Joanna Bourne does it again, with the latest installment in her Spymaster series. This time, it's Severine's turn in the spotlight, and that alone is well worth the price of admission. Throw in the suave, magnetic Raoul, a search for his missing daughter (or is she?) and the old Bourne magic does it thing. Those familiar with the Spymaster series will see many familiar faces, while newcomers will be inspired to dive deeper.

Recommended for readers who like an immersive historical atmosphere, an air of intrigue and a romance that goes into some dark corners before finding the happily ever after.

Joanna Bourne is back with her latest installment in the Spymasters series. Once again, her superb writing creates a wonderful story of love and intrigue. Severine de Cabrillac, sister of Justine (The Black Hawk), has grown up as part of a spy family. Her regimented life is disrupted by the appearance of Raoul Deverney, who insists that she is connected to the death of his wife and the disappearance of his daughter. A complicated series of events ensues while Severine and Raoul discovered a love that endures the intrigue surrounding them. A good story is elevated to excellence by the wonderful writing voice of Bourne. Consistency is her trademark and this book joins the others in this outstanding series.

*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.


Book six in the Spymasters series. This book had me hooked form the first page as it centers around a female spy for once that has the support of her family instead of having to hide. She even has a reputation of being a really good one at that. The only problem is that once the two halves of the couple meet one another the book tuns into a spy thriller novel a whole lot more then it does a romance novel. Shoot it was after half the book before they even kissed and the flirting was minimal to say the least. That did not make it any less of a good book though as I totally got caught in the investigation wondering what in the world would happen next. The little details worked in really kept the story moving. The romance part did heat up towards the end in what seemed like an effort to redeem itself for the genre itself. Though odd for a historical romance book it is extremely well written and I enjoyed it a lot so it gets 4/5 stars.

Joanna Bourne more than anyone captures what "escapist" literature is supposed to be. You just want to escape your own warty shell and just slip into something a little more comfortable for a few hours, but not have it seem ridiculous. Her heroines, without a doubt, are all people you enjoy imagining yourself to be: beautiful (but not conventionally, of course) smart (but not just book-smart, of course), physically skilled (in mysterious sexy spy things, of course), mentally strong (but still craving a man's support, of course) and completely perfect, somehow without being Mary Sue. Her heroes are the perfect mate to the female escapist vehicle, they are also beautiful, smart, physically strong (in mysterious sexy spy things as well as brute smelly man strength, of course), mentally strong (in a cool dominates-you-just-right-and-not-the-rapey-way, of course) and perfect, but still somehow also needing a woman's singular powers to mold him to a fully morally and emotionally actualized man, as romance men do. And she totally turns it out, just as neatly as a cake from a well-floured tin, every. single. time. Matching these perfect salt-and-pepper sets a whopping six times in a row, without being entirely ridiculous to read, is such a neat trick, and every critical reader of genre fiction should read her just to try to figure out how she pulls it off, because can't.

The heroine of the story, Severine deCabrillac, was introduced in previous books, the hero, Raoul Deverney, is new to the world, or else I don't remember him, which is very possible. In a brave new post-Napoleonic Wars world, Severine has retired from a Sexy Spy to be a Sexy Gumshoe, and Raoul hires her (naturally, by breaking into her rooms wait for her, as all the best freelancing gigs start) to investigate a missing child and an also mysteriously missing amulet. And we're off over several enjoyable miles of sexual tension and snappy dialogue, before a satisfying happy ending. Bourne's biggest strengths, her dialogue and her writing, are as tight as ever, but I found the plotting a little looser than other ones in the series, and you can guess the core of the mystery long before I felt she intended you to.

This is not her best work, and on the 6th book, the links between the books of the Spymasters series (especially with that useful war with France over and no longer available to drive the plots) is starting to feel a bit ragged. But this is still the sexiest and best written f/m historical romance series on the market, and I'll read it straight into the ground. And then automatically buy whatever Bourne's next series is.

Orphan of the French revolution and sometime British intelligence agent, Severine de Cabrillac has attempted to leave her life of spying behind her. Now she devotes herself to investigating crimes in London and finding justice for the wrongly accused.

Raoul Deverney, an enigmatic half-Spaniard with enough secrets to earn even a spy's respect, is at her door demanding help. She's the only one who can find the killer of his long-estranged wife and rescue her missing fourteen-year-old daughter. After much debate Severine reluctantly agrees to aid him, even though she feels the growing attraction between them makes it quite unwise. Their desperate search for the girl unleashes treason and murder. . . and offers a last chance for two strong, wounded people to find love.

