What I've Read This Week

What I've Read This Week . . .

The Traitor in the Tunnel by Y.S. Lee (The Agency 3) -- Young Adult Historical Fiction/Mystery

Mary Quinn is now a full-fledged member of The Agency after two years. Her newest assignment is to investigate the disappearance of some small items from the Queen's drawing room. Serving at Buckingham Palace isn't easy with a mistrustful housekeeper, shrewish lady-in-waiting, disgusting equerries and an ambitious roommate. Mary knows enough to keep her eyes and ears open despite her difficulties. She becomes privy to the news that the Prince of Wales was out carousing with friends and stumbled into an opium den where the Prince's friend was stabbed by an old, opium addicted Chinese man - a man who happens to have the same name as Mary's father! While the Queen wants justice for the murder of an aristocrat or possibly treason, Prince Bertie won't share what he knows. Mary is determined to see social justice done even if the man is not her father. At the same time, Easton engineering is renovating the sewer tunnels under the palace and Mary and James encounter one another again. This time there's no denying the passion between them. Mary needs James' help again for she has discovered the presence of secret tunnels underneath the Palace which places the entire royal household in jeopardy. Mary and James must put personal feelings aside for now and determine whether someone means to use the tunnels for evil. Her search for answers leads her from the Prince's apartments, down into the sewers to the Tower of London where she uncovers difficult truths about herself and her identity. This is the best book of the trilogy. As usual the descriptive period details are amazing and really set the scene, especially in the sewers. Mary is a strong female character who I loved from the start. The author hasn't changed Mary in any negative way. Instead, Mary grows as learns to confront her issues. James too grows up while remaining as swoony as ever. The dialogue between Mary and James is top-notch and rather sweet and funny. The mystery of the murder was interesting and engaging but the other mysteries were less interesting mainly because I was intrigued by the secrets of Mary's past from the first book and was anxious for a resolution. The ending is not at all rushed and everything wraps up neatly - if not entirely historically accurately. I couldn't have written it better myself. I'm not sure there needs to be a fourth volume in the series but I look forward to reading it anyway!

French Leave by Sheri Cobb South (Weaver Trilogy #3) -- Regency Romance

The Earl of Waverly, who once tried to seduce Lady Helen Radney, has been in exile in France for four years since his debts forced him to leave England. He's been living hand-to-mouth on his winnings and is completely miserable. He takes a turn for the worse when he discovers that Ethan Brundy has been knighted. Staggering home drunk that evening, he is surprised to discover a young novice running away from her convent. She has nowhere to go for if she returns home her aunt and uncle will force her to marry her awful cousin Raoul. Her only hope is to find her estranged English grandfather and hope he will take her in. She puts her trust in Waverly and offers him a reward on her grandfather's behalf. Drunk and mostly senseless, Waverly agrees to escort the girl to England. When he comes to his senses the next day, he discovers the young lady is badly in need of an older, wiser head to guide her and since Waverly needs funds, why not escort her to England? With Lisette disguised as a boy, they make their way to Lancashire only to meet with misfortune. They have no choice but to seek help from the nearest house, which just so happens to be the home of the Brundys! Waverly has no choice but to throw himself on the mercy of Sir Ethan and Lady Helen. Next he must marry Lisette for surely she has been compromised just by being with him and the child needs a guardian, so why not? It should be a marriage blanc, a marriage of convenience for both, but Waverly doesn't understand the workings of the human heart. While he is busy trying to pursue his own interests, Lisette schemes to attract her handsome husband's attention. The Brundys are friendly enough but have their own marital problems to deal with. Meanwhile Lisette's despicable cousin is after her and will stop at nothing until he's found her. This book contains all the plot elements I can't stand. It borrows heavily from Georgette Heyer's canon. Lisette is very young and silly but she knows her own mind and she's strong-willed. She's very much like Leonie in These Old Shades and Waverly is modeled after Justin. Waverly does redeem himself in the end and I liked him better than Justin.  In my opinion, though, the characters in this novel can not compare to Georgette Heyer's and if I were an author I would stay far away from copying the best in the business. The epilogue of this book is worth reading and made me laugh. I only picked this one up because I wanted to find out what happened to the Brundys. They featured into this novel more than I expected. If you want to know what happens to them without reading the book, leave a comment and I'll respond. If you liked These Old Shades, The Corinthian, Friday's Child, you will like this book almost as much.