Sometimes, indiscretion is the better part of valor. With his facility for languages and gift for diplomacy, Thomas Pearce is perfectly suited for his recent position in the Foreign Office. Or so he imagines until he receives his first assignment. Instead of a safe consular post in a friendly country, Thomas is going straight into the eye of the continental storm: France. There is, it seems, a … France. There is, it seems, a small matter of indiscretion just outside Paris that requires immediate attention. An indiscretion by the name of Sabine Rousseau, who happens to be the illegitimate daughter of Britain’s premiere.
When a handsome gentleman claiming to be a long-lost cousin arrives at her family’s home, Sabine is suspicious for reasons she can’t articulate. Perhaps it’s just that he’s far too attractive for her to think of him as a relative. She is, therefore, not entirely displeased when he privately announces they aren’t kin. Her pleasure dissipates, however, when she learns he has come to smuggle her out of France…and why.
Now, Sabine and Thomas must make their escape, and it won’t be easy. Her uncle considers her a ticket to curry favor with Napoleon and won’t let her disappear without a fight. To avoid detection, the couple must pretend to be amorous newlyweds…and this proves the most difficult task of all. Because it isn’t long before neither of them is pretending, and a small indiscretion may become a large one.
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Diplomat and British Agent Thomas Pearce, has his work cut out for him when he has to extract Sabine Rousseau from France before her uncle’s machinations cause her demise. This is a fairly steamy romance between the newbie agent and the young lady who has been plotting and planning her independence. Determined not to leave her most valuable assets behind, what should have been an easy in-and-out operation, becomes complicated and fraught with danger. There is some suspense, romance, and witty banter to keep one entertained, and the novel closes on a happy note. I received a copy of this novel as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Posing as newlyweds to steal out of the country, it’s clear their mutual attraction makes it difficult for them to resist each other. I liked that Sabine was a strong, intelligent character, who took time to think for herself and did not unquestioningly accept what she was told.
Newly minted diplomat Thomas Pearce is sent to France, because of his near-native acumen with the language, to retrieve the love child England’s Premiere and Head of State, William Pitt, has just learned about. Pitt’s daughter, Sabine, is dependent on the largess of her late adoptive father’s brother, who despises her and is preparing to turn her over to Napoleon Bonaparte’s secret police on the grounds that she is a traitor aiding the British. Sabine is only interested in her Percheron horse breeding operation, hoping to squirrel away enough money to secure her own independence. Presenting her with a letter written by her natural father, along with evidence of her uncle’s duplicity, Thomas is able to convince Sabine to willingly accompany him to the safety of England, as long as he brings her two most beloved Percherons along too. As they travel the countryside posing as newlyweds, the sexual tension and attraction blooms and grows between Thomas and Sabine. Though his position as a diplomat at the mercy of the British government means they can never truly be together, that doesn’t stop them falling in love. A jealous carriage driver, enamored of Sabine is determined to keep them apart and turn her against Thomas. All of the players in this game of intrigue have their own agendas and Sabine must determine if anything that has passed between herself and Thomas is the result of genuine feelings, on both sides, or a result of his diplomatic efforts to gain her trust and cooperation through her love and feelings for him.
As they journey through France, Thomas and Sabine are inextricably drawn together and their relationship is quite steamy, so if you prefer behind-closed-doors love scenes, this one is probably not for you. However, despite the fact that there are a lot of very steamy scenes, which are important to the development of the relationship between Sabine and Thomas, don’t think this book is nothing but steam and no substance; there are still spies and intrigue and dangerous plots. Sabine was one of the most likable heroines I’ve read in some time. She was mature and bright and willing to think and ask questions without jumping to naive conclusions. There were so many logical reasons, acknowledged by them both, for this couple to be apart that I was a bit unsure how the author would resolve their happy ending. It was refreshing to read about a couple who were truly willing to wait and fight for the opportunity to be together.
On another note: as a linguist myself I appreciated the author’s discussion of and poking fun at the workings of English and French and her knowledge of the mistakes native French speakers would logically make when learning English. Furthermore, as a horse person I was also pleased with Ms. Barbosa’s demonstrated knowledge of breeds of draft horses, so well done, ma’am, I applaud you.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.