*** I have been a long-time fan of Ms. Bourne’s Spymasters series and have quite enjoyed each and every one! Obviously BEAUTY LIKE THE NIGHT ended up in a class by itself! The two main protagonists while attracted to one another, started out terribly opposed to working together, in fact not quite trusting one another.

Raoul was a tough character to embrace, caustic and arrogant, it was hard to embrace him even as later he did seem a bit more likable. Not that Severine was easy to get close to as her life had been unusual and she had learned not to give her trust to just anyone! Although once they did agree to combine their intelligence, they did work well together. What made the story even better was the search for Raoul’s missing daughter (whom he denied vehemently that he was not the father). In trying to discover what was going on once they discovered that they needed to stop an assassination, the action deepened and it was edge of the seat reading while they tried to catch the assassin.

Bottom line: The story was totally engaging and the ending was wonderful if not surprising. Highly recommended.

Marilyn Rondeau

A murder, a missing girl, an assassination attempt, and two hostile people who fight an attraction come together in the latest of the Spymasters series in this delicious and twisting tale set after the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Review

Beauty Like the Night is book six in the series. I would imagine the series works best read in order, but this was my fist of the novel-length stories and I was able to read it just fine. The plot was self-contained though the surrounding cast have been around through earlier books.

I had the opportunity to sample a couple of novellas while reading the Last Chance Christmas Ball antho and the Gambled Away antho that are side stories to the series that gave me a taste of the writer’s work. I enjoyed it and her shadow world of spies and underworld characters so I was glad to finally pick up one of the main stories of the series. I was not disappointed.

The story is that of Raoul Deverney a French-Spanish aristocrat and Severine de Cabrillac high born French child adopted into an English lord’s household during the French Revolution. Both are more than they seem and the story opens with a riveting scene that lays out what is to come nicely. I was captivated by both Raoul and Sevie and found it interesting as they warily circled each other thinking the worst, but needing to work together for an important cause.

The attraction sparked and sizzled between them though they were so contained and drove each other mad. Their cat and mouse game through spying, investigating, and passion was well written. Two deadly people who respected each other’s skill have to decide if they can get over the past and trust each other with their hearts.

Alongside the romance was a twisting plot that harked back to time on the battlefield that was Spain during the war. Everyone searches for the same thing, the amulet and a twelve-year old girl who may know something about it. Sevie and Raoul must figure out why and figure out who would kill to get it.

The story was enlarged to include not just Sevie and Raoul’s narration, but that of other longstanding series characters. I enjoyed these moments to get to know the others and appreciated that there were no series spoilers from the stories that came before even while letting the characters continue in this latest book.

In summary, it was a fabulous experience. I loved the sense of historical knowledge not only of the time period, but the specific part of espionage and Napoleonic war elements laced through the story. This is for those who enjoy spy suspense stories mixed with historical romance.

My thanks to Penguin-Random House for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really love Joanna Bourne's writing; there's no other author like her. Her prose is so poetic and imbued with sly, subtle humor that it's a pleasure to read her books. It's also in the way she describes things or a certain turn of phrase that allows you to see things in a new light. For example:


He might need arresting at some point.

Who says things like that? I mean, I would say, "He might be arrested at some point", not that he might need it. Other examples:

A quiet street altogether. One that minded its own business.

~ o ~ o ~

His hand closed around her elbow, gentle as wind and unyielding as carved oak.

~ o ~ o ~

[Hawker said to Sevie's father] "'Let her chase murderers,' you said. 'It'll cheer her up. It'll give her an interest in life now that she can't spy on the French.'"

"I did say something of the sort," Doyle admitted.

"'A good steady profession' you called it. 'There will always be murderers', you said."

"I was right about that last one."

I fear though I'm not doing this book justice with my review; to experience it yourself, you need to read it.

There's a wonderful mix of romantic tension and mystery, as well as action and suspense, keeping me on the edge of my seat and compelling me to keep on turning the pages. Although I have to say I was disappointed when I reached the end of the story, because I wanted more!

*** maybe a minor spoiler alert ***

I do think that the scene where they were first fully intimate was a bit…not sure what word I was looking for… maybe 'inappropriate'? You're burgling an office--would you think of having sex there, no matter how urgently you need it or how tight the sexual tension is? Other than that, I would also have loved more scenes of Sevie and Raoul together.

Overall, BEAUTY LIKE THE NIGHT is a great addition to the series, and I can't wait to read the next one!

Loved this cleverly written historical romantic suspense by Joanna Bourne.

