[HC4]⋙ Read Free Beauty Like the Night Spymaster 6 A series of sweeping passionate historical romance Joanna Bourne author 9781472222534 Books

Beauty Like the Night Spymaster 6 A series of sweeping passionate historical romance Joanna Bourne author 9781472222534 Books

Download As PDF : Beauty Like the Night Spymaster 6 A series of sweeping passionate historical romance Joanna Bourne author 9781472222534 Books

Beauty Like the Night Spymaster 6 A series of sweeping passionate historical romance Joanna Bourne author 9781472222534 Books

No series fatigue is to be found in Bourne's Beauty Like the Night. Admittedly, as this is the last title in the series, it IS crammed with characters from all the previous stories and that is sometimes just a little overwhelming.
The only other slight, slight weakness is that it took too long for me to connect with the h, Raoul. I think that this was for a few reasons. One was that he was competing with a huge cast of familiar characters, many of them powerful favourites from previous stories. He was simply overshadowed by their presence. He was also competing with loads of action - a vast number of escapades/battles/killings/assassination attempts/blackmail conspiracies/treasonous betrayals (and even more). Sure there was the sexy waltz and so on and so on, but it wasn't until the final part of the story (when he does the right thing for someone he has wronged) that Raoul seemed a man worthy of the h, Sevie. (Until then he seemed little more than a sexy, opinionated, narcissistic and talented thief who spoke about his ex-wife's daughter in a heartlessly dismissive way.)
Happily, the h, Sevie, grabbed me from the very first passages of this story. Sevie is a strong, loyal, fierce, courageous and almost saintly character, but made much more complex and fascinating by the terrible tragedies and betrayals of her youth (to and by her).
There seems little point in sharing all the plot details of this story. Suffice to say, cumbersome and somewhat incredible though the plot may be, at times, it never seems totally unbelievable. Even the coincidences and near misses and the most spectacular scene (where Raoul singlehandedly kills six armed opponents) all slid by without causing me to do more than shrug. And I generally hate that sort of thing, which is why I usually avoid spy stories, violence, or even stories of mild derring-do.
Irrespective of my usual tastes, this series has become an automatic pre-order for me - because of Bourne's writing. (I still remember Marguerite's discussion with the rabbit from Book 1 and think it one of the best opening chapters of a HR that I've ever read.)
In this conclusion to the series, Bourne again provides an entertaining, romantic and well-crafted HR for her fans.
Beauty Like the Night is well-crafted in more ways than one. It isn't just well plotted, well researched and well written. It also delivers language well above the usual standards of contemporary HRs.
There are many examples of her talented use of language throughout the story, but the opening chapter delivers just one case in point. Sevie and Raul are meeting for the first time. He has just invaded her bedroom at night, ready to interrogate her and hurt her, if necessary:
"If this man had come for her, knowing who and what she’d been, he was desperate or a fool or very dangerous. Or all three.
She said, “I retired a long time ago.”
“Innocent as a nestling harpy,” he murmured. “All soft down and razor claws.”

Sevie replies:
“I see myself as a battlefield crow. Retired, with a perch and a cup of fruits and nuts in the salon and a covered cage in the schoolroom."
Of course, it is Sevie who is peddling the delusion to Raoul, who sees right through it. And it is Raoul's description of Sevie that is the one that is beautifully apt. It is a nice touch (and a further reason, on reflection, to like him) that he is the person who brings Sevie truly alive, not just through his sexual skills (as an aside, must EVERY HR hero have overly high levels of self esteem in regards to his love-making?) but also because he seriously admires Sevie and sees no reason to try to dominate her. Actually - he realises there would be no point in doing so.
Lovely.
Five stars lovely.


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Beauty Like the Night Spymaster 6 A series of sweeping passionate historical romance Joanna Bourne author 9781472222534 Books Reviews

I have already posted this review on the paperback version page, but it is not showing as a verified purchase, so I have re-posted here. I bought the version.

Loved it loved it, a gripping story of murder, secrets, revenge and ultimately love. Sevie has left the war, and for the most part spying, behind and is using her considerable skills to run her own detective agency. Raoul needs Sevie's help to locate his missing 12 year old daughter. Absolute 5+ from me, a great story for those of us who wait with bated breath for the next installment of this series, Hawker and Doyle feature quite prominently in this book, with cameos from a few other familiar faces such as Pax, Fletcher and Lazarus, although still no mention of what Grey and Annique (Spymasters Lady), my all time favorites, are up to. The long wait was well worth it, and I hope Joanna changes her mind about this being the last in the series (
No series fatigue is to be found in Bourne's Beauty Like the Night. Admittedly, as this is the last title in the series, it IS crammed with characters from all the previous stories and that is sometimes just a little overwhelming.
The only other slight, slight weakness is that it took too long for me to connect with the h, Raoul. I think that this was for a few reasons. One was that he was competing with a huge cast of familiar characters, many of them powerful favourites from previous stories. He was simply overshadowed by their presence. He was also competing with loads of action - a vast number of escapades/battles/killings/assassination attempts/blackmail conspiracies/treasonous betrayals (and even more). Sure there was the sexy waltz and so on and so on, but it wasn't until the final part of the story (when he does the right thing for someone he has wronged) that Raoul seemed a man worthy of the h, Sevie. (Until then he seemed little more than a sexy, opinionated, narcissistic and talented thief who spoke about his ex-wife's daughter in a heartlessly dismissive way.)
Happily, the h, Sevie, grabbed me from the very first passages of this story. Sevie is a strong, loyal, fierce, courageous and almost saintly character, but made much more complex and fascinating by the terrible tragedies and betrayals of her youth (to and by her).
There seems little point in sharing all the plot details of this story. Suffice to say, cumbersome and somewhat incredible though the plot may be, at times, it never seems totally unbelievable. Even the coincidences and near misses and the most spectacular scene (where Raoul singlehandedly kills six armed opponents) all slid by without causing me to do more than shrug. And I generally hate that sort of thing, which is why I usually avoid spy stories, violence, or even stories of mild derring-do.
Irrespective of my usual tastes, this series has become an automatic pre-order for me - because of Bourne's writing. (I still remember Marguerite's discussion with the rabbit from Book 1 and think it one of the best opening chapters of a HR that I've ever read.)
In this conclusion to the series, Bourne again provides an entertaining, romantic and well-crafted HR for her fans.
Beauty Like the Night is well-crafted in more ways than one. It isn't just well plotted, well researched and well written. It also delivers language well above the usual standards of contemporary HRs.
There are many examples of her talented use of language throughout the story, but the opening chapter delivers just one case in point. Sevie and Raul are meeting for the first time. He has just invaded her bedroom at night, ready to interrogate her and hurt her, if necessary
"If this man had come for her, knowing who and what she’d been, he was desperate or a fool or very dangerous. Or all three.
She said, “I retired a long time ago.”
“Innocent as a nestling harpy,” he murmured. “All soft down and razor claws.”

Sevie replies
“I see myself as a battlefield crow. Retired, with a perch and a cup of fruits and nuts in the salon and a covered cage in the schoolroom."
Of course, it is Sevie who is peddling the delusion to Raoul, who sees right through it. And it is Raoul's description of Sevie that is the one that is beautifully apt. It is a nice touch (and a further reason, on reflection, to like him) that he is the person who brings Sevie truly alive, not just through his sexual skills (as an aside, must EVERY HR hero have overly high levels of self esteem in regards to his love-making?) but also because he seriously admires Sevie and sees no reason to try to dominate her. Actually - he realises there would be no point in doing so.
Lovely.
Five stars lovely.