A Spy's Devotion

I loved this little journey into Regency England. It was quite delightful to read of Julia and Nicholas's unlikely relationship as they both end up spying to save General Wellington from a plot against his life. I also enjoyed the little twist on the spy plot, of neither them having been spies before being encountered with a mysterious diary and a murder attempt.

Julia has grown up in church and has never really used her beliefs in real life; she learns to rely on prayer in her trials. Nothing is said about the state of the hero's beliefs. Other than those mentions of prayer, it is a clean novel that would be just as much at home in the secular market.

The writing style is choppy in places, but the character development is excellent. The plot does feel a trifle rushed in parts, but I did not find myself having to go back and redhead to get the sense of it; it simply moved a little too fast. One thing I did like was how Julia must search her heart to see if things she did for society's sake were actually right or wrong on their own, like when she examines her heart as to why she feels guilty over flirting with a man who is not free to marry her.

So, though I would not call the writing “brilliant” or the spiritual content “inspiring,” it is still a nice, solid little story. I will definitely be interested in reading the second book when it comes out.