I loved the story and admired the research in THE
SOLDIER'S DARK SECRET, the previous
book in this Comrades in Arms series. Now we are on with the
sweeping romances
and battlefields of turbulent Napoleonic Europe in THE
SOLDIER'S REBEL LOVER.
Major Finlay Urquhart is on patrol in the rugged Basque
territory of Spain when he encounters a soldier and takes
the lad prisoner. But it's no lad, just a slip of a girl in
men's clothes, and she's equally surprised that she's been
caught by a soldier in a skirt. Finlay considers his kilt
practical, but the partisan girl is a match for him.
They're both scouting out a French arms cache in wooded,
patrolled country. Will they live to see the British lines?
At this time warring armies are holding cities and
plundering farms across Spain, but unlike the French, the
British pay for supplies. Wellington is planning a strike
on San Sebastian and needs to hold his army together, not
split it up in sorties. If the partisans can seize an arms
cache, so much the better. Isabella is an admirable
heroine, determined to fight for the freedom of her
country. She also resents that Spanish officers care more
for the shine on their boots than whether their soldiers
even have boots. The exigency of wartime has meant that
normal restrictions on women are relaxed and Isabella means
to make the most of her freedom. A shadowy Basque leader
called El Fantasma, the Phantom, has to be informed about
the cache, and she swears to do it.
After the years of conflict, we meet Finlay again speaking
with his friend Jack, who is one of Wellington's aides.
Finlay is warned that with the restoration of the Spanish
monarchy, the former partisans are being killed as
potential rabble-rousers. El Fantasma was invaluable to the
cause of freedom; now he's a wanted man. Finlay agrees, for
honour's sake, to try to save the leader he's never met.
If he could find Isabella, she would be a good starting
point.
I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure through vineyards,
printing presses and Spanish high society, with gorgeous
place descriptions and strong characters to match.
Isabella's local foods contrasted with the Scot's tales of
life in the croft add colour to this tale of sacrifice,
duty and courage. We're reminded of how the common
footsoldier was treated after the wars had ended, even as
we're being treated to a desperate cross-country chase and
a deepening adult romance. THE SOLDIER'S REBEL LOVER by
Marguerite Kaye is well researched as always, full of
danger, vivid emotion and larger-than-life characters to
steal our hearts. At the end, the author assures us that she
discovered some women were active partisans at this time,
so I can't wait to see what her research will turn up
next.
When Major Finlay Urquhart was last on the battlefield, he shared a sizzling moment with daring Isabella Romero. Two years later, Finlay has one final duty to perform for his country—one that reunites him with this rebellious señorita!
Except Isabella has her own mission, which means that no matter how much she craves Finlay's touch, she can never tell him the truth. But she's underestimated Finlay's determination to protect her, and soon she finds herself letting her guard down, one scorching kiss at a time!
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