This is a ||real|| swashbuckler. I can't wait for the next one! You go, Joanna Bourne!