The Spy's Reward

Nita Abrams consistently does the best guys in historical romance-spies and soldiers, rebels and outsiders. They tread a hard path toward love and self-knowledge while they fight Napoleon, in compelling deftly-wrought historical situations that always make me think yes, that's what it must have been like-to load a musket, blow up a bridge, ride all night to deliver a message. They love richly, heart-rendingly-not always wisely at first, but with a sly humor that I find irresistible. Her historical research is also superb: yes, we get that oft-done ball the night before Waterloo, but also the rich fabric of event leading up to it. In this, the finale of Abrams' Couriers series, she's saved the best hero for last. Yes, Abrams fans, this one is about Nathan - if they made a movie, it would have to star Alan Rickman. But if you haven't read any of the others, you could easily start here and go back later. One caveat - a prologue introduces a confusing roomful of people (I couldn't keep them straight either; an editor should have put it to rights). But don't be dissuaded. You won't need those characters and you shouldn't miss this book. Chapter 1 is charming and tells you everything you want to know.

Don't be fooled by the peacetime British opening of this fast-paced continental tale. No sooner have we met our characters than they are thrust into the very center of the danger, intrigue, stealth and chaos unleashed by Napoleon's escape from Elba in 1815. In this well-spun web of twists, turns and interconnections, Nita Abrams places us in the French countryside just barely ahead of Napoleon's increasingly triumphant march toward his destiny. Will the dashing spy Nathan Meyer fall in love with Diana Hart, the young ingénue he's been sent to safeguard on her journey home from France, or will he foil his brother in law's matchmaking schemes yet again? What happens when her mother Abigail uncovers Nathan's true identity - and tries to interfere with his clandestine mission? And how can either woman place any trust in such a man, who has maneuvered them ever further into harm's way instead of leading them out of it? Even more complications ensue when the trio is joined by Meyer's apparently inept nephew Anthony Roth. Now there are three hapless persons in his care, and he must choose between his mission and their safety. Abrams' careful attention to authentic period detail brings this story alive and succeeds in creating a richness that only heightens its realism.