Sèverine de Cabrillac was a former military intelligence who is now using her "skills" as an investigator. As intelligent as she is beautiful, Sèverine is one of the most interesting heroines I've read in a long time. Drawn back into the world she tried to leave behind, Sèverine must confront the demons of her past at the same time help Raoul Deverney discover his estranged wife wife's killer and his missing daughter.

The characters, the dialogue, the plot just works seamlessly. This is the first book I've read from this author and my first historical-suspense in general, and I got to say that I've become an immediate fan.

Clever and interesting, Beauty Like the Night will draw you in from the very first page. The romance between Raoul and Sèverine was lovely and interesting. My only gripe is that the hero isn't as interesting as the heroine. But that said, Sèverine more than made up for it. She's a very interesting and unique character.

I highly recommend this book.

I had been meaning to read Joanna Bourne for years when I picked up Beauty Like the Night, the 6th book in the author’s Spymaster series. I was captivated by the story from the first word, despite the fact that I hadn’t read any of the previous books in the series (although I would recommend reading them in order). I cannot recommend Beauty Like the Night highly enough; Joanna Bourne is a master storyteller who has created an intricate and well-designed world of English and French spies with larger-than-life characters who have to fight for their happily ever afters.
 
In Beauty Like the Night, Severine de Cabrillac returns to the series, all grown up (you need to start the series at the beginning to learn how she makes her entrance as a child), having lived a difficult and exhaustive life caught between French and English spies. She has turned her back on the spy world to work as a private investigator of sorts - which puts her in the path of Raoul Deverney, a man looking for his the daughter he has never met (she is missing). Raoul has a complicated story (almost as complicated as Sevie’s) and he suspects that Sevie is involved in some way in his daughter’s disappearance. The two end up working together to find answers which of course are tied to both of their pasts. Raoul has to prove himself worthy of Sevie and her spy friends, a task that he excelled at. There is a wonderful scene where Sevie, Raoul and Hawker have to face Lazarus (who remains one of the most mysterious characters in the series).
 
The English/French spy business of the time is a very intertwined (somewhat incestous?) thing in Bourne’s world. There is a great deal of political intrigue, a great deal of backstory (Sevie’s history is fascinating) and many appearances by the mainstay characters of the series (Doyle, Hawk, Lazarus, etc).  The spy business is messy and leads to lots of trouble for everyone involved. But the world is amazing. I was blown away by the story, the world and the romance. As soon as I finished this one, I immediately went back to read the rest of the series, this time in order.
 
Beauty Like the Night, along with the rest of the books in the series, is everything a romance novel should be: it has an intricate (but not convoluted) plot, endearing characters and a heartwarming romance. The Spymaster series is one of my all-time favorite romance novel series.

There’s an old chestnut about spies that boils down to, “It takes a spy to know a spy,” or alternatively, “It takes a spy to catch a spy.” Joanna Bourne’s Beauty Like the Night, the sixth and final entry of her Spymasters series, certainly fits this rubric. Two former intelligence agents who once fought for opposing armies explore the possibility of working side by side to solve a disturbing mystery, the disappearance of a young girl.

Séverine de Cabrillac, orphan of the French revolution and sometime British intelligence agent, has tried to leave spying behind her. Now she devotes herself to investigating crimes in London and finding justice for the wrongly accused.

Raoul Deverney, an enigmatic half-Spaniard with enough secrets to earn even a spy's respect, is at her door demanding help. She's the only one who can find the killer of his long-estranged wife and rescue her missing fourteen-year-old daughter.

Spanish wine merchant Raoul operates under the cover of darkness, for the most part, when he inhabits his other persona, a mysterious cat burglar. It makes sense that he would reach out to Séverine in the middle of the night, waking her from sleep:

He’d watched her from the day he’d found her name written at the scene of Sanchia’s death. More than a week now. The name had meant nothing to him, but he’d recognized her at once, even after so many years. She was as beautiful as he’d remembered. In the same room with her, in her bed, the self-contained force of the woman struck like a hammer blow.

Longtime readers of Joanna Bourne will recognize a familiar tell: the “even after so many years” phrase. The Spymasters world is one that stretches over decades, beginning in the bloody aftermath of the French Revolution. Undoubtedly, readers of Beauty Like the Night will want to read the preceding stories; here is a recommended method for doing so. Suffice to say that a decade earlier in Spain, Raoul was hauled up before Séverine—and that incident in their mutual past will greatly affect their search for Pilar, Sanchia’s missing daughter.

