The Christmas Treasure - Jeanne Savery

SHE GAVE HER HEART AN ORDER...
After sitting astride her mount for hours, and aching in places a lady dare not mention, Miss Ernestine Matthew finally arrived in a British outpost in war-torn Portugal. She'd been entrusted to bring her sister back to England, for poor Lenore's husband was missing in action and likely never to return. Ernestine had vowed never to form a similar attachment...until she met handsome Colonel Ave Sommerton—and all her best-laid intentions just went to Hades.

...BUT HER HEART DISOBEYED!
The more Ernestine fought her desire, the more she yearned to be in Ave's arms...and to believe that miracles could happen. Now, as the holidays neared, Ernestine felt all the wondrous hope of the special season—and a new year, brimming with love restored and happiness...found!

I had never read Jeanne Savery but being this a Christmas story and apparently set in Portugal I just couldn’t resist.

Ernie Mathewson goes back to Portugal with the mission to bring back her sister who seems to be unable to believe her husband (missing for 3 months) is dead and so doesn’t want to go back to England but would rather wait in Portugal for him to reappear. Ernie travels with her good friend Bertie and on arrival meet Colonel Somerton, Bertie’s commander.

I’m afraid I had a few troubles with the story beginning with the fact that this is set in Portugal but all the characters are either English or Spanish, don’t you find that odd?? The author does try to insert one or two Portuguese words for effect but either they are wrongly spelled (panelas not panellas) or they don’t seem appropriate for what they want (I find it highly unlikely that Queijadas de Sintra would be referred so in the beginning of the 19th century and were baked by everyone).

Then the characters, Norry (Ernie’s sister) keeps telling her that he husband is not dead and will come back, it seemed like they shared some sort of psychic connection and I found that odd in a non-paranormal. Norry says that so many times that I was a bit tired of it after a while. She is also being pursued by an officer who believes her a widow, since she had so many friends among the military men I couldn’t understand why one of them wouldn’t just set the officer straight and avoid some unpleasantness.

Now Ernie, she was a very stubborn lady that despite feeling herself attracted to Colonel Somerton, kept declaring her determination of not marrying a soldier and going as far as to say that they should all be orphans so women wouldn’t suffer when they die. Even if I can see how a war can lead to the death of soldiers and heartbreak it also sounded a bit too much that she kept repeating it at every turn.

Poor Colonel Somerton had a hard time with Ernie although that didn’t seem to disturb him much. Having decided she was the perfect woman for him he just kept on convincing her of it. Now I do feel, like him, that they were perfect for each other, but he was so determined to have her that even if she had a good reason to refuse him it didn’t seem he was letting her do it (there’s a scary thought). And I couldn’t understand why he didn’t tell her from the beginning that he was leaving the military and going back to England to try and recuperate his estate. Because he wanted her to love him as he was, as a soldier? It didn’t make sense to me.

There’s a mystery subplot about Norry’s Spanish little maid by whom their friend Bertie is in love and who may be on the run.

On the whole it wasn’t a badly written story, I just think some of the character’s actions did not made sense to me, some of the details didn’t sound right and it goes for too long. It would have worked better if it was a bit shorter.

Grade: 3/5

The Reluctant Heroine - Dawn Lindsey

Regina Alderstock was born an English Lady, but now she was far from home and close to danger. Orphaned in a Spanish city in Napoleon's iron grip, she needed all her wits and wiles to fend off an ardent French admirer; the powerfull and persuasive Monsieur de Thierry. It was in this precarious position that Major Adma Canfield entered her life. This dashing British undercover agent was a master of disguise -- but he made no secret of his desire. Reggie's heart had come under siege by a man for whom all was was fair in love and war... as shefought a battle against his passion that she was not sure shewished to win...

After a mediocre book, and one that although had good points struggled under the weights of some serious problems, I can happily report that the Reluctant heroine was a big success with me!

This is a peninsular war book, and there are not that many of those around. Very often the hero may have served in Spain or Portugal, or we meet other people in the book who have been there, but this is one of the few books where the whole of the action takes place in Spain. Major Adam Canfield is with Wellington’s forces in Spain and he often takes on reconnaissance missions (see ‘Spy’) to get information to bring back to his superiors. In his latest mission, he slips into Burgos to get an idea of the city’s forces and defences since the British are planning to lay siege to it.

The heroine’s situation is much more unusual. She is the daughter of British diplomat so she has been living in various places in Europe where her father’s posts took them. While in Spain, her father died when the heroine was a child, and her mother married a Spanish gentleman, who was a widower with a daughter of his own. A few years later, her mother also died. So Regina Alderstock although British by birth, has lived for years in Burgos with her stepfamily, and she considers Spain her country as well.

Major Canfield is injured in an accident (the contents of a mule cart fall on top of him) during his Burgos mission, and Regina witnessing the accident intervenes and takes the injured man to her home. Because she realised he was British (hence a spy), and was afraid his identity would be discovered if left with any of Spanish townspeople and the French would get wind of him. (How she knew he was British when she witnesses with others the accident, is not clear. She is not psychic as far as I know. Normally that would be a [small] problem here but I was very willing to overlook it, since I was enjoying the book.) Being injured Major Canfield can not travel back to the British forces camp, (a bit south of Salamanca) and the information he has about Burgos is vital. Regina, tries to convince him she should go in his place. And she does. And she goes. Now this may sound unrealistic, and the heroine foolhardy, if this was in another book. However she just travels in her carriage with her stepsister and her aunt, and stay to visit with family in Salamanca, so it is all above board, not suspicious or dangerous. Regina is a very practical, and level headed, and not at all one for silly heroics. She is also clever, witty, kind, has nice manners; in short I could not find a single fault in her. Major Canfield I also liked a lot. Again, I cannot find anything to fault him. And they are suited to each other. Again, even trying to find something that bothered me or annoyed me, or was unnecessary, not logical, irritating, unrealistic … Nope. I can not think of a single thing! Very rare for me :) (Ok, single minor thing: the heroine guessing telepathetically that the injured ‘Spanish peasant’ is British.)

When Regina returns to Burgos after the trip to Salamanca, Major Canfield is gone. The two meet up next in Madrid in a couple of months time. And again later in the book Major goes to see her in Burgos to assure himself that she is well. The book stretches for a period of about 1.5 years and the hero and heroine spend little of that time together. But the book fast forwards in time where interesting things are happening, so that was not a problem at all. Their acquaintance and relationship develops believably and though both are attracted to each other, neither does anything impulsive or foolhardy.

So a great heroine and hero, in a solid story with an interesting and unusual background in the Pennisular campaign. I cannot ask for anything more in a Regency, or indeed in any Romance. I very much enjoyed this book.

PS. There is a problem with the book in that the back blurb (so, not the author's fault) is more inaccurate than usual: The heroine is not orphaned and in danger when she meets the hero (rather he is), and she is not fending off the wiles of a French admirer. Major Canfield is not dashing dressed as a Spanish peasant, there is no desire to keep secret in the beginning, he lays no siege, and Regina fights no battle against his passion. I cannot find a single thing in these two paragraphs that is true or accurate. Apart from their names.

Grade 4/5