Brazen Heiress

The thing I love about this book is the great, realistic dialogue. It's snappy, witty, and true-to-life. It's such a pleasure to read. I suspect that is Ms. Boyle's trademark, so I'll definitely look for more of her books. There were annoying anachronisms (what the hell, female intuition, butt in) and some glaring questions, such as why didn't anyone recognize Webb at the Tuileries when he'd been there so many times. And when in France, it would've been nice to know whether they were speaking French--it's never indicated, and I didn't get the feeling they were. And why on earth would Jefferson trust a British/French person with United States spy work. But I'm just nitpicking :) and can suspend disbelief since this was a great, witty read.

Webb Dryden had done his best to avoid Lily D'Artiers Copeland since she was a fifteen year old "hoyden". Now a secret mission to France to recover incriminating documents about his fellow secret agents forces him to spend more time with her than he'd like to fathom. However, Webb finds that his hoyden has grown into a temptress, and the most dangerous thing of all is that he's beginning to crave her in his bed and in his life.This is the second book in Elizabeth Boyle's "Brazen" series with Dell. It's the last one I had left to read. Lily has lots of secrets, including ones about Webb and their past together. This was a fast read and one I just couldn't put down. Boyle creates the world of early 19th century Paris beautifully and gets the reader so involved in the characters that we can't wait to see what happens next! A triumph from this rising star of romantic fiction.

This was really an enjoyable story, great characters, interesting plot. If you haven't tried Elizabeth Boyle before, do it-NOW!

Ms. Boyle writes a great story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lily and Webb's tale. If it was her only book I probably would have given this glowing reviews. Unfortunately though, I felt that compared to her previous book, it was a bit lacking. The plot was not quite as intricate and, on the whole, much more simplistic. The depth was just not there. At one point I looked down and saw that I was on page 223 and wondered how I got so far along in the plot. It felt like nothing much had happened yet. The last book delved pretty far into the workings of the French Revolution, and I appreciated that. Brazen Heiress skimmed the surface (very lightly) of Bonapart's early reign. The relationship between our hero and heroine was...well...there. A case of puppy love, illusions shattered, marriage to another, widowhood and meeting first love again and forgiving him everything he did to break your heart 5 years prior, all within such a short time, seems a bit contrived. That our hero's admiration grows for Lily, is understandable, but I wonder if it would happen so quickly, after years of thinking of her as a pain in the neck kid. Thus saying, I honestly did enjoy this book and hope that the next one (hopefully there will be atleast one more, since there is still plenty of family left) will be a little better crafted. If you can pick it up, read Brazen Heiress and its predecessor as well.

In a much anticipated sequel to award-winning BRAZEN ANGEL, Elizabeth Boyle brings us Lily D'Artiers and Webb Dryden, two spies and lovers who must overcome their past to play a deadly game in Napoleon's France. A lightning-paced read every historical romance reader will love!