She’d been a legend in Spain a decade ago—the woman who took many names, who wore many disguises, who was always frighteningly effective. They said she’d given up spying. That she was a private person now, investigating private crimes.

Whether or not Raoul believes Séverine is retired—and he doesn’t—he needs her expertise to find his deceased, long-estranged wife’s killer. Séverine actually is a retired British spy—if someone who is the adopted daughter of William Doyle, the spiritual head of the British spy network, can ever be truly considered to be outside the world of her upbringing. She leans on her father to understand and interpret her nocturnal visitor.

“Smaller than you,” Séverine said.

“Everybody’s smaller than me,” Papa ambled along beside her.

“Taller than Hawker.”

“Most men are taller than Hawker.” She led last night’s memories through her mind one by one. Pictured the man standing over her, holding a knife. Mentally measured him against the window frame where he’d paused an instant before he slid away over the sill in a smooth, practiced twist of his body. “He’s midway between you and Hawker.”

Papa—William Doyle in the spy world, Viscount Markham to the ton—was not her father by blood. That had been the Comte de Cabrillac, dead in the Terror of the Revolution. She barely remembered the horror of his death and her mother’s. The months afterward when she and her sister Justine struggled to survive where a nightmare of pain and fear. Then a huge, gentle stranger had said, “She is my daughter,” and carried her in his arms out of the gates of Paris.

It was her papa that painstakingly taught her the secrets of spycraft over the years. She’ll need to call on every bit of knowledge to unravel her newest case, particularly since all hell breaks loose in her personal world. Her office is ransacked, reduced to rubble, chaos, and broken shards. The looters don’t know Séverine if they think this will deter her.

Pain and bitterness ached behind her eyes, but she would not cry. Think what this says about those men, not how much it hurts. Don’t give them the satisfaction of hurting you.

Experienced bastards had searched her office. At least two men. That was obvious from all the little signs. They’d gone clockwise around the room, from the edges to the middle, covering every square foot in turn, the way she’d been taught to search, both by Papa and by Military Intelligence. Somebody had received at least a portion of the solid training she’d had. No ordinary thieves had been in there.

As things get more complicated, Séverine and Raoul are faced with a situation where the simplest answer is likely the best. Why are they both under siege all of a sudden? What is it about them working together to unravel Sanchia’s secrets that is so frightening? Shoulder to shoulder, they face setbacks and vicissitudes, eventually realizing that someone(s) is willing to risk everything to prevent them from discovering the truth—the origins of which go back to a bloody Spanish battleground.

Séverine and Raoul make formidable adversaries, and Beauty Like the Night confounds the reader at every turn. What a worthy conclusion to Joanna Bourne’s mesmerizing Spymaster series.

Favorite Quote: Hawker muttered distinctly, “Another corpse. What is it about today?”

To say I love this series is an understatement. Joanna Bourne can write a sentence like no other. Her words fill me up and her characters are so clever and engaging and I’m greedy for all of her words.

Joanna Bourne has created a cast of characters so rich and vivid, that I hang on every detail. But I’m selfish. I want each book to be about Hawker. Or Doyle. Or even Pax. I crave a glimpse of these past characters on each page – and she lets us see them again in this book. I found myself not as attached to Raoul in this one. He is a lovely man. A thief, a wine maker, a man with many, many secrets (don’t all of her men have secrets?). But my history is with Hawker, Doyle and that gang. I felt a little snobbish towards Raoul, poor guy. He doesn’t deserve my quick judgement. I can’t help it and I fully admit it. Even though Raoul didn’t steal my heart, this is still a lovely book with action, adventure and the most clever of characters.

Severine is Hawker’s sister in-law for those that follow this series and her adopted father is William Doyle. Spying is in her blood, to put it lightly. She is now a retired spy (but really, are they ever truly retired?) and works for Military Intelligence, solving murder mysteries and the likes. But when a man enters her room in the middle of the night, demanding to know the whereabouts of his daughter and an amulet, Severine knows her days of spying are not quite over. This man is Raoul, and he wants answers.

Raoul is not a brute by any means. He is quiet, sly, and even though he shows up with a knife, Severine quickly becomes more enamored by the missing girl and amulet, than any threat he poses. Her craving for a mystery outweighs her fear, and she finds herself meticulously going over his apartment, finding clues on how the girl went missing and how the murder of the girl’s mother happened. All the while, pulling herself into a tangle of secrets and danger. Hawker and his crew in the British Service get pulled in, and an adventurous mystery unfolds. I won’t go into the many details of the mystery but it plays out well and gives us lots of adventure.

