Rogue Spy by Joanna Bourne (Spymasters #5)
Historical Romance
Released: November 4, 2014
Berkley

Reviewed by Mandi

Before I being gushing, and oh yes there will be gushing, let me note that while this book can be read as a stand alone, I highly recommend reading The Forbidden Rose and The Black Hawk first. Not only for the world and events, but to build up these characters. Joanna Bourne writes the absolute best characters (the gushing has begun!). All three of these books are just fantastic and the wait for a new book literally pains me.

For those that have read the previous books, we found out Thomas Paxton or “Pax”, a well-regarded British Intelligence officer is a traitor in the previous book. And his heroine happens to be one too! But don’t fret, because these two get to keep their hero and heroine title. There are gray areas, complex pasts, revenge and a sexy romance that thrills the reader to the last page. At the age of ten, both Pax and Cami were taken from their homes and forced to live at the Coach House, a french owned house where kids were ruthlessly trained in killing, spying and anything else needed to become French spies. They became very good friends during this horrific period in their lives. But at the drop of a hat, Cami was thrust into the Leyland family consisting of two aunts who were amazing code breakers.

For ten years she’d been safe in the village of Brodemere, playing the part of the Leyland’s nice. But before that, she’d been one of the Caches, one of the terrible, well-trained children sent to England by the fanatics of the Revolution. She’d been a French spy, placed in an English family. Placed with the Leylands, because the two dithering, scholarly old ladies were the codemakers and codebreakers for the British Intelligence Service.

But Cami never succumbed to the French, and never stole a secret for them. Instead she has honed her skills as a codebreaker and has mastered the Mandarin code, wanted by an evil man. When she receives a letter from this man, demanding the Mandarin code, she knows she must go meet him in London, or her aunts will be harmed. This man says he has the real Leyland niece, and if she hands over the code, he will hand over the blood-born niece. Cami’s conscience knows the real niece belongs with her family, and decides to go to London.However, the British Service will hang her if she is found out.

The British Service would not be forgiving. They could not allow a French spy who knew so much to escape. It would not matter to them that she had never stolen secrets. That she had long since shaken free of her French masters. She’d read thousands of documents as she ciphered and deciphered. The British Service couldn’t afford to let her live.

Our hero is in the same boat. Pax was placed right into the British Service, and while he handed over a few worthless documents to the French in his early days, he too shook off the French hold and became a true, and highly regarded British Service agent. But in the previous book, Pax has confessed to being a traitor, and now he finds himself making the journey to London, to what he assumes will be his death. When he sees a woman hand off a letter at the doorstep to the British Service office, his time as an agent will be extended. He recognizes her handwriting from back at the Coach House and knows Cami is in London, but why? When he tracks her down, he eventually realizes the man who is blackmailing her is a man Pax thought dead. A man that he wants to kill more than anything in this world. Along with Hawker (hero from The Black Hawk and one of my favorite heroes ever) they work on a plan to bring this man down, and the fates of both Cami and Pax hang on a very fine thread.

I can’t explain it but the way Joanna Bourne writes just sucks me in. She makes her characters have this quiet, dry wit that I adore. Pax is a little more brute-ish and straight forward, but Cami reminds me a lot of Hawker. You never know what is going to come out of their mouths. They can be in horrible situations with no hope and yet they still are witty. But at the same time Bourne writes serious action and consequences for her characters.

Cami may have been brought up with a brutal hand, but she has compassion and a conscience. I suppose the villain knows this, so he dangles the real niece in front of her. I like the fact that Cami and Pax come from the same background, have fought similar battles, and both face death, and yet for all those reasons they are in love, but trust is so hard to come by. Their romance is complicated and messy, and ultimately joyous and peaceful. It’s a fun journey.

This author also writes such rich spy stories. These guys are amazing spies and it’s just so interesting to uncover their tricks and how their minds work. At one point in this story I paused while reading to think to myself, how does Joanna Bourne come up with this stuff? To me, it’s so realistic and well done – and clever. Oh so clever.

Hawker has a lot of page time in this book which I adored. This book takes place before he has his HEA in The Black Hawk. There is one scene in particular where he breaks down for a few seconds, and it broke my heart. Thank goodness I know he gets his HEA and all will be well.

Rogue Spy is a fascinating, sexy adventure. I really, really hope you guys try this author.

Rating: A

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