The Spymaster's Lady

By: Joanna Bourne

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

She's braved battlefields. She's stolen dispatches from under the noses of heads of state. She's played the worldly courtesan, the naive virgin, the refined British lady, even a Gypsy boy. But Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has finally met the one man she can't outwit...

British spymaster Robert Grey must enter France and bring back the brilliant, beautiful - and dangerous - Fox Cub. His duty is to capture her and her secrets for England. When the two natural enemies are thrown into prison, they forge an uneasy alliance to break free. But their pact is temporary and betrayal seems inevitable as the fates of nations hang in the balance.

©2008 Joanna Bourne (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Excellent story!

Great characterization, exciting plot with twists & turns, snappy, witty, & intelligent dialogue between characters. A must read!!

Love the story.

lovely story. very good in the telling. can't wait to listen to the next book in the series

Entertaining Plot & Well-Narrated

Enjoyed the book. Much more than just a romance novel. Only criticism is rough transition between chapters--like gaps with info missing. Highly recommend.

Great light entertainment!

I didn't realize this was a romance novel, or I wouldn't have bought it, but I'm so glad I did. I haven't read romance novels since I was a teenager, but this one is at the top of the genre. It still has the requisite elements of the romance novel, however, the heroine is clever, witty, and anything but weak and helpless. There is lots of humor, lots of action and suspense, and less predictability than the usual romance. The narration is fabulous as well. Pure entertainment!

AN ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!

Just absolutely amazing! Kirsten Potter's voice was so pleasant and the many many voices she had to use were very distinctive. I would highly recommend this audiobook to everyone.

There were many twist and turns throughout the book that kept me on my toes. Truly, this book had all the elements that make a great book. I never wanted it to end. I fell in love with both Annique and Grey - along with the rest of the crew.

My favorite Jo Bourne book

This is my favorite Joanna Bourne novel. Annique is one of those heroines that will stay with me and I will wonder how she is for many days.

But...what’s with the guitar riff at the end of the audio recording. It was a really big distraction during the HEA scene.

RIVETING! From beginning to the end!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend this audobook to a friend because not only is the material amazing, as Joanne Bourne is an excellent writer, but Kirsten Potter is probably the best narrator I have listened to! Hands down! --Sorry Rosalyn Landor :-( Kirsten Potter's performance was so enjoyable! She nailed an English, French and American English accent so well. She created very alluring, deep male voices for the male lead and other heroes, and annoying, scratchy ones for the villains. Her female voices were also very good.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Spymaster's Lady?

This book is densely littered with fabulous & memorable moments. From start to finish the reader is drawn into this world of espionage in such a dangerous time in history when Napoleon Bonaparte was bent on conquering the world. The love development between English Spymaster, Robert Grey, and French spy, Annique Villiers was simply refreshing as the two entangled themselves in a battle of wits throughout the book. Let me say, Joanna Bourne created two very intelligent leads with spectacular gifts and instincts. Yes, banter is a part of their relationship, but more so, it's the psychological messages each retrieve and are constantly analyzing from one another. These two study one another as opponents, as the trained spies that they are. My thoughts are..."well even spies deserve to fall in love!!!" And, believe me, they do....they fall hopelessly and unabashedly in love with one another, despite the costs.

I liked how Robert Grey could see through the walls and barriers Annique erected as a part of her defense mechanisms. When she was falling hard for him and fighting her internal battle to not love Robert, she would insult him. Some of the things she would say, I thought, "whoa, that was harsh!" But, I liked how Robert pieced the information together and recognized the language she used and encoded it as protective, which made him change his approach and tactic to alleviate her personal worries.

There is so much adventure in this book that it was an absolute delight at every step and twisting turn!

Any additional comments?

The only reason I did not rate this book 5 stars instead of 4 is because of the ending. Yes, it is sweet and reflective of both Robert & Annique's style, the author left something lacking.

Although the books ends with both the hero and heroine circled in each other's embrace, THERE WAS NO EPILOGUE!!! Perhaps it's that Lisa Kleypas and Elizabeth Hoyt (two of my favorite regency romance authors) have ruined me for other authors...HAHA! I missed having an epilogue for sure and it definitely left me wanting more from the book. The reader would benefit from being drawn away from the current strong resolutions that were freshly laid out. It would have been nice to end the book with a picture into what their lives would look like once they had time to settle in their love and once the rapid pace surrounding their lives dissipated. That is about the only BIG thing really lacking.

Even though this is not the biggest issue, I wish the heroine would not have internally struggled so much with a "traitor complex." Yet, the way she handled herself throughout the conflicts in the book was consistent with her character and made sense. Overall, Annique is a fascinating female lead with a good heart--very deserving of a happy ending.

Excellent performance of superb book

Joanna Bourne is an amazing author, and the narrator enhances an excellent book. Highly recommended.

Gorgeous!

This series is wonderful. Romantic, suspenseful and so beautifully performed that it is a jewel in my dragon's horde of audible books.

Start with the first one as some of the characters carry over in the series.

I can't wait for the next book, Rogue Spy, that comes out November 4, 2014.

This was a binge listen...

I got this title mainly because of the narrator. Kirsten Potter is one of my favorite narrators. She did an amazing job with this story. Her french, german and British accents were excellent. She is capable of doing so many different voices that it really brings life and depths to the story. Her narration was truly impecable.

This is my first title by Joanna Bourne and I loved it. Not only do we get a yummy passionate romance but we get a very interesting story full of intrigue, betrayal and surprising twists. The story was complete (no cliffhanger) but still it drew me in so bad I already got the second book. Quite addictive.