There is also a lovely romance:

“I won’t kiss you,,” he said. The tip of his finger slid to rest gently, just barely tugging on her bottom lip. “But damn, I want to.”

“We will not indulge in that.”

“No.”

“We will not begin the lightest flirtation.” She’d step away from him. In a minute. “I don’t sneak into corners and kiss men at parties.”

“Wise policy.”

“I don’t kiss men like you at all.” But she ached warmly everywhere important when she said it. She ached significantly.

“You’re wiser that I am,” he said. “That’s something else I admire.” He went back to outlining her lips with is finger. “I’ve changed my mind about a kiss. Have you?”

“Yes.” Only a whisper, but that was enough.

So romantic. I enjoyed Raoul and Severine together a lot. They fit well – both with that drive to find answers and so clever – they out wit each other. Severine can be dressed to the nines undercover in a ballroom and still knee a bad guy in the balls, pull a knife on him and have him dragged away, all while the ton dances around them oblivious to her skills. She is bad ass.

I enjoyed this book, with the mystery of the missing girl and other bad guys who are targeting Raoul. And Raoul is dashing and mysterious himself and makes for a fun hero.

But my attention would always go back to Hawker and Doyle – their extremely understated, clever banter wins me over every single time. Hawker and Doyle will forever have my heart. But Raoul and Severine definitely caught my eye.

Grade: B

Beauty Like the Night is another terrific historical romance from Joanna Bourne.

Having worked with Military Intelligence during Wellington’s Spanish campaign, Severine de Cabrillac now runs an investigative agency. She is asked by half-French, half Spanish Raoul Deverney to find out who caused the death of his estranged wife and to track down her missing 12-year-old daughter. Raoul doesn’t quite trust Sevie at first for various reasons, however, including the fact that she worked for the British in Spain. While all this is going on, Sevie is also involved with an operation by the spies of the British Service to foil an attempt to assassinate Wellington. Why is somebody trying to kill Wellington? Well, it circles back to Sevie’s and Deverney’s past experiences in Spain and is connected to his wife’s death . . .

There’s a lot going on in this book, maybe just a bit too much. (I’ve actually simplified the plot a bit in my description.) Bourne does manage to tie it all neatly together at the end, though. A plus for readers like me who have enjoyed Bourne’s past novels is that there’s plenty of activity by the spies of the British service. In particular, we get to see Doyle and Hawker (who might be my absolute favorite character of Bourne’s) in action again.

One thing that Bourne does particularly well as an author is to create well-rounded characters that are a joy to read about. They are clever people who are involved in activities that actively employ their intelligence and test their skills. When they engage in repartee, it is genuinely witty, not forced. I like the fact that her characters are situationally amoral, which is perfectly appropriate to the world they live and work in. It’s not that they don’t have a moral code, just that very strict morals would likely get in the way of successful intelligence work. Both Sevie and Raoul fit right into this mold.

I greatly enjoyed the way Sevie’s and Raoul’s romance developed over the course of the book. Neither of them is particularly interested in getting involved, and they admit to each other that their attraction is inconvenient. Yet they can’t overcome the sparks between them, as much as they try to employ what seems like good sense. That made their eventual surrender all the sweeter for me.

This novel is a must-read for fans of Joanna Bourne or anyone who enjoys an intelligently-written historical romance. Highly recommended.

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Spymasters series is one of the best historical romance series ever written. If you’ve read them, you already know they’re wonderful; if you haven’t, they’re awesome and you should read them IMMEDIATELY. Each book works as a standalone, although they’re linked and it very much enhances your experience of this book (and the others) if you’re familiar with Ms. Bourne’s world. Her characters are complex, dynamic, flawed men and women who fall for each other against the backdrop of politics and espionage, and they’re wildly addictive, exciting and romantic. I’ve fallen in love with nearly all of her heroes (Oh, Adrienne Hawker. Be still my heart.), and her heroines are equally compelling. In Beauty Like the Night, we revisit Séverine de Cabrillac, whom we first met when she was a young girl fleeing the bloody French Revolution in The Forbidden Rose. Séverine - Sévie - has tried to leave the world of spying behind her and now works as a private investigator. But after she meets Raoul Deverney, she’s drawn back into the intrigues of British Intelligence and a past she’s tried to leave behind. Although Beauty Like the Night isn’t quite as good as I hoped it would be - it’s a bit slow in the middle and I wish our principals spent more time together, it’s still pretty great.

