The Prince of Spies - Review

The Prince of Spies (Hope and Glory, # 2)

By: Elizabeth Camden

Publication: February 16th 2021 by Bethany House Publishers

352 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Luke Delacroix has the reputation of a charming man-about-town in Gilded Age Washington, DC. In reality, he is secretly carrying out an ambitious agenda in Congress. His current mission is to thwart the reelection of Congressman Clyde Magruder, his only real enemy in the world.

But trouble begins when Luke meets Marianne Magruder, the congressman's only daughter, whose job as a government photographer gives her unprecedented access to sites throughout the city. Luke is captivated by Marianne's quick wit and alluring charm, leading them both into a dangerous gamble to reconcile their feelings for each other with Luke's driving passion for vital reforms in Congress.

Can their newfound love survive a political firestorm, or will three generations of family rivalry drive them apart forever?

I came into this series with book 2 not knowing it was part of a series. Luke seemed like a larger than life character, and I was excited to come around to his book. Yet I tried to start The Prince of Spies the week before Baby Boy was born. Honestly, that was a terrible time to try to start something new. I wasn't hooked immediately so I put it down. Of course, having a newborn doesn't lend itself to much reading time so I put off getting back to this book for a while. However when I finally returned to the story, I only needed a few more pages before I found myself invested in the story and characters.

Luke is still larger than life. He's one of those people that have varied interest. He's just gotten home from a 15 month stint in a Cuban jail while spying for the US. Plus he's a journalist. He's interested in politics. He's got a vendetta against a company that the family business had a deal with that led to the deaths of 3 people. He's translating a book. And he joins an experiment group. Luke is a risk taker if nothing else. I can admire him but also know I could never be in a relationship with someone similar.

Marianne is the daughter of the business owner Luke's family had the partnership with that resulted in 3 deaths. Marianne only knows what she's been told and has no reason to doubt those things. She's a photographer for the Department of Interiors and has been called to some dangerous places in the name of getting a good shot. Even still, Marianne doesn't considered herself a risk-taker. She actually calls herself a coward more than once.

I liked Luke and Marianne's story. These two didn't skirt around their attraction with each other which I appreciated. They have a Romeo and Juliet story being from families feuding with each other.

I usually don't love when a book spends too much time focusing on historical events. I don't mind a mention or a nod, but I don't want to feel like the book is setting out to teach me something (much like not wanting to be preached at). So The Prince of Spies teetered on the edge of the line for me. I actually found the food preservatives aspect interesting but it was almost too much history for me.

Favorite quotes:

-“Oh, for pity’s sake, they’re ghosts, Gray! The kind who wake you up at night and steal your joy and make you pray to God for forgiveness. That kind of ghost.”...“Then you’re going to have to defeat them. Or turn them into something that inspires you to be a better man.”

-"We seem like complete opposites, but we fly together in tandem.”

-"Having a best friend,” Luke said. “A port in a storm. A person to laugh and flirt with. To hold and kiss and comfort.”

-She was a jeweled memory that flashed and glinted in the darkness, keeping him awake at night and fueling his days. He would probably never see her again, but the fire she inspired drove him to keep dreaming, keep trying, keep enduring.

The Prince of Spies took me a little while to get into, but I think that had more to do with my life circumstances than the book. I loved Luke and Marianne's story. And even though I don't normally, I enjoyed the inclusion of the history of food preservatives as used in this story. The history was close to being too much of the focus for me though. Prince of Spies gets 3.5 Stars. Have you read Prince of Spies? What did you think? Let me know!