My Love, My Enemy

I read "My Love, My Enemy" because it was suggested to me. I expected a typical trashy romance, based on the picture; but as the saying goes, You can't judge a book by it's cover. Page is a very young, naive, and not too headstrong. Her one kind act in saving a British spy sends her off on a nearly-year long adventure, crossing the ocean several times and making friends with everyone she meets. It's a very clean story, no bedroom scenes and little swearing. Sometimes the author does use almost-unbelievable adventures or predictable plot threads to move the story along, but I much prefer that over using rape scenes (think D. Gabaldon). And after all her journeying, Page and the man she fell in love with get their happy ending.

First of all, the reviewer who was disappointed was possibly so because the book is set during the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War. And no, this is not an in-your-face sexual romp, but it's an enormously romantic story where the heroine grows and the hero acts according to the code of gentlemanly conduct of the time. Speas' can set a mood and describe action as well as almost any author I have ever encountered, and that includes both classic and contemporary mainstream authors. If you appreciate some subtlety in your romance, this book is as romantic as any you've ever read. Think Georgette Heyer; think Victoria Holt; think any of the great classic romances. Love in this book is allowed to grow, and while sexual attraction is not described via body parts, it's there and you feel it. I recommend this book without reservation, as I do all three of Speas' romances. I think she passed away in the early 60's and her work includes several short stories published by the Saturday Evening Post. If you love exceptional descriptive prose, characters who act true to their time, and romance without melodrama, she's left a legacy of three, must read books.

The story follows the coming of age of a young American girl during the war of 1812 as a prisoner of war caught between her family's patriotism and a growing love for an English enemy. I love the author's ability to inject a feeling of realism - the characters are believable and engaging and true to their time and situations.