Asleep in her room late one night, Séverine de Cabrillac abruptly awakens certain she isn’t alone - but she isn’t frightened. Life has shaped Sévie into a brave, intelligent and supremely capable women who’s more than capable of defending herself from anyone stupid enough to steal into her bedroom. A child of the French Revolution, she escaped and was adopted by William Doyle, a spy for British Intelligence; she left home in her teens to carve her own identity as a spy for Military Intelligence. She now operates a small, private investigative firm where’s she’s earned a reputation as a tenacious and indefatigable investigator.

And she was right; she isn’t alone in the room, but her guest makes it clear he has no plans to hurt her. In fact, he appears to know exactly who and how dangerous she is. Instead, he wants Sévie to tell him where she’s keeping Pilar, a twelve-year-old girl who’s been missing since her mother - his wife - was killed three months ago. The handsome stranger (is he French? Spanish?) makes it clear that although Pilar is not his daughter, he’s anxious to find her - and an amulet that went missing at the same time. Sévie is curious about her enigmatic intruder who’s convinced she has information about the murder, the missing girl, and the amulet - but she can’t help him. She’s never met Pilar or his ex-wife Sanchia, and has no idea where the missing amulet might be.

Raoul Deverney knows Séverine de Cabrillac. She’s the same woman - a spy - he memorably encountered a decade ago in Spain; he’s never forgotten her. Sleep tousled, beautiful, dangerous - she coolly denies knowing Pilar, Sanchia or anything about the missing amulet and he wants to believe her. But ever since he discovered the words ‘amulet’ and ‘de Cabrillac’ scratched into Pilar’s bed frame, he’s certain she must be involved somehow despite her denials. Séverine obviously doesn’t recognize Raoul but is curious about his identity, and he refuses to give her any clues about who he is or how they might know one another. Reluctant to leave, Raoul vows to himself he will find out just how she’s involved in his wife’s murder, and he can’t resist a quick caress of her soft cheek before he retreats to the window and vanishes over the edge.

When Raoul next appears - he’s silently slipped into her locked office - she’s frustrated by his ability to get past her defenses (personal and professional), but she isn’t surprised to see him. He wants her to help him find Pilar and the missing amulet, and though it’s obvious neither completely trusts the other, Sévie agrees to help him anyway. She has suspicions about just who and what he is, but she keeps them to himself: Raoul is a mystery she plans to solve as she finds Pilar. Oh reader, these first meetings between Sévie and Raoul are so delicious...and fortunately for us, they characterize the duration of their relationship. From the moment Sévie spots Raoul in her bedroom, they’re captivated by each other - held in thrall whenever the other is near. Every interaction between them is thick with tension, and the torturous slow-burn of their relationship/courtship - both of them trying to deny the attraction between them...well, it’s a it’s a wicked, wonderful pleasure as Ms. Bourne forces them to work together to figure out just who murdered Sanchia and what happened to Pilar and the amulet.

Although the chemistry and sexual tension between Sévie and Raoul are highlights of Beauty Like the Night, what elevates this rather complex tale of espionage over other similarly excellent spy novels is the group of secondary characters that comprise Sévie’s world. As Sévie and Raoul pursue clues in their case and try to fight their growing attraction and affection for each other, their investigation dangerously intersects with another one led by the Head of British Intelligence (and Sévie’s brother-in-law) Adrienne Hawker. Via her childhood as the adopted daughter of Doyle, and close relationships with the spies who comprise its highest echelon, Sévie is privy to the details of their investigation. She’s intrigued by links between the two cases and how Raoul might be involved, but Hawker and Doyle - shrewd, intelligent, and fiercely protective of Sévie - are suspicious of her charming, mysterious, and obviously enamored client. Though Sévie pretends disinterest in Raoul around them, it’s clear to the two men - who play at being detached and dispassionate observers of Sévie’s investigation/client/potentially disastrous affair that there’s more to Raoul and the relationship than Sévie let’s on. Their involvement in her case, and vice versa, adds a nice levity to the novel and the intense relationship between Raoul and Sévie.

It’s impossible to say more about the investigation at the heart of this love story without spoiling it, so I won’t; suffice it to say Ms. Bourne cleverly and brilliantly connects the dots of the slow burn romance between Sévie and Raoul, their mutually dark pasts, and a deadly betrayal that linked them long ago. As the case evolves, we slowly learn more about Raoul - where he came from; how he acquired his extremely lethal skills - and as the cases coalesce, neither Sévie or Raoul can fight their attraction to each other. Both principals are damaged, but find solace in each other. That succor - along with their intense physical attraction - eventually helps them overcome their distrust of each other enough to believe in a future together. Sévie and Raoul are dynamic, dangerous and riveting individual characters and as a pair...well, it’s a terrific match-up. And contrary to my early expectations - that Sévie would outshine anyone she was paired with; or that Ms. Bourne couldn’t possibly deliver another hero as deliciously wicked, lethal and sexy as Hawker - I fell hard for the enigmatic Raoul. I liked him. Big time.

