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The Black Hawk

The Black Hawk, November 2011
by Joanna Bourne

Penguin
Featuring: Justine DeCabrillac; Hawker
336 pages
ISBN: 0425244539
EAN: 9780425244531
Kindle: B0052RHD06
Paperback / e-Book
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"Sizzling with intrigue and romance this is one book you cannot put down!"

Fresh Fiction Review

The Black Hawk
Joanna Bourne

Reviewed by Heather Lobdell
Posted January 14, 2012

Romance Historical

Two spies on opposite sides of the war should not find solace in each other. Yet the first day he met her, Hawk knew that this girl would be a part of his life forever. The young girl had clearly never killed anyone, though she put up a good front. Had him on a mission saving the lives of children bred and trained into enemy spies. Her strength and courage astounded him. For years they worked against one another, always aware of where the other one was. Adrian never expected that Owl, as she was called, would grow into a beauty that would rival his loyalty for his heart. Until the day she shot him. Justine DeCabrillac had been trained since she was a girl by the best of them to be a spy for the French. Now that the war is over it is strangely London that she calls home. Hoping to see Adrian again, and maybe this time make something of the love that she found so long ago in his arms. But someone has been stalking her through the streets of London. With nowhere else to turn Justine knows that she must flee to the only man who has ever been her friend. Wounded and dying, Justine hopes that Hawk will be able to save her in time. Justine has been stabbed with a knife. No ordinary knife at that, but one custom made by Adrian himself. Who would want Justine dead? More importantly who would want to frame Adrian for the deed? The number of enemies that they have accumulated through the years is rather high and figuring out just who is behind the attack will be difficult. However, between the two of them they should be able to find her would be killer and place death at their door. Hopefully before it's too late for them. From beginning to end story of Owl and Hawk captivated me. I loved walking through their lives and getting to know their history. Joanna Bourne did a fantastic job of separating past from present and keeping my attention throughout all the transitions. The mystery and intrigue combined beautifully to add to the story instead of overwhelming it as other books seem to do. I found Adrian aka "Hawk" to be magnificent! I really liked the fact that he was not portrayed as a beefy hunk, but lean and muscular as a fencer should be. I simply adored how Bourne unraveled Adrian's depths throughout the story. In the beginning I thought that he was rather cold and jaded for a boy, yet as the story grew so did he. Justine, or Owl, was everything an illustrious French spy should be. The strength of her character was shown in the beginning of THE BLACK HAWK, yet I felt that she too grew as the pages flew by. Bourne has created characters to be remembered and a story that every reader will love!

Learn more about The Black Hawk

SUMMARY

Attacked on a rainy London street, veteran spy Justine DeCabrillac knows only one man can save her: Hawker, her oldest friend . . . her oldest enemy. London's crawling with hidden assassins and someone is out to frame Hawker for murder. The two spies must work together to find who's out to destroy them...

Excerpt

Nobody noticed her dying. Every door was closed. Every curtain drawn. She passed low walls, punctuated by stone posts. Then she was at Number Seven. She knew the way even when she couldn’t see very well. The door was painted green. The knocker was a bronze rose. She covered it with her bloody hand and banged down hard and went back to holding her blood in. She leaned on the door, her forehead against the green paint. It is strange that it does not hurt. I have been in pain so many times. This final time it does not hurt at all. Really, she was not ready to die. She had a long list of things to do. The door opened and she had nothing to lean upon. The ground crested upward to meet her. The rug was scratchy on her cheek, surprisingly hard. She felt herself rolled over. She was looking up at a woman, not much more than a girl. She didn’t know this one, did she? Hands pushed her own hands away and came down strong around her arm, at the wound. Someone shouted. She could tell it was shouts from the urgency of it. It sounded distant in her ear. When she opened her eyes again, he was there. Black hair and a thin face, dark as a Gypsy. Serious eyes. She said, "Hello, ’Awker." "Hello, Justine," Hawker said.


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