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1.0 out of 5 stars
Terrible! Unconvincing, badly researched and boring, Jun 22 2002
Does Catherine Coulter know anything at all about the English Regency period? From reading this book and the other one of hers I've read, I doubt it very much. Her characters all talk and to a large extent act like contemporary Americans. That in itself is very offputting. The characters are too informal with each other, using first names where it would be completely inappropriate, which makes the book less credible to begin with.That aside, what of the story? Well, Evangeline is under orders from someone nasty to spy for Napoleon by getting herself accepted into the household of a cousin-by-marriage, the Duke of Portsmouth - who, very conveniently, just happens to be engaged in counter-espionage himself. And this is the first incredible element of the book. Portsmouth, and his friend Pettigrew, are *secretly* working for the government against Napoleon. Note the *secretly*. So, of course, it makes perfect sense that Pettigrew tells Evangeline, a woman he's only just met, in front of other people, that he and Portsmouth are British spies, doesn't it? Not! That was ludicrous. And just as incredible was Pettigrew telling Evangeline that he intended to marry Felicia, admitting that no-one else knew it yet. Why would he tell a perfect stranger personal details like that? All these inaccuracies and unbelievable elements aside, though, I simply didn't like either Portsmouth or Evangeline. Portsmouth, in his crude way of talking to her, ogling her and making personal comments about her figure and what he'd like to do to her, was no more than an ill-bred lout. And, in the parlance of the time, Evangeline was no better than she should be. Portsmouth was so openly and loudly obsessed with her breasts that I almost expected Evangeline to suggest he draw his sword and cut them off so that he could have them in his possession permanently! He wasn't lover-like; he was a sleaze. Someone else has already mentioned the appalling proof-reading: the grammatical and punctuation errors, the tense switches and so on. Perhaps Coulter could benefit from brushing up on her grammar too. All in all, I think I'll stick with the better Regency-period authors from now on.
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