The combination of engrossing plot, engaging principals and secondary characters, and a delicious slow-burn love affair results in another wonderful addition to the Spymasters series. Though it isn’t my favorite, that honor is reserved for The Black Hawk (duh), it’s yet another terrific addition to Ms. Bourne’s catalog, cementing her status as one of my favorite historical writers of all time. My advice? You should read it (and the other Spymasters novels if you haven’t) right away.

Severine de Cabrillac is a "retired" spy, cultivating a reputation as untouchable spinster who uses her clandestine skills as private inquiry agent. Although surrounded by family and loyal retainers she is haunted by the dark choices she made in the service of Military Intelligence during the wars in Spain.

Like Severine, Raoul Deverney bears the scars of his years in Spain and the consequences of the risky and youthful choices he made there during the wars. He needs Severine's help to find his late wife's child, Pilar, missing since her mother's murder. However he does not approach Severine as a client would instead confronting her in the dark of her bedroom, because he knows exactly how dangerous she is, she nearly cost him his life in a incident she claims to not remember.

Severine becomes intrigued by the case, determined to find Sanchia's killer and the missing child but she is also frustratingly captivated by the mysterious Raoul. Their courtship is all biting mistrustful flirtations, and unspoken feelings. They spar and get more and more entangled in each other as they grudgingly work to unravel why his estranged wife was killed and why Pilar would carve Severine's name before disappearing. 

"She used  light words that didn't say what she was thinking. He was doing the same. They leaned on each other and everything important between them went unsaid."

Raoul like her Papa Doyle and her brother-in-law Adrian Hawkhurst, respects her skills and talents. He is dangerous and skilled himself and able to taunt her in ways few others can, but he recognizes and values her sharp mind and the connections she can make and never attempts to diminish her. 

"One did not, he suspected, write poems to Severine's eyebrows. One slew dragons for her, or stood slightly to the left, holding her spare lance and buckler, while she did they slaying."

I adore the slightly off-kilter dynamics of the Bourne's families. Although Severine has been cultivating a deliberately "sensible, useful, careful life" since her return from Spain, and her family knows that everything is far from right with her. They trust her to heal and give the time to do so. They all  know she is made for more and they trust that she will want to live fully again someday.  So while Doyle and Hawker might want to shelter, protect her and even fuss over her but they know better than to try. They just love her in wordless but powerful ways.

"At least she's armed,"
"A cogent summation of the women of my family."

I loved Pilar, yet another in a long line of children who find unlikely refuge and champions.  So many people tend to hate children in romance Novels but Bourne excels at creating sharply-smart vulnerable children surviving in dangerous situations. Severine was such a child before Doyle and Marguerite made room for her in their family.  Bourne never forgets that however remarkable they are they are children.

Spymaster Series by Joanna Bourne is one of romance's modern classics and one of my all-time favorite series. The series is beautifully written, darkly suspenseful and incredibly romantic, and this highly anticipated installment does not disappoint.   

While Bourne's novels benefit from re-reading, you don't need to re-read or even read any of  the previous novels in order to love Sevie and Raoul's story. Everything you need to follow their courtship and become fascinated with the mystery of Pilar's disappearance and the missing Deverney locket is in this novel.  But I guarantee that you will want to find all the previous novels when you are done, especially Doyle, Hawker and Pax's stories. I suggest when you do go looking, you start with The Forbidden Rose, which I consider the narrative heart of the series.

 

I received an ARC for review consideration from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

Expected date of Publication is Aug 1, 2017 and it will be available at all the usual places in audio, print and ebook.

When I first read Joanna' Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady many years ago, I had no idea that lumbering giant William Doyle would feature so prominently in the series to such a degree that we've now been able to meet a large portion of his children. And yet here we are, in Beauty Like the Night, meeting four of his children, with his eldest Severine serving as the novel's heroine. As with many of Bourne's novels, this book moves fast and serves up her distinct writing style.

