Falcon's Mistress

This is an entertaining historical romance. The heroine, the widowed Selena, is the falconer's daughter, not a debutante, not a member of the Gentry. So forget about presentations to the Queen and visits to the modiste. The hero, John, is the missing and presumed dead, Duke of Canby. But his true vocation is that of a spy for the Crown. He has faked his own death, left England and his Ducal responsibilities, and is a spy for the Crown in France. His mother has attempted to have him declared dead and murdered, and his young brother designated the eighteenth Duke. She needs access to the Duchy assets for her own nefarious schemes. Not very maternal. The mother accuses Selena of John's alleged murder. She has paid for testimony implicating Selena. Selena, with no defense, awaits trial in Newgate gaol. John, having been alerted to his mother's machinations, returns in disguise to England. So here we go... Can John save Selena fron the gallows without compromising his flourishing career as a spy? Can Serena forget that John had asked her to be his Mistress prior to his disappearance and her arranged, unhappy marriage? Do they still love each other? Can they overcome their different class origins? Can John unmask the double agent and prevent the stolen weapons from reaching the Colonies? This romance has excellent plotting, a semi-sensitive hero, a smart heroine, and good dialogue. It has a truly selfish, evil mother who will do anything in her power to promote her own agenda. All in all, a good, suspenseful romance read. Recommended.

The fine tradition of falconing has been an essential part of the Canby duchy for years, and caring for those falcons is the family tradition of the Downings. Selena Downing Hewitt, current Falconer for Lockwell Hall, has a passion for her falcons and an all-consuming love for the seventeenth Duke of Canby, John Markley. Though three years separate their ages, they've been best friends for most of their lives. On Canby's twentieth birthday he asked Selena to be his mistress, but she refused, knowing she would love him forever, yet wanting more out of life than to be a kept woman. Not long after her refusal, Canby disappeared and all those who loved him assumed him dead. Selena stayed on as Falconer for Lockwell Hall, caring for the birds they both adored and missing Canby every day of her life. Now, evidence has surfaced that suggests Canby's disappearance was the result of murder and the Dowager Duchess, Canby's mother, is pointing the finger at Selena. The sooner Selena is convicted of Canby's murder, the sooner the crown will strip Canby of his title and turn it over to the Duchess's second son, Randolph. John Markley, the seventeenth Duke of Canby, has loved Selena Hewitt for as long as he can remember. They grew up together, becoming fast friends while sharing a passion for his estate's falcons. On his twentieth birthday he finally worked up the nerve to ask the woman of his dreams to be his for all eternity. He was shocked and destroyed when she not only refused him, but also informed him that she was to marry another man. Unable to face a world in which Selena would always be within reach, but would belong to someone else, Canby shirked his responsibilities and joined an underground spy network bent on acquiring information for the Crown and foiling the plans of their enemies. In the guise of Jack Pearce, aka The Falcon, Canby now spies on the French nobility. In the midst of his latest assignment, Canby hears news that Selena is on trial for his supposed murder. Even after six years apart, his feelings for her are still strong, so he returns to England, hoping to save her life. When Selena and Canby are thrown together once again, their feelings for each other are even stronger than they were before, but society's rules have changed little. Society will never accept a Falconer's daughter as the next Duchess of Canby. Will Selena and Canby finally find a way to be together that they both can live with, or will Canby leave again, to return to the life of a spy for the Crown? Falcon's Mistress is one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've ever had. Ms. Birdsell's voice is so suited to historical romance that I felt transferred into the distant past. She brought her world to life for me in bright, vivid detail and each page I turned, I enjoyed more than the last. Selena is a proud woman, more than worthy of the title that marriage to Canby would afford her. Ms. Birdsell expertly conveys Selena's emotions, making her real to me i

Donna Birdsell pens another winner! Falconer's daughter Selena Hewitt refuses to become the Duke of Canby's mistress, chosing instead to marry a man of her own station. Canby, unable to face the loss of the woman he's worshipped since boyhood, and disillusioned by the hypocrisy of his aristocratic life, fakes his death and becomes Jack, aka The Falcon, a spy for the crown. Years later, Jack's past returns to haunt him when Selena, now widowed, is arrested for Canby's murder. Leaving a crucial mission in limbo, Jack returns to England to break Selena out of prison - without revealing his true identity. But how can Selena trust the mysterious man who appears out of nowhere to save her? Surely he has some ulterior motive for his good deed. Historical romance readers will love Jack and Selena's touching story. Donna Birdsell's beautiful prose shines, and the ending is not what you expect! Don't miss Falcon's Mistress.

Donna Birdsell has a winner once again with The Falcon's Mistress. Her lyrical writing shines throughout the book, which weaves a tale of intrigue with the poignant story of the Duke of Canby and his childhood love, Serena, daughter of the falconer for his estate. Serena and Canby fell in love in their youth, but class differences made marriage betwen them impossible and Serena was unwilling to settle for less. After being rejected, Canby disappeared and became a spy, but when Serena is charged with his murder years later, he feels compelled to return to save her. However, saving Serena from the gallows means he must give up spying and return to a meddling mother and a brother who wants his title. The story is a great read, and the ending will have you anxiously awaiting Donna Birdsell's next book.

In 1761 when twelve years old John Markley was already the duke, the falconer's daughter Serena Downing saved his life; he vowed to repay her one day. Several years later, he, as the duke, asks her to be his mistress, as she is to beneath his station to be anything else. Though she loves John she declines the offer. Not long afterward, he leaves England to work as Falcon, a British spy. In 1776 John, an assistant falconer in France learns that Serena has been convicted of murdering him with evidence provided by his family. He rushes back home to rescue her from the noose and to confront his mother who wants control of the estate assets and his brother who wants the title; to achieve that both need him declared dead; so what if a servant dies. John refuses to allow the trappings of his blood to keep him from what he always wanted to love Serena forever, but she knows he must marry his equal though she still desires him. Though somewhat by the Georgian romantic suspense handbook, the intriguing twist of Serena convicted for murdering her vanished John adds depth to an exciting late eighteenth century thriller. Serena is a wonderful harassed protagonist who makes a perfect victim because of her relative station compared with John's family. John is a delightful champion who needed the impetus of his family's machinations to enable him to push aside almost three decades of breeding to decide what he needs most in life, Serena. Donna Birdsell provides a fabulous historical romance that soars alongside the falcons that bind the lead couple to each other. Harriet Klausner