[.ca] To Kiss a Spy (ISBN 0553583077)

From Amazon.com:
Setting: England, 1552 Sensuality: 7 A beautiful widow, Lady Pen Bryanston is tormented by a mystery she can't resolve, and when sophisticated spy Owen d'Arcy approaches her with a proposition, she strikes a devil's bargain with the handsome, dangerous man. Pen needs Owen to uncover the truth about the baby her vicious mother-in-law claims died at birth, but to buy Owen's services, she must use her position as favorite lady-in-waiting to spy on Princess Mary. The situation is complicated for Pen by the passionate attraction she feels for Owen. A man with a dark past, Owen finds himself attracted to Pen on many levels, and she soon challenges his view of himself and his life. But even as Owen and Pen unravel the web of lies surrounding her son's birth, a dark political storm is gathering about Princess Mary. Before Owen and Pen can resolve their complicated love affair, their lives and the lives of all those around them will be threatened by powerful forces that wish them harm. To Kiss a Spy is solidly grounded in historical facts and set against a backdrop colored with brilliant detail. Author Jane Feather skillfully blends political intrigue, family loyalty, and heart-stopping romance in this well-plotted novel. --Lois Dyer

Where is the romance???:
Very flat and dull, extremely disappointing. I had been given this book and told to read anything by Jane Feather, that it would be excellent. Well, it was average at best. I liked the history and the setting, though the author really does need to do a better job of capturing life in Renaissance England. The characters were wooden and predictable, the book plot-driven only. As for sizzle and sensuality, more like fizzle and not even foreplay! The hero tries valiantly to like her, but Pen is not a nice person a lot of the time. The trust between them hardly builds enough to convince us they are falling in love, and the ending of the novel really falls completely flat. I know it is supposed to be part of a series, but I am most definitely not swept away by this novel enough to care about Lady Pen, let alone the first or the next book.

Outstanding Exciting Historical:
Lady Pen Bryanston, a beautiful widow has been but a shadow of herself - she is tormented after losing her husband, then her child some years back. As a lady in waiting to Princess Mary in the year 1550 she meets the very sophisticated spy Owen d'Arcy whose initial approach to her rather surprised and intrigued her. Owen, a somewhat dispassionate and unreadable spy originally sees Pen as another pawn to be used in the plots and intrigues surrounding the royal family. Pen, who has always been sensible, was not swept away by Owen - curious though her interest was piqued. Pen strikes a devil's bargain with the handsome, dangerous man. Pen needs Owen to uncover the truth about the baby her vicious mother-in-law claimed stillborn -dead at birth. She must use her position as favorite lady-in-waiting to spy on the princess. The situation becomes quite complicated for Pen as she battles her memories of her husband Philip with the passion and lust she begins to feel for Owen. Owen, dark and dangerous, finds himself attracted to Pen on many levels, she makes him start to reassess his life and his motives and as Owen unravels and begins to prove Pen's obsession with the questionable death of her son, a very dangerous political storm is gathers around the people she most loves, her brother Robin (a spy fro the opposing side), Princess Mary, her parents and sisters. To Kiss a Spy is the second book in the 'Kiss' trilogy. It is filled with wonderfully descriptive and colorful historical facts that keep you on the edge of your seat as the central characters race against time to escape political maneuverings and save their loved ones from losing their heads. This book most definitely stands alone, but I do suggest that for any die-hard historical reader to really get the whole feel and flavor of this period in history to read them in the order of publication. Personally, I cannot wait to start 'Kissed by Shadows' the third entry to this fantastic series.

Intelligent romance of mystery and intrigue:
This easily under-rated romance by maverick Jane Feather surpasses the mainstream historical fanfare with a scrupulous research of England's 16th century era and meticulous plotting. Lady Pen Bryanston, confidante of the to-be Queen Mary is targeted by French Ambassador to the English Court as a source of information to Mary's well-being and succession to the throne relinquished after young King Edward VI's delicate constitution. He sends master spy Owen D' Arcy to seduce Pen - only to be attracted to her cool-headed front and courage. When she discovers Owen is a spy, they strike a bargain that he finds her son who was secretly taken away by her mother-in-law just after minutes of his birth while she acts the mole. As such Jane Feather's romance is downplayed by the sprawling plot and intrigue. But what delicious cunning and treacherous betrayal to jolt readers into suspenseful tenterhooks! Ambitious dukes of Northumberland and Suffolk plan to oust Mary by making the ailing Edward sign the Device and conquer England; Pen outwits her cruel mother-in-law with a subtle allegation of treason. The climax saturates with the escape of Mary to her father and brother closely thwarted by the relentless pursuit of the dukes. The subdued romance element is poignantly illustrated through Owen's dark secrets and protective instincts towards Pen. Jane Feather's protagonists are refreshingly matured and too level-headed to engage in sentimental romance. To Kiss A Spy becomes convincingly real and engaging to break free of the traditional mold. It is a rare gem that proves intelligence can be associated with romance.

A slow, slow book...:
There's only one word to describe this book: Slow. The prologue started out good, but then everything went on slowly. The action was slow, the characters were boring, (save for Pippa who was a tad refreshing) and I was very tempted to stop reading the book, but (luckily?) I continued. The story started picking up halfway through when Pen started to actually look for The Son Who -she believes- Is Still Alive with Owen. So the story proceeded on slowly, and still ended up okay. So basically, the second half of the book is the redeeming part. But if you are someone who, like me, cannot wait for the plot to slowly develope, you might do well by skipping this one.

A Great Book!:
I fell in love with his book. Owen D'Arcy is my favourite out of all Jane Feather's heroes and while Pen could sometimes get a bit annoying I could still udnerstand where she was coming from and what she was thinking. The historical backdrop was also cleverly created and I like Jane Feather's ability to bring to life real hsitorical figures such as Princess Mary. My favourite part of the story was when they actually go into the bowels of London to look for her son. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of reading it.