The Traitor's Daughter (Signet Regency Romance)

Rating:
Summary: an exciting read
Review: "The Traitor's Daughter" by Elizabeth Powell is a wonderfully intriguing read that deals with treason and spying within the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

When Amanda Tremayne's father, a respected naval officer, was found guilty of treason and executed, she lost everything: her good name. her home, and security. However Amanda never for a moment doubted that her father was innocent of the charge and that he had been framed by his commanding officer, Admiral Locke. And so she resolves to discover the truth and clear her father's name. She manages to bluff her way into the Admiral's house during a ball; however her search for evidence is hampered by the arrival of another sleuth. Captain Sir John Everly has been instructed by his superiors to ferret out evidence of Locke's wrongdoing. And he is both stunned and flabbergasted when he discovers what it is Amanda is up to, especially so when he realises whose daughter she is. They decide grudgingly to work together, each not sure if they can really trust each other. At the back of Everly's mind lies the uneasy realisation that he is working with a convicted traitor's daughter -- no matter that she is an extremely lovely young lady, while Amanda must decide if she can trust one of the men who sentenced her father to death (Everly sat on the tribunal that sentenced her father to death), especially since he seems to be the kind of young gentleman she would have liked to have known better under different circumstances. Can Everly and Amanda overcome their distrust of each other enough to be able to work together? And what of the undeniable attraction that each feels for the other?

"The Traitor's Daughter" is an extremely well written novel, faced paced and cunningly constructed. Elizabeth Powell also did a very good job in maintaining the air of suspense in the novel -- there were several tense moments where I actually feared that Amanda would be discovered as she rifled through the Admiral's papers. The characters were all fully realised in the beginning chapters -- Amanda was quickly established as an angry young woman, full of resolve, intelligent and fearful that all her efforts on her father's behalf will be in vain; while Everly is portrayed as a responsible and intelligent man of 'action.' Even the villain of the piece is set firmly in place from the very beginning. All in all, this was quite an exciting read. I did wish however that Ms Powell had spent a little more time on Amanda's feelings of doubts about getting involved with someone who had sentenced her father to death. This issue was not really addressed fully, and would have, I thought, been a real issue between the two (never mind that Everly was actually doing what he had to do). After all Amanda spends quite a bit of time wondering if she has allowed bitterness and her need for revenge to warp her. So that her quick dismissal of whether or not she would be able to, in the long run, overlook Everly's role in her father's death, was surprising. However, that quibble aside, "The Traitor's Daughter" was the exciting and fun read, and one worth touting!

Rating:
Summary: This is NOT one to miss!
Review: Captain Alexander Tremayne was executed for treason, framed by his commanding officer. His daughter, Amanda, was out to exonerate her father! He had sent Amanda letters, documenting the suspicious activities of Commodore Locke. But no one in the Admiralty would listen to her. Amanda and her grandmother stayed in London. It was large enough to give them some anonymity. Amanda worked as a seamstress to support them. Her childhood friend was now Lieutenant Harry Morgan. He was the only one that did not shun them. He would do all he could to help.

Captain Sir Jonathan Everly's leg was wounded in the Battle of Lissa. He wanted nothing more than to get back on his ship and out to sea. First he must complete a mission for Admiral Lord St. Vincent. The Admiralty had a traitor within! Worse, there seemed to be more than one! Rear Admiral William Locke was suspected, but proof was needed.

Since Jonathan was one of the five captains that judged her father, it took quite a bit for Amanda to trust him. However, she refused to be left out of the loop or to simply hand over her father's documents. So they had to tread the thin ice of trust between each other and unnerving attraction they felt to find evidence of the traitor, any conspirators, and to restore the family name of Tremayne to honor!

***** This is NOT one to miss! Danger lurks on each page and tension is high! Oh, the romance is there too, not to worry. I was unable to put this one down for more than a few minutes. I had to see what was going to happen next! Very enjoyable and recommended. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Rating:
Summary: give this book a miss
Review: The book starts off with a promising plot then veers off into contrived and unbelieveable situations. The author tries to portray the heroine as spunky but she comes off as thoroughly childish. The only good thing is that this is a book you can easily put down.