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Rating: 
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Review: Captain Winston Jeffries and Susannah Lacey had only a short courtship before he had to be off. He wrote to her until he was wounded, then ceased. She feared he had died. Three years later she found him, very much alive, attending a theater. She almost hyperventilated! Worse yet, while she had remained true, hoping for his return, he acted as though she was nothing! Well, Susannah was determined to win him back! Winston could not let Susannah know how much she meant to him, back then or now. He was on his last mission for the Office of Foreign Affairs. Not only did he believe she deserved better than a scarred man, but his mission demanded that he woo and court Caroline Dunsford. Winston's contact was Lord Ponsby. Ponsby would help ease Winston's way into the Ton. Lord Ponsby noticed Winston's interest in the lovely Susannah. Even though Winston claimed no interest since she was "just the friend of a friend", Ponsby knew better. It was obvious to him. So Ponsby kept an eye on Susannah. As a wonderful twist, author Jenna Mindel made Caroline Dunsford interested in Lord Ponsby instead of Winston. THAT was sure to make Winston's last mission interesting! Secrets, traitors to the crown, action, and danger add up to one of the most delightful books I have enjoyed this year! Very, highly, and thoroughly recommended! Reviewed by Detra Fitch.
Rating: 
Summary: a good 3 1/2 star read
Review: Generally speaking, Jenna Mindel's "The Captain's Secret" is not the kind of Regency romance I'd usually pick up to read. I prefer reading about older romance heroines as I'm currently at the stage where I find it a little difficult to fully enter into all the emotional angst that a teenage heroine would (usually) experience/feel. However, since I'd had rather enjoyed "Labour of Love," the prequel of sorts to "The Captain's Secret," I thought I'd give this novel a go. And, on the whole, I found it to be a rather enjoyable and engaging read. Three years ago, Susannah Lacey met and fell in love with Captain Winston Jeffries while he was home for a brief respite from the war. And even though the captain had extracted a promise from her not to wait for him to return, and for her to have her London season and to meet other eligible matrimonial prospects, Susannah was certain that she had met her soul mate and the love of her life in Winston Jeffries. She was 16 years old then. Now she's 19, finally having her season, and has firmly resolved to put Winston Jeffries behind her, esp since she's heard nothing from him in almost two years. Imagine her shock then when she sees him at theatre, in good and sound health the very night she's decided to get on with her life! Ever since he had been convalesced out of active duty, Winston Jeffries has been working for Lord Castlereagh at the Foreign Office; and he has put aside all his dreams and desires of romance and Susannah behind him. All he wants now is to do a good enough job for Castlereagh so that he will recommend Winston favourably for a posting to India. Winston's latest mission is to court the season's current Incomparable, Miss Caroline Dunsford, so that he will be able to discover if her father, a politician of some note, is a traitor. A seemingly simple enough task. Except that Winston never expected to do his pretend courting under Susannah's nose. Or to find that the enchanting young girl he had left behind had grown into a very beautiful and compelling young lady. However, no matter his own private inclinations or the pain that he would undoubtedly cause Susannah, Winston is determined to do his duty by King and country. But Susannah has other ideas. And with the help of her rival for Winston's attention and affections (Caroline Dunsford, who hopes to net the affections of quite another gentleman), Susannah has every hope of finally bagging her man -- if he will cooperate, that is. "The Captain's Secret" proved to be quite the engrossing read. I thought that Jenna Mindel did an excellent job in conveying all of Susannah's feelings of despair, hope and frustration. Especially well done were the chapters in which Susannah had to face the fact that Winston was quite serious about leaving England, and how this clashes completely with her desire to remain in England and close to her sister forever. Also nicely done were the bits where Susannah and Caroline Dunsford join forces and try to help each other with their respective courtships. This plot device contrived to give the novel a slightly more lighthearted tone as well as to give refreshingly different slant to the book -- not too many authours make potential romantic rivals friends, and I rather enjoyed this twist. Also nicely done was the second half of the book which dealt with things from Winston's perspective. Here is where we learn why and how he became an agent for the Crown, and of the things he's had to do -- deeds that still haunt him and makes him feel unworthy of Susannah. Jenna Mindel really shows her mettle here, and especially so in the manner in which she forces Susannah to come to grips with this aspect of Winston's life and how she would fit into the scheme of things if she still decides to tie her fate with his. On the whole, "The Captain's Secret" was a really good read. There is an absence of girlish high-jinks and drawing room romps -- but then this novel was not that kind of book at all. Rather, "The Captain's Secret" dwelt more on how two young ladies, who were sure of what they wanted, and who were willing to stick out the course, did what they needed to do in order to obtain the men of their dreams. And if you like romance novels about decisive heroines, than this is definitely the book for you. A good 3 1/2 star read.