I was surprised but intrigued by the idea of Severine working for Military Intelligence instead the British Service - I was disappointed at first, thinking that would mean little interaction with the usual characters from throughout the series. But in the end, Doyle and Hawker figured quite prominently - quite honestly, they seemed more prominent in this book than they have in others where they were supposed to be supporting.

I adored Severine - she's incredibly intelligent and a little bit damaged after years of spying and discerning military secrets in France and Spain for years on end. She can make investigative deductions from the trails of dust, but it never comes across as over-the-top or as a bid to make her the best detective this side of Sherlock. I particularly loved the passages in which she lovingly describes Meeks Street and its occupants - as if it were truly home. Likewise, I loved Pilar - she's a little bit ruthless and hurting a lot, but much like Justine and Hawker before her, she's a character that is a little bit older beyond her years and worth seeing more of in the future.

Raoul de Verney, though, was another matter. French aristocrat, jewel thief extraordinaire and all-around mysterious man - he felt more like Bourne was attaching things to him in order to make him worthy of Severine. A task that was, in my eyes, never quite accomplished. The chemistry between the two never really came across on the page, either. On top of that, I found myself completely unimpressed and a little put-off by the way Raoul continuously insisted that Pilar was not his daughter. I understand his thought process, but this isn't something I enjoy reading from a hero in a romance novel written in 2017. Despite his apology in the end, my attachment to Pilar made me feel like he wasn't worthy of such a quick acceptance.

Hero aside, the plot was fast-paced and kept me guessing until the end. I read this novel in a little over 24 hours and it was certainly worth the few years' wait. Though I'd put Beauty Like the Night in the second tier of Bourne novels below Forbidden Rose and The Black Hawk, this was still a solid title in the series and keeps me eagerly anticipating the next one. In terms of rating, I have been hovering back and forth between 3 and 4 stars - I adored Severine, the peek in at Doyle and Hawker as well as the introduction of Pilar and Bart; the plot, though a little weak, moved quick, and had a satisfying ending. That's all worthy of 4 stars. But ooooh, Raoul. His character, I think, was enough for me to bump this down to a 3. Perhaps on a future re-read I will view him in a better light.

Joanna Bourne is a lovely writer whose characters are usually very adult and well developed. This book is slighter than some of her others, and rather more conventional above and beyond the obvious (spy, thief, etc) character traits which make the leads different than the usual romance novel hero/heroines. If you like her other works, this won't challenge you but won't disappoint you.

This book took me a while to get into, not by any fault of the Author. You see, I have read so many historical romance books that they all start to have very similar plot lines and characters this book was very different right from the start. It took me a while to stop reading this expecting typical historical romance characters and plots and to start reading it as more of an adventure book. I love that our lead characters are an infamous spy and thief and how their individual skill sets as such play into their relationship. This book as many twists and turns and is quite an adventure to read. I absolutely can not wait to add this to my collection.

I give this book a 4.5!

I love Joanna Bourne's work - I find her to be a bit more literary than many of the other romance novelists I read. I thought all of the characters in this work were well-developed and interesting, and I want to read more about them. The chemistry between the hero and heroine was wonderful.

If for some (ghastly) reason I was forced to pick only one author to read for the rest of my life, Joanna Bourne would probably be it (or at least be in my top three). As a historical romance author, she is unparalleled. Her stories are riveting, and her characters incandescently alive, whether they be hero or villain.

Beauty Like the Night isn't even in my top three Bourne favorites, and I still couldn't put it down until I'd read every word (this author is a KILLER to my self-control. Goodbye, sleep).

Severine's story is finally told, and she's frightfully intelligent, beautiful, damaged, flawed, and wonderfully full of surprises. Her male counterpart is not quite as interesting, but he makes for a good foil for our heroine. The story is also not my favorite, but one of the supporting characters more than makes up for that in my book, and there's plenty of cameos from beloved characters from previous books to make things interesting.

4 solid stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

I've read Joanna Bourne romances in the past, and what I always enjoy is the crisp and concise quality of her writing. Often in genre fiction, the writing is average at best, but Bourne writes in a sophisticated style that I highly appreciate. However, I've found that the downside to many of her romances is that she allows the outside plot to completely dominate the story, so that it feels like an espionage thriller with just a bit of romance thrown in. That was indeed the case with BEAUTY LIKE THE NIGHT. The chemistry between Severine and Raoul was... nonexistent. So disappointing, because as I mentioned before, Bourne is such a good writer and she has the potential to write fantastic, epic romances, if only she could tap into the emotional states of her characters! I just felt no connection to Severine, Raoul, or their love story, and was in fact rather bored by them. Too much espionage, too little love.