Having thoroughly enjoyed The Spymaster's Lady, I moved on to this one almost immediately and was very glad I did. If possible, I think I liked The Black Hawk even better. I adored Adrian and Justine is a great heroine. The novel is multi-layered, moving as it does between past and present in order to reveal many of the previous incidents in the main protagonists lives. Again, attention to detail and good writing. I really enjoyed the book. To me, it was a spy novel with romantic elements. The fact that Justine and Hawker were older characters helped to minimize the amount of irrational behavior that occurred. I liked the flashbacks. I thought they were effective in showing how Justine and Hawker's relationship evolved over the years. I was somewhat confused by why the big event was so big - considering all she had to was explain it was an accident. I liked the author's style. It was memorable. She made the characters pop. They had personality and depth. I wanted to know more about the secondary characters - what exactly happened to Pax between the war and the present? I felt that the short sentences helped to convey the mood. In the opening chapter, the short sentences helped to emphasize Justine's sense of urgency at getting the message to Hawker. Likewise, I thought the sentence structure and use of French words were effective at showing how Justine was not a native speaker. I didn't feel like you needed to have read the author's other books to enjoy The Black Hawk. Similarly, I didn't feel like the historical elements overwhelmed the story. While the author referred to military entanglements and locations, they weren't essential to understanding the plot. They deepened my understanding to what sort of environment Justine and Hawker were living in.
What do You think about Blackhawk (2011)?
Vacation reading - can't read serious stuff all the time!
—Chaza
If you like historical romances, read this series!
—Lisa
