His Majesty's Hope

A Maggie Hope Mystery

By: Susan Elia MacNeal

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry, whip-smart heroine Maggie Hope returns to embark on a clandestine mission behind enemy lines where no one can be trusted, and even the smallest indiscretion can be deadly.

World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive–a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad–and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war–and of her own past.

©2013 Susan Elia Macneal (P)2013 Random House Audio

Maggie is losing her charm

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'm not sure what I'd change about the book, other than not dragging out the ending by multiple chapters. I wish I'd read it instead of listening. It may have made my opinion more positive.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes and no. There were parts of "oh no is she going to get caught?" that could be intense. But there was also a lot of Maggie just being Maggie, impulsive and reckless to the point of near silliness. The story was quite serious so that didn't really fit. Some parts were simply like watching a predictable train wreck.

How could the performance have been better?

The narration, sadly, was plagued by some of my worst pet peeves. There was hardly any differentiation between the male characters. Almost all of them sounded like they had laryngitis, or like they were trying to do a smarmy Mae West impression. It was really hard to tell them apart, and made their characters boring. Also, I can't stand sing-songy B-roll (the stuff in between the actual dialog). Like she's reading on a roller coaster or badly reciting poetry. Kinda made me mentally motion sick listening to it. It also sounded like she was spitting at the end of emotional sentences. I hope the reader improves on those things, but I think I will start reading the books on my kindle rather than listening to her again. On the plus side, her portrayal of Maggie was good.

Do you think His Majesty's Hope needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

YES! So many of the characters had stories that were hanging in the air, and Maggie had a lot of unresolved personal issues and relationships. Melodramatically so. If nothing else, one more book to wrap everything up.

I recommend this book

this book has a lot about World War 2 it's very interesting and has a good story line I would recommend this book for anyone over the age of 14

Great series

Good storyline and intrigue about a serious time in history. Plot and character development is superb.

Quite good

I was very pleased by this book. I enjoyed the first in the series but was disappointed with the second one. It's good that this third volume is back to the quality of the first book.

The story was compelling even given its serious nature. I enjoyed the narrator better in this book than in the preceding one basically because Maggie was speaking with a German accent throughout most of the story. In the earlier book Maggie's voice was just weird.

I wasn't happy with the way Maggie's personal life worked out at the end. Time will tell with that.

And finally, there was a moment that made me stop and say "what?" That was the use of the term "baby bump." Seriously, was that used in the early 1940s?

But, all-in-all, a lightly suspenseful story of WWII Berlin. I liked it.

Enjoyable read

This series is interesting, well paced. I am off to read the 4th one in the series. Very enjoyable reading.

Excellent book - lost in the narration.

Any additional comments?

While this is a really good book in a favourite series, the narration just seems too stiff to meet the story.

Narrator.She doesnt end sentences & is breathy

Would you consider the audio edition of His Majesty's Hope to be better than the print version?

Yes. The narrator does not complete sentences as one would expect to have a fullstop at the end of a sentence. She draws out the last word of a sentence and seems to be "breathy". I almost stopped listening because of the monotonous narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She was monotonous and boring.

Who was the most memorable character of His Majesty's Hope and why?

Maggie. Heroine

Any additional comments?

A narrator should make you believe that you are watching a movie. This narrator made me want to switch off audible and watch a movie

great historical mystery & thriller

I love the Maggie Hope series. This narrator did well with all the accents, even the German. The story kept me engrossed throughout. An interesting way to explore events in Germany during WWII.

Great Story

I do believe this is my favorite Maggie story yet. It got right into the action, instead of leaving it to the last few pages of the story. I am bummer about her and John and hope they are able to come to terms with everything and work it out. I was upset that they switched narrators, but now that I am on the third book, I think it was the right choice. On to the next!

Maggie's Mission

Maggie Hope uses aquired skill to parachute into Berlin. After she accomplishes the mission, she remains in Germany she nust use all her cunning to avoid having her identity disvovered as she gains damning truth while working among the NAZZIES. The tension never slows.