The Lady Lies

If you don't enjoy Oliver Stone because you're hung up on the historical inaccuricies, this is not the book for you. But if you love a good adventure with a strong female character, excitement, drama, mystery, all at a fast past, get this book! I have never, ever pre-ordered a book before, but I did preorded Samantha Saxon's next book. Too many of the books coming out today are not exciting, too concerned about telling us just the exact hue of the daisies or being the written version of the history channel, or worse yet, no development of characters whatsoever because the author is afraid of being inaccurate, etc. Samantha Saxon was a delightful find that'll keep you guessing.

I don't have time to write a review as thoughtful as this debut novel deserves, so suffice it to say that if you're a fan of Karen Ranney ("My Wicked Fantasy," the Highland Lords series, the just-released and incredibly moving "When Next We Meet") and Liz Carlyle ("The Devil You Know," "No True Gentleman," "A Woman Scorned") I think you'll enjoy this author enormously. Look for some delicious love-hate scenes, of which my personal favorite is the wickedly erotic encounter between two accidental voyeurs, hiding in a bedroom where neither of them can afford to be caught. Talk about making the most of an awkward situation...

This book blew me away. I don't usually read historicals much, and Regencies tend to bore me, unless they're Julia Quinn-style--light, funny, frothy things that tickle my vanity. The Lady Lies couldn't be more opposite to that, and I loved it!! Now, it does have some humor, but it's a dark humor. The whole book is dark, and sexy--ooo-wee. The hero and heroine have real chemistry, and real reasons to fight against it (and then give in to it), but they're not the only ones getting it on. The bad guys have their own scenes and their own relationships, and they're interesting, darkly sexy and really compelling. Almost nothing about the plotting or the characters was what I expected. This is no regular Regency with silly plot points like "Ooh, we're stuck together in a carriage--with no chaperone!" or "Oh no, he ripped my bodice, now I'm unmarriageable!" Instead, it's full of really compelling plot points--the heroine, a female spy, must constantly remind herself of why she does what she does; the hero is tormented by memories of the battle he lost, in which many of the soldiers in his command died; the bad guy uses his attractiveness to seduce a sweetly foppish clerk into giving him the information he needs; and more. This is definitely a book you can't put down till you read the last page. And it's one that even people who don't normally like historicals will love. So I give it my highest recommendation!

YOU GOTTA READ THIS BOOK!!!! Its a MUST. From the opening paragraphs your get hooked. The writing is superb. The attention to nuances and dramatic's of body language is meticulous. It almost plays out in such detail that it is like a movie for your mind. Lady Celeste Rivenhall is a spy, and as the story opens we find that Aidan, a solider and a viscount, has been captured and is being held in a French prison camp. Celeste orchestrates a daring escape for Aidan all while pretending to be a French collaborator. They have an instant attraction that makes the rest of the story sizzle. I read a lot of romance novels but I have to say that this is a step above. It has only a few expected remarks that all Regency era books have (ie the need for chaperones) and bravely follows its own path leading to Ms. Saxon's own style of intrigue and suspense. She writes unapologetically tortured characters who suffer and die and writes evil villians so well that I could easily find myself seduced by the dark side. I am going to read everything this woman puts out. (The only problem I had with the book, albeit minor, was that she used different names for the same person from paragraph to paragraph and sometimes it was hard to keep everyone straight. But then again...I am kinda a spaz.)

In 1811 Portugal French troops capture English legendary soldier Lord Aiden Duhearst. The prisoner is brought to English traitor Lady Celeste Rivenhall for interrogation. Knowing how important Aiden is to the war effort, she informs the French officers that she will escort the prisoner to the Emperor. Though attracted to her Aiden despises the turncoat. He escapes although unbeknownst to him it is because of Celeste, who hid from the English hero that she is a double agent working for Lord Falcon. Falcon calls Celeste back to England to use her wiles to uncover who in the inner circle is betraying the crown. When Lady Davis is killed, Aiden assumes Celeste arranged the murder and is the traitor. To his chagrin Aiden falls in love with Celeste; although she reciprocates he vows never to act on his feelings as he plans to prove she is the traitor. This action packed story line grips the audience the moment Celeste threatens Aiden so that everyone witnessing her performance including the prisoner believe she is a vicious femme fatale working for the French against the English. The who-done-it is cleverly devised so that while Celeste hides her espionage mission yet searches for the truth, Aiden seeks proof she is the guilty party. Samantha Saxon serves up a stupendous Regency romance. Harriet Klausner