The Adventurers

When a crew of Napoleon's soldiers pillage young Sophie Von Hugel's estate outside Leipzig, she escapes by the skin of her teeth, traumatized and unsure where to turn. At a nearby inn, she meets adventurer Charles Vincent over a game of cards, and in short order, they determine to flee to a nearby city. They take Sophie's governess Miss Elizabeth Barrymore with them as a chaperone, and set up a gaming establishment where they can fleece soldiers--French, German, or Russian--of their pay until they've earned enough money to make their way to the safety of England. 

As the trio follow various armies from Weimar to Paris, Charles disappears more and more frequently, leading Sophie and Elizabeth to suspect that there's more to him than meets the eye. When their exclusive salon begins to collect information as well as wagers, it's clear that Charles is as much a spy as he is a gambler. Soon, Napoleon's end seems certain. Circumstances become more dangerous in volatile France and a suspicious English diplomat keeps them all on their toes as Sophie tries to discover whether she could ever mean more to Charles than the cause he's sworn to serve. 

Originally published in 1965, this book was an interesting blend of a Regency romance and a political spy novel. It covered events in 1813-1814, right up to the deposition of Napoleon, and frequently alluded to historical fictures such as Wellington, Talleyrand, and Castlereagh. Interestingly, the book description pegs Sophie and Charles as the protagonists of the book, but Elizabeth and her English suitor are just as much front and center in this two-stranded romance novel. Not much can be said about Elizabeth without spoiling her story, but suffice it to say that she has been much wronged, and it will take more than a little explaining before an erstwhile suitor can set things right.

As for the younger of the two couples--Charles is curious, keen, cunning, and resourceful. He persists in treating Sophie like a child because he knows that if he treats her like a woman it will be his undoing. Sophie, in turn, treats him with petulance and sarcasm, miffed that he refuses to play the courtier to her and dismayed that he rates his secret errands more important than her safety.

In the end, the deus ex machina plot twist was a little too abrupt for my taste, and I wish the wrap-up of both romances had been more satisfactory. The vivid detail and historical scope of the story, however, kept me captivated throughout ninety-nine percent of it, and I found this to be another enjoyable read by Jane Aiken Hodge. 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Adventurers by Jane Aiken Hodge. Agora Books, 1965; 2019.

n this unusual Regency era story, after witnessing her father’s murder, a servant’s rape and their household’s destruction at the hands of marauding soldiers, Sonia, her governess Elizabeth, and her chance acquaintance Charles decide to join forces to appear as a family and gamble their way across 1813 Europe to England. Giles, a fourth leading character, comes into their lives almost by chance, bringing along with him three other key characters. The plot includes two romances, two unrelated “long-lost” relationships and espionage. Historical details of the era underpin the story.

This is a remarkably engaging and well written story, easy to read, with likeable, credible, consistent well-developed characters, perhaps Jane Aiken Hodge at her best.

For many reasons - the writing, the plot, the subplots, the characters, the history - I warmly recommend The Adventurers.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Adventurers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Adventurers follows Sonia, a young woman of privilege and daughter of a Barron, Ms Barrymore, Sonia's caretaker, and Charles Vincent, a man who has taken the task of helping Sonia get to England. Sonia's home is overtaken by Napoleon's army after their defeat in Leipzig and she must escape after seeing her father and his staff massacred. Sonia struggles with who to trust moving forward, and is constantly scrutinizing whether Charles Vincent's motives are genuine or malicious.

I enjoyed The Adventurers and would give it 3.5 stars. This would be a great book for fans of 19th century Europe. It has enough history brought in while maintaining an interesting storyline. I found some parts, especially the dialogue, hard to follow when it was rapid back and forth with characters that weren't introduced previously.

Yeah so the opening scene is stark. Aiken Hodge doesn’t shy away from the fact that war was raging across the European landscape and there are several close calls as the group travels from Germany through France. I was also a bit annoyed with Sonia at first as she seemed to be turning into a whining brat with Liz making excuses for her. Then it hit me that Sonia was reacting to the violence she’d seen and trying to deal with probable survivor guilt. She does settle down into sassy and gives Charles several pieces of her mind as the story continues. Their sparring matches are fun to read and show Sonia’s got more than enough backbone no matter that she’s only eighteen.

Then the second romance gets started – or restarted. And Liz doesn’t cut any corners with him either. Giles Denbigh might be highly thought of by Lord Castlereagh but Liz tells Giles exactly what she thought and still thinks of how he abandoned her with her reputation in shreds. Events keep throwing them together though and before long it’s Giles who feels on the back foot and fending off two angry women.

The historical details woven into the story gave me a great education about what happened during and after the last battles of 1813/14 but before the famous Congress of Vienna that features in so many regency novels. I liked that there are heroes and good people on all sides and that when Giles gets the chance, he doesn’t hesitate to publicly win his lady fair. This is a smart, well plotted novel with intelligent people who (pretty much) act intelligently. A-

Originally published in 1965 and now available as an ebook, this holds up very well.

Sonia von Hugel is hiding in the barn loft when first French soldiers and then Cossacks invade her family's castle and kill everyone they find. Seeing no other choice, she disguises herself as a boy and heads for her hated aunt's house. Along the way, she encounters adventurer Charles Vincent, who convinces her that they can make their fortune playing cards. Along with her governess, miraculously not dead, they accompany the Allies as Napoleon's forces are driven back. But Vincent has secrets--is he a spy, and for whom?

This doesn't have the shape of a modern romance novel, although there is more than one satisfying romance. It is best enjoyed as well-written historical fiction.

1813 Sonia is left after witnessing the destruction of her father and the household at the hands of the French with the Napoleonic war raging. She escapes with her governess and an acquaintance, Charles. They pull together and travel as a family and gamble their way with across the continent to England. Another joins them along the way, Giles and a few others. As they make their way relationships begin to form and it is engaging to watch the interactions..
Well written and full of adventure with a romance of two couples happening! I enjoyed the story and would recommend to everyone!

Exciting and well written book. The characters are interesting especially the two women.l enjoyed book as it is historical and factual without being boring. It made me learn more what life was like in that period of time. Will read more books by this author.

Loved this story. The history is fascinating and terrifying. The characters were wonderful. I loved the way the characters moved together and apart throughout the story. Always her work is captivating

Plenty of adventure, intrigue & history during Napoleon's retreat from Russia in 1813. The characters are well-written & there is growth in each as they travel & interact with each other. Friendships & romances develop between the two main couples. This was a great read!