Rating:
Summary: a good 3 1/2 star read
Review: Generally speaking, Jenna Mindel's "The Captain's Secret" is not the kind of Regency romance I'd usually pick up to read. I prefer reading about older romance heroines as I'm currently at the stage where I find it a little difficult to fully enter into all the emotional angst that a teenage heroine would (usually) experience/feel. However, since I'd had rather enjoyed "Labour of Love," the prequel of sorts to "The Captain's Secret," I thought I'd give this novel a go. And, on the whole, I found it to be a rather enjoyable and engaging read. Three years ago, Susannah Lacey met and fell in love with Captain Winston Jeffries while he was home for a brief respite from the war. And even though the captain had extracted a promise from her not to wait for him to return, and for her to have her London season and to meet other eligible matrimonial prospects, Susannah was certain that she had met her soul mate and the love of her life in Winston Jeffries. She was 16 years old then. Now she's 19, finally having her season, and has firmly resolved to put Winston Jeffries behind her, esp since she's heard nothing from him in almost two years. Imagine her shock then when she sees him at theatre, in good and sound health the very night she's decided to get on with her life! Ever since he had been convalesced out of active duty, Winston Jeffries has been working for Lord Castlereagh at the Foreign Office; and he has put aside all his dreams and desires of romance and Susannah behind him. All he wants now is to do a good enough job for Castlereagh so that he will recommend Winston favourably for a posting to India. Winston's latest mission is to court the season's current Incomparable, Miss Caroline Dunsford, so that he will be able to discover if her father, a politician of some note, is a traitor. A seemingly simple enough task. Except that Winston never expected to do his pretend courting under Susannah's nose. Or to find that the enchanting young girl he had left behind had grown into a very beautiful and compelling young lady. However, no matter his own private inclinations or the pain that he would undoubtedly cause Susannah, Winston is determined to do his duty by King and country. But Susannah has other ideas. And with the help of her rival for Winston's attention and affections (Caroline Dunsford, who hopes to net the affections of quite another gentleman), Susannah has every hope of finally bagging her man -- if he will cooperate, that is. "The Captain's Secret" proved to be quite the engrossing read. I thought that Jenna Mindel did an excellent job in conveying all of Susannah's feelings of despair, hope and frustration. Especially well done were the chapters in which Susannah had to face the fact that Winston was quite serious about leaving England, and how this clashes completely with her desire to remain in England and close to her sister forever. Also nicely done were the bits where Susannah and Caroline Dunsford join forces and try to help each other with their respective courtships. This plot device contrived to give the novel a slightly more lighthearted tone as well as to give refreshingly different slant to the book -- not too many authours make potential romantic rivals friends, and I rather enjoyed this twist. Also nicely done was the second half of the book which dealt with things from Winston's perspective. Here is where we learn why and how he became an agent for the Crown, and of the things he's had to do -- deeds that still haunt him and makes him feel unworthy of Susannah. Jenna Mindel really shows her mettle here, and especially so in the manner in which she forces Susannah to come to grips with this aspect of Winston's life and how she would fit into the scheme of things if she still decides to tie her fate with his. On the whole, "The Captain's Secret" was a really good read. There is an absence of girlish high-jinks and drawing room romps -- but then this novel was not that kind of book at all. Rather, "The Captain's Secret" dwelt more on how two young ladies, who were sure of what they wanted, and who were willing to stick out the course, did what they needed to do in order to obtain the men of their dreams. And if you like romance novels about decisive heroines, than this is definitely the book for you. A good 3 1/2 star read.
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